Resisting price controls on prescription drugs

A simple rule of economics: with price controls you get shortages. Good luck getting that prescription for your heart problems.

Washington Times  via FreedomWorks

"President Trump has made great strides in dismantling the big-government legacy of his predecessor, Barack Obama. Historic tax cuts, dozens of regulations cut for every new one implemented, and two conservative Supreme Court justices, to name a few.

"President Trump’s free-market reforms have proven wildly successful. The economy is growing, and consumer confidence is at historically high levels. This progress makes it even more disappointing to see the White House considering price controls on prescription drugs.

"The White House is considering a proposal created by the Department of Health and Human Services to control U.S. prescription drug prices called the International Pricing Index (IPI). This system would determine how much to pay for drugs under Medicare Part B — including vaccines and cancer medications — based on their costs in other countries, including those with socialized health care systems. At the same time, Republican Sens. Scott Hawley and Rick Scott have introduced similarly ill-conceived legislation in Congress.

"If it sounds too good to be true, that’s because it is. It would be incorrect to assume other countries have lower prescription drug costs because the markets naturally decided so. The International Pricing Index would be aggregating the drug prices of nations that have already artificially lowered drug prices.

"You can’t get something for nothing. The government cannot mandate lower drug prices and expect no consequences in the market. In fact, we have already seen the dangers of price controls in other sectors of the economy, from wages to housing. They interfere with supply and demand, causing waste and shortages." . . .

Empty supermarket shelves in Caracas, Venezuela,

Why Socialism Causes Shortages  . . . "Among the most conspicuous of socialism’s failings is its capacity to generate vast shortages of things essential for life. This is a universal feature of a socialist “economy,” and it always has been. In Maoist China, there was no meat and no fat in which to cook anything, if you could find something to cook. In Bolshevik Russia, there were never enough cars, apartments, or even loaves of bread. Every Latin American socialist experiment produced the same. All of this was thoroughly documented in the 1997 treatise The Black Book of Communism (among thousands of other books)." . . .

Tucker Carlson Rips Ilhan Omar: ‘Symbol Of America’s Failed Immigration System’

Did she go through a citizenship swearing-in and take the oath?

Daily Wire  "Fox News host Tucker Carlson slammed Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) on Friday, noting that she hates the United States and that she was "a symbol of America’s failed immigration system if there ever was one." . . .

. . . "For the Left, whether the country benefits is not the point. Congresswoman Ilhan Omar — herself a symbol of America’s failed immigration system if there ever was one, someone who hates this country coming here at public expense — spent yesterday demanding the abolition of ICE, the decriminalization of illegal immigration itself, and an end to all deportation programs," Carlson said. "She demands open borders, the unlimited arrival of anyone who wants to come to America, whether they have anything to contribute or not, and by the way, you get to pay for it. And if you don’t want to, you’re a bigot." . . .

Naturalization Oath of Allegiance to the United States of America

"I hereby declare, on oath, that I absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state, or sovereignty, of whom or which I have heretofore been a subject or citizen; that I will support and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I will bear arms on behalf of the United States when required by the law; that I will perform noncombatant service in the Armed Forces of the United States when required by the law; that I will perform work of national importance under civilian direction when required by the law; and that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; so help me God."

Our Cartoon President

'The Democrats Freak Out Over Cartoon Joe Biden’s Lead'

CNN’s Moral Insanity!

Religio-Political Talk  "A CNN panel falsely claimed that abortion is moral and human life doesn’t begin at conception. Dennis Prager explains why this argument directly violates science and reason. MOONBATTERY notes:

…In the video below, a moonbat proclaims with a straight face that an unborn baby is not a human being. That is conventional insanity, of the type treated at psychiatric hospitals.Meanwhile, the supremely odious Chris Cuomo desperately clings to the argument that it doesn’t matter if babies are human beings so long as they are not legally regarded as persons. If only they had realized this during the Nuremberg Trials, some Nazis might have escaped the rope.Craziest of all is the underlying liberal belief that abortion is moral….

Every House Democrat Voted To Crush The Dreams Of Women Athletes With The Ironically-Named ‘Equality Act’

Alex Parker

"The party claiming to be all for women just voted to be all against women.

"On Friday, via a 236-173 vote in the Democratically-controlled House of Representatives, every single Dem thumbs-upped the ironically-named Equality Act, which guarantees women will not have equal access to athletic success by allowing men to crush ’em in every area of sports.

