Long experience has taught us that “government-run” monopolies don’t work for our public schools. That is why it is ironic that President Barack Obama—who supports more charter schools, which would increase competition, lessen government regulation, and provide innovation and choice to parents—is pushing a health care plan that will result in another government-run monopoly. What a bad idea. Monopolies don’t work and they aren’t good for a free enterprise system—or America.
One of the strongest opponents to the plan has been our governor, Bobby Jindal, who has strong credentials as an expert on health care. He has expressed his opposition in opinion columns on the politico.com Web site and in the Wall Street Journal. He also appeared on CNN and Fox News to state his views, and on CBS’ The Early Show the day after the president’s primetime news conference last week to respond.
On The Early Show, Jindal said of Obama’s performance, “His marketing is the best part of this. He said he does not want to increase the deficit, does not want government control of health care. He wants people to keep their insurance. He wants to crack down on the abuse, the overutilization. All that’s great. The problem is that’s not what’s in the House Democratic bill. The House Democratic bill increases the deficit by $250 billion [and] increases the burden on employers. Why would we want to do that during one of the worst recessions in decades?”
Jindal stated that the status quo is not acceptable, but said a government-run plan is not the solution. He said, “We don’t want a bureaucrat telling us which treatments we can receive, which providers to go to, how much they’ll be paid. We don’t want government competition in TV stations, in factories, in stores, in groceries. Why do we think we need government competition in health care? Why do we need the government to run a plan to make health care work?”
In his opinion column in the Journal, Jindal said he believes Washington is making the same mistake that Hillary Clinton did in 1993-94: not dealing honestly with reform and the American people.
One example he points to is the president’s claim that if you like your private plan you can keep it. True, but Jindal writes, “If a so-called public option is part of health-care reform, the Lewin Group study estimates over 100 million Americans may leave private plans for government-run health care. Any government plan will benefit from taxpayer subsidies and be able to operate at a financial loss—competing unfairly in the marketplace until private plans are driven out of business. The government plan will become so large that it will set, rather than negotiate, prices. This will inevitably lead to monopoly, with a resulting threat to the quality of our health care.”
There you have it. A new monopoly and the quality of health care goes the way of our public education, which currently ranks way down the list internationally. Our health care is the best in the world.
Jindal writes that health care reform must stress these seven principles: consumer choice guided by transparency; aligned consumer interests; medical lawsuit reform; insurance reform; pooling for small businesses, the self-employed and others; pay for performance, not activity; and refundable tax credits for low-income working Americans without health insurance.
Jindal concludes, “These steps would bring down health-care costs. They would not bankrupt our nation or increase taxes in the midst of a recession. They are achievable reforms with bipartisan consensus and public support. All they require is a willingness by the president to slow down and have an honest discussion with Americans about the real downstream consequences of his ideas.”
Obama offered few specifics in his national appearance last week on such a critical issue to our future, but he insists the bills be passed in the next week or so. In other words, he wants Congress and citizens to swallow hard and fast like they did on the stimulus package with little or no discussion. I don’t think so.
You may have seen the TV spots by “Healthy Economy Now” which threaten, “If we don’t act now …” The spot says “The president and the Congress have a plan.” Oh really? Which plan? How much will it really cost? Who pays? There are many unanswered questions. I’ll “just say no” until we get the truth.
Welcome Mr. Dilworth
I recently had the pleasure of meeting our new East Baton Rouge Parish superintendent of schools, John Dilworth, and the first impression I got was a very positive one. I also liked what I heard him say at a recent public meeting when faced with a crowd of angry parents demanding their way. He reminded them all not to forget “it’s about the children.” Now there’s a man who has his priorities right and has the courage to tell it like it is. I like that. I also understand he believes in accountability and is not afraid of change. In fact, he expects things to change.
As most of us already know, if things don’t change in what’s left of our EBR public schools, the remaining support from the public and the business community will fade. In addition, we will see more state takeovers. We might even see more independent districts formed, like Central and Zachary, that seek to break away. It could happen.
I am encouraged by what I have heard thus far from Dilworth, who I learned has the distinction of being a former Broad Resident [selected by the Broad Foundation]. I will choose to remain cautiously optimistic. He has a huge job ahead of him and I wish him the best. Now if the school board will just stay out of his way and keep silent, he might have a shot.
La. and B.R. rank No. 1
We are atop one of those “good lists.” Louisiana picked up top honors from Southern Business & Development magazine for its economic development wins in 2008. The state was named Co-State of the Year [along with Tennessee], while Baton Rouge was named as the top city in its respective category. This is the second time in three years Louisiana was named State of the Year, and the second consecutive year Baton Rouge topped the mid-market category. “Over the last three years no state in the South has performed better than Louisiana,” says the magazine, noting that the state has come a long way since the mid-1990s when its biggest deals were new Wal-Mart stores. Louisiana’s ranking is due to big economic development projects such as the Shaw Group’s decision to build nuclear power plant modules in Lake Charles, the $110 million Federal City project in New Orleans and Albemarle’s decision to move its corporate headquarters to Baton Rouge.
And there was more good news last week when Calcasieu and East Baton Rouge parishes were ranked third and fourth in the United States for weekly wage increases at the end of 2008, according to a report released by the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics. Adam Knapp, president and CEO of the Baton Rouge Area Chamber, says the increases are impressive, considering that Baton Rouge is also a national leader in the number of new jobs being added. “Seeing two vital economic indicators like wages and jobs increasing in tandem proves strong economic stability, especially amidst a national recession,” Knapp says.
Kudos to Jindal, LED Secretary Stephen Moret, Mayor Kip Holden, Knapp and all elected and local officials who played a part on our team’s success. This is great news and verifies we can compete nationally.
