Well, if they manage to create oil shortages (and as demonstrated, the price-fixing proposals would only create shortages) we'll have no choice but to accept massive subsidies for non-competitive 'alternative' energy! The ones who want to nationalize today seem to be the same ones complaining a few years ago that "cheap gasoline" was destroying the planet.

• 4 weeks ago

Bubble bubble, speculators in trouble...or maybe not

"Money flowing into oil - and commodities in general - has been especially sharp over the last 6 months as investors look for good returns amid falling stock prices and an inflation hedge against a falling dollar."

Paul and CNN and most of the rest of the left seem to want to demonize these "speculators" but they are only acting as any rational actor would respond to the irrational spending levels in Congress and at the Federal Reserve. It doesn't matter what one invests in by this logic, you're an "evil speculator" if you make more than the 5-7% loss people sitting in cash, CDs, or money markets will suffer.

Of course, take out the dying dollar and the resulting commodity boom and gas would still be $3 a gallon. Another way to consider it is that you get the same number of barrels of oil per ounce of gold. In many ways, the price of commodities hasn't changed relative to each other, they've only changed relative to fiat currencies whose supply exceeds demand.

/annoyed at anti-market liberals selling water energy books and CNN rant

• 7 weeks ago

duhh Thanks for pointing that out, I think I skipped ahead when I read about the tax cuts. My main complaint about McCain to this point is how he's kind of simplified issues - now I have details in front of my face and I'm the idiot that glosses over them because I expected to see more generalizations.

Just took a second look at McCain's website and the healthcare outline is updated. Right under "lowering costs" he has a section about tort reform. So what am I talking about!? I shoulda said: "McCain's plan sounds like the best one out"

• 11 weeks ago

If we want to cut costs, we could take a lesson from France (you won't hear me say that often.) No lawsuits, no running around suing your doctor because they did their best and made an honest mistake.

And a major problem with insurance is, oddly, only addressed by Obama's plan. Insurance is limited to state-by-state markets. I don't have the same choices or the same market competition situation as the person ~40 miles north in the next state.

Eliminating lawsuits and opening insurance to true nation-wide competition wouldn't fix everything, but it would be a good practical start to CUT COSTS. These universal plans just increase cost, they throw more money chasing at the same level of resources.

• 11 weeks ago

You'd think if they had the votes for an amendment they could easily get the votes to just change the budget.

Unfortunately the part you set in bold is the part that really explains why things won't change. It doesn't matter how much Republicans spend, because Democrats can always come out and say it wasn't enough. This lack of another choice will keep conservatives voting Republican...

• 13 weeks ago