Speaker Pelosi’s reported pride in being able to reduce the estimated cost of the proposed democratic health care reform bill reminds me of a hapless math pupil having a conversation with his father:

“Hey Dad, I took the makeup exam and raised my score by a third, from 30% to 40%. See, I did better”
“Yes, son, it is an improvement. But you still FAILED!”

Too bad the Cash for Clinkers program required destruction of the returned vehicles, because many Congressional Democrats sound like used car salespeople on late night public access TV: “We’ve worked and slashed the price to a bone! Come on down to Crazy Nancy’s and save like never before! No credit? Slow credit? No problem, we’ve made sure that everyone is nearly bankrupt, including the government!”

Despite town hall meetings, massive public demonstrations, and numerous opinion polls, Pelosi, Reid, and Obama still don’t get it: If you want the American public to buy this, you’ll have to answer a few questions. Can you explain the proposed legislation? Why can’t change be legislated gradually? And just how is it that a health care program that creates an enormous new federal bureaucracy and extends benefits to currently uninsured individuals reduces the federal deficit?

During the 2010 election year Congressional Democrats (and a few Republicans) will boast of “having the courage” to do the right thing for America, and that Americans must “stay the course”. The only course most of our elected officials should see in 2011 will have holes graded as par 3, 4, or 5. Then again, even on a miniature golf course, their favorite phrase is probably “taking a mulligan.”

Update: Allahpundit at HotAir floats a likely theme for 2010 Republican attack ads: ‘“We’re in an excellent place with the cost” will make for a sweet punchline in next year’s GOP attack ads, every last one of which will be casting Madam Speaker in the role of boogeyman.’

Update 24 October 2009: Now it’s back up to over $1 Trillion. They forget it’s our children’s money, not theirs!

As a little boy I always looked forward to special Christmas and birthday presents from my “Auntie Etta” – usually a book with a personal note inscribed on the inside cover, accompanied by the “x’s and o’s” of kisses and hugs. As with most small children it was about the gift and not the giver, but as I grew I learned that Aunt Etta was the sister of my Glasgow-born grandmother, Mary. Mary was the youngest of nine children – the last born and the last to die. Somewhere among my mother’s keepsakes is a Victorian-era picture of my grandmother’s school class, and even now she is easy to pick out among all of those dour turn-of-the-century Scot faces.

Mary immigrated with her husband John (born in Portree on the Isle of Skye) to the US in the 1920s. The ties to “the old country” remained, with letters and (later) an occasional phone call traversing the Atlantic. Even though she lived in the US for 50 years, and adopted US customs and attitudes, my grandmother never lost traces of her Glaswegian accent, her deep underlying faith, and her very practical but sometimes humorous Scot sensibility.

Long before the onset of identity politics, my mother (who is a British subject) and in turn myself were raised to be Americans, with an appreciation of our family’s Scot heritage. We still keep in touch with family there. Familial connections, personal sensibilities – my own and those inherited from my grandmother – and a sporadic atavistic desire to permanently return to the land of my forefathers drives me to pay attention to Scottish affairs.
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The EU has a long experience with nationalized, single-payer¹ health systems. Do they really provide the best patent care and experience? A new pan-European study supports the idea that competition and patient involvement in medical decisions is most effective. The study shows that, once again, the drones who speak of the marvels of single-payer European health care systems don’t have a clue as to what they are talking about.

The latest report from the Brussels-based Health Consumer Powerhouse, titled Euro health Consumer Index 2009 (please note the link is to the full report in a pdf format), contains some interesting data relevant to the healthcare debate in the US. The study measured and ranked the quality of the user/patient experience within 33 European countries by looking at six factors: Patient rights and information, e-Health, Waiting times, Outcomes, Range/reach of services provided, and Pharmaceuticals. ²

What system scores the highest? The Netherlands. Why?
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