Cornell Insider

a blog by the writers of the Cornell Review

Posts Tagged ‘Health Care’

Racism: The Left’s New Ammunition

Posted by Cornell Insider Staff on September 16, 2009

Victor David Hanson has an illuminating article in the NRO about the Left’s new strategy of blaming the rising opposition to Obama’s health insurance plan- and concomitantly sinking poll numbers- on racism. He argues through the absurdity of these allegations and also asks why, during the Bush years, did the Left not label the opposition to Condoleezza Rice, Colin Powell, and Alberto Gonzalez as racist.

I agree that these allegations of racism are just tactical insertions of the race issue into a non-racial debate on national policies. There are certainly those fringe groups of American society who will always dislike the idea of having a black president, but it’s not as though Obama’s approval ratings have dropped because ordinary Americans have suddenly upped their preferences for racial hatred. Here are some data on Obama’s slipping approval ratings as well as American’s growing skepticism of the benefits of Obamacare. Also, check out this article where Eric Cantor discusses 5 real reasons why ordinary Americans oppose Obamacare.

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MRM #15!

Posted by Cornell Insider Staff on September 6, 2009

- The Philosopher Kings, a movie about custodians at the country’s top universities, was shown last week at Bailey Hall.

John Lennon, environmental engineer? Find out below

John Lennon, environmental engineer? Find out below

Inside Higher Ed has more. The documentary features two Cornell custodians, Jim Evener and Gary Napieracz.

- More on Swine Flu at Cornell, this time in the form of a university statement. More updates will be available here.

- This has been a highly circulated article around the web/blogosphere, but in case you haven’t read it, here’s Krauthammer’s take on “Obama, the Mortal.”

- Paul Ibrahim on the GOP comeback.

- Sun article on reimagining Arts and Sciences.

- From a doctor’s point of view, 10 major reasons why the current health care reform legislation will leave us worse off.

- If you visited us at Club Fest recently, you probably took part in our Beatles vs. Stones survey, where the Beatles won by a significant majority.  Off the political path, here is an interesting read about why Lennon saved the Beatles by ending them.

- British Petroleum shocked the world with a massive oil discovery in the Gulf of Mexico.  Although the commercial potential has yet to be fully determined, there is a speculative 3-billion barrel amount.  Makes one wonder how much really may be around us.

Posted in Campus Insiders, Miscellaneous | Tagged: , , , | 1 Comment »

More 2010 Speculation

Posted by Cornell Insider Staff on August 14, 2009

Continuing our recent series of posts on the 2010 midterms (my initial post, and then a revised argument) here’s an article by William Schneider that points to the unlikelihood of a “1994 repeat” for the Republicans in 2010. Schneider argues that Obama’s approval ratings are higher than Clinton’s numbers before the 1994 midterms when Bill was also pushing for health care reform, and that there is not an overwhelming resistance to general changes in the health care system:

Critics warn that overhauling health care would mean too much government control. As Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., put it, “The Democrats believe that you’ve got to change the entire health care system in America, including the so-called government option, which we believe would lead to a government takeover of the health care system.” Actually, about three-quarters of Americans say they think that it is “necessary to make major structural changes in the nation’s health care system” to make sure that all Americans have health insurance (77 percent) and to reduce health care costs (74 percent).

I don’t disagree that public opinion might be more favorable towards Obama’s health care reform in 2009 than it was towards Clinton in 1993-1994, but it’s obvious that this will not be the only decisive issue for voters in 2010. Schneider admits this in his own article: “Remember ‘angry white men,’ the hot constituency in 1994? They drove a huge backlash against the new Democratic president and threw the Democrats out of power in Congress. What made them so upset? The threat of ‘Big Government’ — taxes, gun control, and health care reform.”

What could drive a “hot constituency” of conservatives/independents in 2010? A few things come to mind: health care reform, increased taxes, the government stimulus, cap and trade legislation, White House transparency (maybe overblown, but how did Axelrod get all those emails??), oh, and Joe Biden! Even if the conservative aren’t manning the barricades against health care reform, there’ll be plenty of other crucial issues that could drive an anti-Democratic backlash in 2010.

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MRM #10!

Posted by Cornell Insider Staff on August 3, 2009

- The government’s “cash for clunkers” program ran out of cash, but people are still lining up with clunkers. Now Congress wants to throw $2 billion more to continue this “fleet modernization program.”

- Taking a page out of Alexander Tyler’s book, Bill O’Reilly cites Benjamin Franklin on the end of the republic and weighs in on the health care debate. According to his article, 65% of Americans want fewer government services and lower taxes.

- Krauthammer also discusses the retreat of Obamacare.

- The RCP Blog has a telling piece on media bias in the treatment of two powerful African American women, Condoleezza Rice and Michelle Obama.

- Sorry hippies and health-conscious consumers, but a new study finds that organic food has no health benefits over ordinary food.

- This week’s Economist leader is all about Obama. The British newspaper criticizes him for delegating too much to Congress and coming up short on his health care and energy reform promises.

- The Nixon Center (my internship spot for the summer) recently hosted a panel discussion on the future of the Republican Party and its foreign policy.

Posted in Campus Insiders, National News | Tagged: , , | Leave a Comment »

News Flash: Frank on Possible “Single Payer” Option

Posted by Cornell Insider Staff on July 30, 2009

From recently graduated Review Editor-in-Chief Jordan Fabian, here is the story. Earlier today Representative Barney Frank was quoted as saying that if the government provided a “good public option” it could eventually lead to a single payer system. “Single payer” refers to a system under which all health care providers are paid from one fund, i.e. the government. So, it’s official: government officials are trying to create a fully nationalized health care system that would affect all American families.

Posted in National News | Tagged: | Leave a Comment »

Monday Reading Madness #9

Posted by Cornell Insider Staff on July 26, 2009

- Police Sgt. Crowley, Professor Gates, and President Obama will be meeting at the White House for a beer later this week, according to reports. In the meantime, Michael Mechanic writes about why you should never get righteous with street cops in the first place, and of course the NYT publishes an alternative opinion.

- Krauthammer on “rhetoric meeting reality” in Obama’s healthcare speech.

- A professor offers students 5% extra credit for abstaining from all forms of social media (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) for a three month semester.

- Via Instapundit, why the Obama honeymoon is over.

- “Academics, like teenagers, sometimes don’t have any sense regarding the degree to which they are conformists.” Nicolas Wade cites the dangers of conformity in academia. (Found on MR)

- Skorton has been taking the bus to cut costs!

- Via METAezra, Cornell has been cited as one of the best schools for a genuine Hogwarts experience.

-  A few days after our debate on the legalization of pot, the Washington Post has a very interesting article on the effects of minimal drug enforcement in the very same county previously discussed, Mendocino, California.

-  According to repetitive polling, Nancy Pelosi is extremely unpopular.  No big surprise here, but her reaction and other’s comments on her here ring with a subtle humor.

-  With the health care decision looming ever closer, here is a particularly funny article by Cornell’s Coulter that bashes the overarching concept of moving towards a more universal health care policy.

Posted in Campus Insiders, National News | Tagged: , , , , , | 2 Comments »

 
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