REDUCING HEALTH CARE COSTS
May 08, 2008
I've tried to make the case for tort reform -- limiting frivolous lawsuits and damage awards against doctors -- as a critical element in reducing the high cost of health care. But the state of Texas is in the process of proving the point. In a recent National Review article, Kevin D. Williamson reports that the Lone Star State has enacted
"... a battery of reforms, including a cap on non-economic damages in medical malpractice cases and several measures designed to keep frivolous lawsuits out of court ..."
The results for Texans concerned about access to medical care?
"Texas had seen new applications decline for years, but now they're up 60 percent.... Regions where specialists were difficult or impossible to find have attracted new talent. The number of insurance companies has increased from four to more than 30. That new competition has driven malpractice-insurance premiums down by up to 20 percent for some doctors."
Meanwhile, I've read my last John Grisham book. His latest effort, The Appeal, is a ridiculously one-sided rant against tort reform that presents businesses and insurance companies as pure evil and trial lawyers as noble do-gooders. Even conservative policy groups are mocked.
Arizona's failure to enact tort reform (vetoed by Gov. Napolitano) and to effectively slow illegal immigration, has huge consequences for the medical profession, raising costs and leading many doctors to look for a more hospitable place to practice medicine. Our current policy response has been to open a new medical school, which will result in educating new doctors in Arizona so they can take care of patients in places like Texas.
PRO-LIFERS TO LEAD REPUBLICAN PLATFORM COMMITTEE
May 02, 2008
For those who were concerned about any attempt to alter the conservative platform of the Republican Party, this is good news: "Rep. Kevin McCarthy a pro-life freshman Republican from California, will chair the platform committee for the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minn....".
In addition, a former aide to conservative Arizona Sen. Jon Kyl, Steven J. Duffield, will serve as Executive Director.
FAIR AND BALANCED
May 02, 2008
The left-wing nuts at MoveOn.org have insisted that leading Democrats not appear on Fox News, and for months the Democrats have obeyed their base. But now the "boycott" appears to be over, and the liberal activists are angry.
The idea that the nation's most popular cable news network is off-limits just because it doesn't carry the same liberal bias as other networks is ridiculous. And what Obama and Clinton are discovering when they actually do show up on Fox News is that they will be treated fairly and with civility, in addition to reaching voters they need to reach.
Of course conservative candidates are accustomed to facing adversarial and contentious reporters and news anchors whose only goal is to make them look bad.
But I do take issue with the sense of entitlement often displayed by print and media reporters for major news organizations. Political candidates have to make a decision every day about how to spend their scarce time, keeping in mind that the goal is to persuade enough people to vote for them that they can win the election.
Sometimes doing media interviews is the best way to reach the most voters. Sometimes it is not, especially if the reporter is only interested in "gotcha" journalism or if the editorial board has already made up their mind to support someone else and is merely trying to gather ammunition.
As newspaper circulation continues to plummet, and television viewing becomes more and more fragmented, and as websites, blogs and email redefine political messaging, the ability of traditional news organizations to demand constant access to candidates will give way to the recognition that the "mainstream" media is just one option among many for reaching voters.
KNOCK-OUT PUNCH
April 29, 2008
The New York Post has created a boxing match between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama that you can play on your computer. (I won with both candidates just so I'd have a chance to KO both of them.) If you're having a stressful day, give it a try.
In another sign of desperation, Drudge is reporting that Hillary Clinton will take on the "vast right-wing conspiracy" by appearing on the Bill O'Reilly show Wednesday night on Fox News. When that's through she may look worse than she does after getting knocked around in the New York Post game.
WASHINGTON POST
April 28, 2008
Tracy and I just returned from a week of political meetings and events in Washington D.C., where the weather and the political debate were both heating up. I had a chance to meet privately with national leaders in the conservative movement, the Republican Party, and a few Congressmen, while Tracy participated in the next-to-last set of monthly meetings for the Dodie Londen Excellence in Public Service series and was selected class representative. Our week in Washington concluded Saturday night with the "Reign Down" prayer event on the National Mall that included music by recording star Michael W. Smith and remarks by Arizona Congressman Trent Franks.
Prior to that I was in Denver for several days visiting my oldest son. Now that I'm back my posting schedule will increase!
THE MEA CULPAS CONTINUE
April 27, 2008
I've always admired former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum as a stand-up champion for conservative values. That's why I was so disappointed in his over-the-top denunciation of Sen. John McCain during the primary season as "very, very dangerous" for conservatives, even indicating he could support any Republican who won the nomination with the exception of McCain.
Now that McCain will be the nominee, Santorum is singing a different tune and has even written a column explaining why conservatives should support McCain. (Ironically, one of the issues he complains about is McCain being too conservative on spending -- he says McCain was a "thorn in the side" of his efforts to get "earmarks" for Pennsylvania!)
Santorum is right to strongly support McCain now. I have already made the case why it is in the best interest of our cause to enthusiastically support McCain.
But that conclusion was available to Santorum and others during the primary season, which is why conservatives who favored other primary candidates should never have said the things they were saying about McCain at that time. I never had any problem with conservative critiques of McCain or other candidates on the issues. As I've stated before, I agree with many of those critiques (although I thought McCain critics often turned a blind eye to the conservative failings of their own favored candidates.)
But here's the problem -- when you argue that someone is "dangerous" and would "destroy the party" and then come around later to support him, you end up looking foolish and damaging your own credibility. It has to be possible in a Republican primary to argue that your candidate is better without going to such damaging rhetorical excesses against your opponents. And we now have proof that they were in fact rhetorical excesses, because the people who launched some of these blistering attacks are now coming to the conclusion that there are some pretty good reasons to get behind Sen. McCain.
Hopefully the Santorum endorsement is a sign that conservatives are finally realizing that on our core issues of national security, the sanctity of life, judges, taxes and cutting wasteful government spending, Sen. McCain is not merely the lesser of two evils, but will in fact advance the conservative agenda in significant ways.
