Small: What causes inflation? Government.

What causes inflation? Government.

By Jonathan Small

The financial pinch families feel from rising prices is undeniable. Yet too few understand that government is responsible for soaring prices.

Consider college costs. The massive government subsidies provided to colleges, through free-flowing student loans, billions in state and local tax dollars, government’s cultural overemphasis on a college degree, and the complicit “paper ceiling” at many businesses, make students much less price sensitive. Colleges have responded by hiking tuition.

According to JP Morgan, the cost of clothing has increased 35 percent since 1983 while gas increased 182 percent. But college tuition has soared 914 percent.

Congressman Brecheen speaks on House floor about the gravity of our national debt

Congressman Josh Brecheen Speaks on the Gravity of our National Debt During First House Floor Speech

This text has been adapted from Congressman Josh Brecheen’s first House floor speech. You can watch the full speech here, or below.

Lucas applauds Trump for expanding access to telehealth

Trump Administration Further Expands Telehealth, Focuses on Rural Areas

Cheyenne, OK – Earlier this month, President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order (the Order) further expanding access to telehealth services during the COVID-19 pandemic, especially in rural communities. Congressman Frank Lucas (OK-03) released the following statement today applauding the Trump Administration’s actions and committing to continue to work to further expand access to health care in Oklahoma’s rural communities:

“Earlier this month, President Trump took an important step to ensure those living in rural communities across Oklahoma have better, more reliable access to medical care. When Americans were asked to stay in their homes, the responsibilities and need for care prompted quick changes for both the well-being of patients and health care providers. Thanks to telehealth, Americans are receiving better access to the doctors of their choice all while avoiding unnecessary exposure to coronavirus,” said Congressman Lucas.

Boren: solving deficit and debt is the main issue

Congressman Dan Boren (D-Muskogee) spoke to a crowd of over 150 at his town hall yesterday in Muskogee, focusing on topics like the budget deficit and national debt.

The atmosphere of the meeting was calmer and more subdued than it was during the summer of 2009, but was still concerned about government spending and intrusion. Boren spoke positively of the Tea Party movement, and the new focus on fixing our nation's fiscal situation.

The congressman began the meeting by running through some quick figures dealing with the debt level and budget deficit. Boren said that, while we need to cut discretionary spending, entitlements like Social Security and Medicare are the big problem. Due to the "sacred cow" nature of entitlements, politicians don't want to take risks and make the needed reforms, but that's what our future depends on, Boren said.

Boren drew applause when he said that he voted to cut funding to Planned Parenthood and the President's "czars".

The congressman had a very relaxed attitude about his political future. He knows that his seat isn't guaranteed, and he said that he's perfectly fine with not being in Washington for a long time - in fact, he doesn't plan on staying in office for a long period of time.

Boren said that while the House will end up cutting nearly $100B from the budget, the Senate likely won't cut much. He predicted a final deal being cut between the two houses at somewhere around $30B, which would still leave a deficit of nearly $1.5 trillion. He hinted that he would vote to raise the debt ceiling, but with corresponding budget cuts.

He also said that he is a regular reader of MuskogeePolitico.com, so... hello Mr. Congressman!

I tweeted updates during the town hall, so for other points, search Twitter for #BorenTownHall (or click the link)

Winners and Losers in the Senate Health Care Bill

Here's a short list of winners and losers in the Senate version of ObamaCare/health care 'reform'.

Winners:

• Nebraska - gets permanent federal funding for the Medicaid expansion, at the expense of the rest of the Union, a bribe for Sen. Ben Nelson (D-NE).
  
• Vermont, Massachusetts and Hawaii - get partial, short-term federal funding for Medicaid expansion.
  
• University of Connecticut - gets $100M for hospital construction, thanks to Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT).
  
• Louisiana - $300M in increased federal Medicaid subsidies, in order to buy the vote of Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA).
  
• Medicare providers (physicians and hospitals) in Montana, Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Utah - will get paid more than other states under the reimbursement formula.
  
• Medicare Advantage members in Florida - will get to keep their coverage, while the program gets deep cuts in the rest of the country.
  

Losers:

• The American People - new taxes, worse health care, more government control... what's there to like?
  
• The American taxpayer - 400 billion dollars in new taxes.
  
• Unborn babies - abortions will still be paid for with taxpayer funds (particularly on Indian reservations).
  
• Future generations - those who will have to pay for this in the future (which includes young Americans like myself).
  
• Tanning salons - will get hit with a 10% tax (to replace a discussed-but-dropped tax on cosmetic surgery).
  
• People making over $200,000 a year - Medicare payroll tax increased by 0.9%.
  
• Insurance companies - must spend at least 85 cents per dollar on medical costs, leaving 15 cents for overhead, salaries, stock-holders, et cetera.
  
• Generic drug makers - name-brand companies won 12 years of protection from their generic competitors.
• State budgets - Medicaid expansions will be a budget-breaker, in a time when 49 of 50 states are facing budget shortfalls (some of them quite severe), and states like California are facing bankruptcy.
  

These are just some of the winners and losers. If you want to add some, leave a comment.