Archive for November 18th, 2006
I found the Buffalo News article on next year’s County Executive race a bit depressing. It was chock full of names that have been firmly entrenched in Erie County politics for quite a while. This list includes West Seneca Supervisor Paul Clark, Amherst Council Member Daniel J. Ward, Former Deputy County Executive James P. Keane, and Amherst Council Member William A. O’Loughlin.
The only breath of fresh air mentioned was Christopher Jacobs, current Secretary of State. Jacobs did quite well last February for a Republican running in a strong district for Democrats in a special election for the State Senate. Jacobs has cross over appeal which could translate into a working coalition to improve the County. Also, he does not have the political baggage of the other candidates. Jacobs has never struck me as a toe-the-line party hack.
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What happens when the government regulates an industry? Competition becomes nonexistent, costs increase, services decrease and innovation is stifled. If you add government social programs to that mix, which contribute to financing the operation of those industries, the problems are exacerbated. The government’s solution is almost always more regulation. The result is almost always increased problems. Following that logic, the answer is simple - remove the government from the equation!
If you add government regulations requiring the closing of facilities to the above problems, you are now approaching a totalitarian state. Especially when the facilities are not owned or operated by the state. What am I talking about you ask? I am talking about the current state of health care and New York State’s proposed plans to close privately held hospitals.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:
James Ostrowski
(716) 435-8918
(716) 834-1142
Free New York, Inc.
jameso@apollo3.com
http://www.freebuffalo.org
1313 Main St.
Buffalo, New York 14209Free New York Supports the Right of Catholic Hospitals to Remain Open
Buffalo, New York. November 18, 2006, Free New York announced today that it supports the Catholic Health System’s position that the State may not order it to close any of its facilities (http://www.believecatholic.com/).
In my view, ordering a Catholic hospital to close would be a clear violation of the First Amendment which protects the free exercise of religion, James Ostrowski, Free NY’s President and a First Amendment attorney, said.
Beyond that, Ostrowski added, the notion that no one can open or operate a hospital without the permission of some unelected bureaucrat in Albany, in this day and age, is a rank absurdity. The government has made a mess of health care in this country and this is a good time to begin to dismantle the Soviet-style regulatory bureaucracy that is strangling the health care industry, exploding its costs and damaging our economy.
Ostrowski concluded, Our forty year experiment with socializing medicine has failed. None of its goals has been achieved. Trillions have been spent with no noticeable impact on life expectancy and other major indicia of health. It’s time to move in a different direction, more consumer choice and more market competition.
Free New York, Inc., is a non-profit, non-partisan New York State public policy research corporation. It has offices at 1313 Main St., Buffalo, New York, 14209.
Free New York is the research and policy arm of the Upstate tax revolt.
Speak up and contact your legislators. It is wrong for the state to order the closing of Catholic hospitals and deprive you of your right to choose among healthcare facilities.
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Thanks to a comment left on my blog by Ken Larsen, I have discovered his fascinating blog, Rose Colored Glasses. He presents an insiders view of the workings of our giant military-industrial complex.
I have added a link to Rose Colored Glasses in my sidebar under “out of area must reads.” My criteria for adding blog links to that section are: 1. The blog must present and enlightened and unique perspective on problems faced in the world today; 2. The blog should enhance and encourage dialogue that can foster meaningful solutions to those problems. 3. After reading the listed blogs, I am left with a sense that the point of view is grounded in common sense.
Granted, my criteria are subjective. The blogs chosen naturally tend to mirror my views and are based on my honest opinion that the information contained is meaningful and beneficial to all.
If you are looking for a good Italian restaurant, I highly recommend Cafe Garangelo on Hertel Avenue. It is a quaint, family run place with delicious food and reasonable prices. Soon I hope to have an in depth review. I haven’t been there to eat in a few months, however I have never been disappointed in the several times I have eaten there.
If you answered yes and you are starting off a bit slow today, here’s a few photos to look at while drinking your morning coffee.
After the nightlife you walk out into the brisk November night to head home. For some, the trek is a lonely one, for others, it is a time for reflection.
There is always next weekend.
