What does every initiative of the Obama era have in common? Obamacare, Obamaphones, Social Security disability expansion, 50 million people on food stamps... The assumption is that mass, multi-generational dependency is now a permanent feature of life. A coastal elite will devise ever smarter and slicker trinkets, and pretty much everyone else will be a member of either the dependency class or the vast bureaucracy that ministers to them. And, if you're wondering why every Big Government program assumes you're a feeble child, that's because a citizenry without "work and purpose" is ultimately incompatible with liberty. The elites think a smart society will be wealthy enough to relieve the masses from the need to work. In reality, it would be neo-feudal, but with fatter, sicker peasants. It wouldn't just be "economic inequality", but a far more profound kind, and seething with resentments.
John Hinderaker on the Wisdom of Gun Control
...interesting study published in Preventive Medicine that confirms something I have written repeatedly: criminals do not acquire their guns legally ... This is important because, in response to high-profile shootings, gun control advocates always recur to a few longstanding proposals–none of which have anything to do with actually reducing the rate of gun violence. A favorite liberal chestnut is “universal background checks.” Background checks already must be run by all licensed firearms dealers; making them universal means requiring individuals who sell a firearm to a friend or relative, etc., to run a background check first. The problem is that criminals get guns from fellow gang members and other non-law abiding friends and acquaintances. These people are not going to run background checks, no matter what federal law provides.
Ed Morrissey on Hillary's "Inevitability"
A strange thing happened on the way to the coronation — people began looking for alternatives to Democratic nobility, such as it is. Until Hillary Clinton actually began running, no one of consequence appeared on the horizon to challenge her for the nomination, and so the power brokers lined up early to curry favor with the once and future Queen. Now that her weaknesses as a candidate have been exposed, again, those power brokers have more leeway to exercise leverage over Hillary. That’s why Big Labor has not rallied to Hillary’s side, and in fact may weigh in on behalf of one of her rivals ... Hillary’s problems are not limited to the labor coalition within the Democratic Party. She’s failing miserably at generating enthusiasm among millennials, the demographic that produced much of the energy in the Barack Obama coalition.
Jack Encarnacao, Brian Dowling and Chris Villani on Ironic Union Protests
President Obama today appeared before hundreds of labor leaders inside a Park Plaza ballroom -- with hundreds of union members protesting outside -- to announce an executive order that will extend a week of paid sick leave to all employees of federal contractors and to extol his own administration's support for middle-class workers and their unions ... “In [the Republicans'] world, the only way to help the country grow and help people get ahead is to cut taxes for millionaires and billionaires, and loosen up rules on big banks and polluters,” Obama said. "And then you just wait and you look up at the sky and prosperity will come raining down on us from the top of whatever high rise is in your city."
Via BadBlue Real-Time News.
His Excellency Obama has decreed that all federal contractors must grant up to 7 sick days to their employees. He has urged Congress to make this a requirement for all US businesses. This is the usual Socialist proposal that resources will appear out of the air to meet the demands of a wise government. Any business which has profits can surely, easily pay more, until it has no profits, and then it should pay regardless.
ReplyDeleteQuestion: How does a self-employed person comply with the spirit of this proclamation? He can't. There is no advantage in requiring that he set aside funds (from his income) to award himself sick-pay (to his income). This is a wash.
Worse, his income must first go down, and will go up only if he becomes sick. So, all workers will become sick for 7 days each year, and all incomes will go down in anticipation of this.
This seems like a silly example. What about "real" employers?
Health Insurance Thirst Mandate. Excerpt:
=== ===
His Benevolence: I have decided to banish thirst from the land. All health insurance will henceforth include unlimited purchases of refreshing drink, like Coke, Pepsi, and 7-Up. The peasants will slake their thirst and be reimbursed by the insurance companies. No co-pay.
Advisor: Your name will be legend. Sire, will you be paying for this bounty?
His Benevolence: The insurance companies will pay.
Advisor: Sire, will not the peasants have to pay the insurance companies?
=== ===
All pay and benefits are part of an employee's total compensation for his work. Obama can decree employees will receive more sick days. That "additional" benefit must be paid out of total compensation. Typically, cash salary will decrease just as much as the increase in value of the sick-pay benefit.
Are you seeing the benefit from Obama's decree?
ReplyDelete"Are you seeing the benefit from Obama's decree? "
Of course, there's a benefit for all concerned.
I am now free of the terrible burden of having to decide if I wish to offer sick pay, the employee is benefited by having the wisely superior Barry the Kenyan decide on the components of his compensation package.
Barry T K has the wonderful altruistic feeling of having benefited all and sundry plus the American Economy.
Win-Win-Win.