Senate Democrats are unveiling their health care plan at a reported cost of $849 billion over 10 years. So why does our health care policy expert say the real 10-year cost is more like $2.5 trillion once the program actually starts? What sort of accounting gimmicks are used to get to $849 over just six years? Who foots the bill for this? What would the government demand from you as soon as six weeks from now? We ask Grace-Marie Turner of the Galen Institute.
‘Mischief Leading to Murder’
John Gizzi of Human Events tells us about his conversation with former Attorney General Michael Mukasey, who also served as trial judge in the wake of the 1993 World Trade Center bombings. Mukasey says allowing civilian trials for Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and his allies could lead radical followers to target key witnesses who are crucial to the government’s case. Gizzi also says President Obama’s trip to Asia was high on glitz and low on substance. He also weighs in on Doug Hoffman’s decision to ‘unconcede’ in the New York Congressional race and explains why Harry Reid will likely use the nuclear option to pass health care legislation.
Civilian Trial Rewards Terrorists for Attacking U.S.
Arizona Rep. Trent Franks slams the Obama administration defense of putting 9-11 mastermind Khalid Sheik Mohammed on trial in federal court, saying ‘why don’t we just invite them into the nursery to teach our kids?’ He says such a move give terrorists incentive to target Americans on U.S. soil rather than confront our military. He also shreds the reasons Attorney General Eric Holder gives for why Americans should not be concerned about this. And he takes the President to task for possibly taking several more weeks to settle on a policy for Afghanistan.
The Obama Jobs Charade
Texas Rep. Ted Poe says all the fictional data on the White House recovery.gov website proves there is no job creation for the administration to claim. He also reveals that any worker who gets a raise counts as a ‘job saved’ in the Obama calculations. Poe says the upcoming ‘jobs bill’ will probably be more of the same and that real job creation comes through aggressive tax incentives. He also slams Democrats for piling onto the debt by passing a $250 billion plan to reimburse doctors – an issue that would have killed the Pelosi health bill so it was separated.
On the Road to Rationing
Georgia Rep. Phil Gingrey is ripping new recommendations from the federal government regarding breast cancer prevention. The new guidelines suggest mammograms for women starting at age 50 rather than the previous recommendation to begin at age 40. They also say self exams are no longer necessary. Why does Gingrey believe this puts women’s lives in danger? Why does he believe it’s vital for women to begin screening at age 40 and to be diligent with the self exams? And why does he see this as the start of the government finding more and more tests and procedures for which it refuses to pay – better known as rationing?
Security Trumps Jobs
Illinois Rep. Don Manzullo is strongly opposed to a prison in his district becoming the home for many Guantanamo Bay detainees. Why? Why does he see such a move negatively impacting his district? Why does he see the argument that the detainees will mean 3,000 new jobs as false? What is his plan for bringing jobs into his district and keeping terrorists out?
Pataki: Terrorism Is Not Just A Crime, It’s An Act of War
Former New York Gov. George Pataki is outraged at the Obama administration decision to put 9-11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four other conspirators on trial in civilian court. Why? Why does Pataki say President Obama – like President Clinton – treats terrorists like the guy who robs the local liquor store? Why does he say terrorism must be handled differently than most other crimes? What does he make of the Democratic argument that suspects should be tried in court near the site of the crime? Why does he say the civilian trials on the 1993 World Trade Center bombing actually worked to Osama Bin Laden’s advantage?
Listen here to Greg’s full interview with Gov. Pataki.
Why the 9-11 Plotters Should Be Tried Before Military Commissions
On Friday, the Obama administration announced five 9-11 conspirators would stand trial in civilian court in New York City, including mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed. Why does a former Army prosecutor think that is a terrible decision? Why did the administration order this while also ordering military commissions for five other detainees? Why will our intelligence community be compromised by a civilian trial? And why is Zacharias Moussaoui a textbook example of why civilian trials for terrorists are a bad idea? We ask retired U.S. Army Maj. Kyndra Rotunda, who served as an Army prosecutor at Guantanamo Bay.
Will the UN Unilaterally Declare a Palestinian State?
Outgoing Palestinian Pres. Mahmoud Abbas is reportedly pushing the United Nations to declare a Palestinian state – something Israel says can only happen through negotiations and mutual agreements. So is this a surprise? Are we looking at another surge in violence? Would it be one Palestinian state or two? And why don’t Israelis trust the United States? We ask retired Israeli Brig. Gen. Elihu Ben-Onn, who is now a radio talk show host in Israel.
The Trouble with Judge Hamilton
The Senate may vote this week on the nomination of Judge David Hamilton to serve on the U.S. Court of Appeals. Why are conservatives calling Hamilton ‘unacceptable’? Why do they see him as a judicial activist and a threat to religious freedom and parental rights? We ask Wendy Wright of Concerned Women for America, and ask her if she supports a filibuster to stop Hamilton after she worked against filibusters of Bush judicial nominees.