Quick Hits: 9-29-09

From 'round the sphere...

US not acting like leader of the "free" world anymore

The Washington Times uses the example of speeches at the UN General Assembly last week to point out that Israel is looking more and more like the leader of the "free" world, while what it calles the "previous leader" (the US) has resigned it's role and decided to act more like a "global community organizer".  From the article:

...This was made plain by President Obama in his speech, titled "Responsibility for Our Common Future," in which he heralded "a new chapter of international cooperation." By contrast, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered a blunt and forceful call to action in the central challenge facing free people today. This is the struggle of "civilization against barbarism" being fought by "those who sanctify life against those who glorify death." ...

It would be nice to hear our own President use that kind of language.

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New Jersey school upset of video of kids singing Obama's praises

Yes, the school leadership is upset over the video, but not why you would think.  They're not upset over the fact that the teachers decided to get the kids to sing an oblation to Obama.  They're upset that it was videotaped.  The administration pointed out that "school staff had no knowledge of the recording".  No surprise there.  In fact, that's probably the only reason we got to see it.

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Baucus version of "reform" would bankrupt all 50 states

The Wall Street Journal calls the Senate Finance Committee's version of health care reform the "mother and father and crazy uncle of unfunded mandates".

It points out that the only way that the bill would supposedly "pay for itself" over the course of the next decade is because it would permanently expand Medicaid in such a way as to swamp the budgets of all fifty states.

About 59 million people are on Medicaid today—which means that a decade from now about a quarter of the total population would be on a program originally sold as help for low-income women, children and the disabled. State budgets would explode—by $37 billion, according to the Congressional Budget Office—because they would no longer be allowed to set eligibility in line with their own decisions about taxes and spending.

Add to that the fact that many Democrats are moving to specifically include illegal aliens in any future health care subsidies, and the budget hold only gets bigger and deeper.  (Seems Joe Wilson was right).