In the House today, 82 Republicans voted to eliminate more low skilled jobs, raise prices on the American consumer, and increase the overall cost of living for all Americans across the board.

The Club for Growth took the time to break down the vote for us so we can see just which Republicans chose big government over the free market. None of the names on the list surprised, except for one.

What is up with Bobby Jindal??

Now, the bill would have passed anyway because the Dems voted unanimously in favor of it, but that is besides the point. The best minimum wage is no minimum wage.

Truth be told, I’m not all that concerned about this considering this is the one of the least harmful things that the American socialist party could do to bring down our country over the next two years.

It’s true that great minds think alike, although I must humble myself. It doesn’t take much brain power to see all the very visible flaws in Arnold’s health plan. Several good articles out there today tearing apart Arnold’s pending implosion of the Golden State.

If a version of Gov. Schwarzenegger’s plan passes, the only thing certain is that there will be more regulation, more government spending and more taxes. A better path would be to deregulate, and thus achieve some increase in the number of insured–without new spending or taxes or regulation.

Wall Street Journal

Yeah, I believe I covered that…..

Imagine the following scenario: An elected official gets in front of his constituents and proposes to give everybody health insurance. To accomplish this, he suggests strictly regulating the insurance industry, placing severe limits, not only on how they sell policies, but also on how they allocate their corporate spending. He also proposes subsidizing insurance for low-income people, many of whom will end up getting their coverage through a giant government program. And to pay for all of this, he wants to raise taxes on doctors and hospitals, while forcing businesses to pay for the coverage of their employees….

The New Republic

Just stupifying, I know…….

Before I get into what I hope to be a well-reasoned and economically sound discussion of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s new “universal health care” plan, please bear with the following outburst: Arnold’s plan is some of the most muddle-headed, idiotic, socialist crap I have ever seen from a serious politician, much less from a Republican.

Real Clear Politics

I have to admit that I am still rather stunned that Arnold took the time to put this proposal together and then actually went public with it in front of hundreds of millions of people. He really said to himself, “This is a good idea.” Clearly a few blunts were involved. His healthcare plan is akin to saying we are going to revolutionize transportation by incorporating the square wheel.

Video Removed for Bug CheckWow… devastating…

Video Removed for Bug Check

I’m watching the committee hearing in the U.S. Senate that was recorded earlier today. Jared Bernstein, the Directer of the Living Standards Program at the Economic Policy Institute, spoke about his support for an increase in the minimum wage.

There’s a lot that I can complain about in Mr. Bernstein’s testimony. But I’ll just choose one to exemplify my point.

He spoke of a family of four, with one member of the household working a full-time federal minimum wage job, still being below the poverty level at the current minimum wage. I have some questions for Mr. Bernstein:

1) How many families of four like this even exist? (see #6 for a clue)
2) How many of these families’s parents have high school diplomas? College degrees? Vocational training? Education is a key to success in life.
3) How many of these families’s providers have made solid personal decisions their entire lives? (I’m not holding my breath here)
4) Why is it the government’s job to give people who have made poor decisions a pay-raise regardless of their productivity?
5) Why is the government hell-bent on making it harder for businesses to employ part-time work, mostly teenagers who are first entering the job market?
6) Are you simply ignoring the following information from the Employment Policies Institute?

The average family income for employees who would “benefit” from the proposed $2.10 minimum wage hike is $45,558. Why? Nearly six out of seven of these employees either live with their parents or relatives, have a working spouse, or are single and don’t have children.

Virtually all minimum wage employees will see their incomes rise as they increase their value to employers by gaining skills through experience. Analysis of US Census Bureau data shows the median raise these employees receive is six times higher than that of employees earning above the minimum wage.

This traditional growth out of entry-level employment explains why less than 1% of employees above the age of 25 are working at the minimum wage.

7) How do you sleep at night?