By John F. Pilmer

This week’s Republican caucuses drew much larger than normal crowds following this week’s unprecedented attempted takeover of health care by the Washington’s liberal left.  Here’s one peak into the experience in Utah and the unanimous precinct rejection of the mystery health care bill just passed by the House and signed by the president.
Daily Herald: 15,000 Pack into county caucus locations

Conservative Survivor – Raucous Caucus

The recent health care debate has reminded me how far we’ve fallen from the words stated by JFK. You’ll no doubt recall those famous words, “Ask not what you’re country can do for you…” At the end of the day, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is a 100% “what can government do for me” type policy and as such simply doesn’t pass a basic litmus test for the proper role of government.

One of the key questions of the proper role of government litmus test is: “Can the problem be solved by a) individuals, b) families, c) intermediate associations, or d) a combination of the three?”

In terms of providing addressing ‘health care issues’ in America (with an emphasis on the second word of that phrase), the answer to the aforementioned question is a resounding “yes.” In sidestepping these three critical institutions of a civil and free society, Obamacare is destined to ultimately weaken our civil society and weaken our nation’s charitable nature.

By John F. Pilmer

The “law of the farm”, “reap what you sow”, “what goes around, comes around”–whatever you want to call it, the ripple effects of a tsunami of greed, corruption, toxic debt and governmental mismanagement are starting to show up in very painful ways.  In the U.S., we “ain’t seen nothin’ yet” as we brace for the long term consequences of short-term feel-good spending by Congress.

A trillion dollars in new debt in the first year of the Obama administration. Breathtaking! Now, the CBO estimates the liberal spendthrifts are ready to borrow another trillion, give a take a few billion, to fund Nationalized Healthcare. This is BAD, BAD news for our economic health in the long run–to the extreme.

Consider the little country of Greece, in the middle of their own debt crisis. Their relatively small economy is having negative effects on world markets.

Oil Plunges on Greek debt News: story

US Stock Market down on news of Greek debt problems: Hong Kong story; Canada story; US story

Now, what if that were the U.S. debt crisis, instead of Greece. What would be the effect–a tidal wave compared to the ripple caused by Greece!

China, our 2nd largest creditor (Japan just reclaimed #1 spot),  is concerned about the United States ability to pay it’s debt (story).  The world is questioning us for the first time in history because we are spending like teenagers!

Printing money we don’t have to create another iefficient government run program (ObamaCare) will surely draw fire from our country creditors.

Watch my healthcare survivor story:

Healthcare Survivor Story

One of my clients, for Junto, is in Cheyenne, Wyoming. I have been traveling there a couple of times a month. The trip includes a two-hour drive from the Denver airport and has given me some time to listen to some books on CD.

Most recently I have been listening again to The Tipping Point. As I listen, I often find myself making connections with what is being said in the book with some part of what I’m working on. In this case, the connection came regarding the health care debate, which is now back dominating political news.

In the book, Malcom Gladwell talks about two key elements that make products, movements, crime waves, diseases, etc. tip. These key elements are:

1. Small Changes: rather than big massive plans or huge reforms or major marketing campaigns; it was the small almost unnoticed changes that had the largest impact. A sort of “out of small things are great things brought to pass” principle came into play.
2. At the Margin: These small changes were also found at the margin. It was the sort of outlier type changes that people thought may not be related enough to the problem that actually helped change the problem.

So what does that have to do with health care reform?

If we apply Gladwell’s principles of “tipping” type change, President Obama’s ‘complete’ overhaul of the system and reform is not only unnecessary, but most likely will be counterproductive, much like the D.A.R.E. programs of yesteryear. Instead of a major overhaul of the system, perhaps we should be looking for very small changes at the margin that have proven to be far more effective at tipping behavior than grand plans like the one before Congress right now.