"Way to go, misogynists.

"Also, an aside: Generally, any time there’s a governmental measure with a name that sounds aggressively, euphorically positive, look out, Jack. If Congress ever comes up with the “For Your Own Good” bill, fight that thing with all ya got. Euphemisms and government go hand-in-hand.

"As for Friday’s ballots, 8 Republicans crossed over to also demand girls get obliterated by guys.

"The legislation was sponsored by every House Democrat but one: Illinois Rep. Dan Lipinski, who eventually declared his anti-woman support.

"Specifically, the bill amends the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to make “sexual orientation and gender identity” protected traits under federal law.

"One impact will be the mandate upon all public schools to allow dudes who say they’re chicks to pummel chicks via superior size, strength, and speed." . . .

. . . "Wanna know which Republicans voted against the chromosomally-XX among us? Here’s a list:

Brian Fitzpatrick (PA)
John Katko (NY)
Tom Reed (NY)
Elise Stefanik (NY)
Susan W. Brooks (IN)
Mario Diaz-Balart (FL)
Will Hurd (TX)
Greg Walden (OR)

Heritage Foundation Director Suspended From Twitter For The ‘Hateful Conduct’ Of Saying Men & Women Are Different
. . . "Greg was notified that his post violated the social media platform’s rules against “hateful conduct.' ” . . .

‘Stand Against Communism’ Will Challenge Marxist Infiltration Of The Democratic Party

Noisy Room  "On May 20th at 10 am a new organization called Stand Against Communism will hold a press conference at the National Press Club in Washington, DC.

"The Democratic Party has been infiltrated by socialists, Marxists, and outright communists at every level, from precinct chairman to multiple presidential candidates. Starting May 20th this takeover of the Democratic Party will be publicly exposed until the party takes firm

action to remove these subversives from its ranks.

"Speakers will include Authors Bishop E.W. Jackson, Jerome Corsi, Diana West, Robert Knight, Trevor Loudon, and Virginia Tea Party leader Nelson Velez." . . .

US Maoists Tour Venezuela, Walk Right Into Counter-Revolution
These - I assume Bernie voters - call anti-Maduro Juan Guiado a "US puppet".  Tell us what you think, Bernie.

Joe Biden: a little wisdom, a little corruption

Billion dollar China deals, cocaine pipes, Joe Biden's son Hunter always has this way of skating  "Joe Biden's son Hunter certainly lives a life of privilege.

How'd the cops treat one of us if they found a cocaine pipe in our car during a traffic pullover or a rental car return?
"Here's the Washington Examiner:

A police report said that Joe Biden’s son Hunter Biden returned a rental car in Arizona that contained a cocaine pipe days before the 2016 presidential election, according to a new report.

Hunter Biden, whose legal first name is Robert, also left credit cards, a driver's license, a Delaware attorney general badge, a cellphone, and a U.S. Secret Service business card in the car, according to the police report obtained by Breitbart News. He had rented the car from Hertz in California and it was returned in Prescott, Ariz., after hours. The car keys were not properly deposited in a drop box, but left in the car's gas tank compartment.

In addition to “a small white and brown pipe approximately 3-4 inches long,” an officer also found “a small ziplock bag with a white powdery substance inside all sitting on the passenger seat.”

"This is the same Hunter Biden who got a waiver to join the Navy even after his previous cocaine use, and then got booted from the Navy for thumbing his nose at that and going right on using it again.
"And as the Arizona case demonstrated - again.
"But no legal consequences, of course."Quite unlike what the rest of us would get." . . .

Tony Branco

Has Joe Biden already wrapped up the 2020 Democrat primary?

. . . "It's working.  Democrats value, above all, beating Trump in 2020.  If it takes a war-supporting, minority-incarcerating, segregation-defending white male with a penchant for groping, so be it."This kind of clear-eyed realpolitik is admirable because it's so honest.  But it doesn't ensure victory.  Biden beats Trump in most one-on-one polling, but then, so did Hillary Clinton." . . .

 Biden Rejects Democrats' Anger in Call for National Unity  . . . "At a rally in downtown Philadelphia, Biden, as he has done throughout the beginning stages of his campaign, made Trump his central target, blasting him as "the divider-in-chief."

"But he also chided other Democratic presidential candidates in the field, suggesting that anger toward Trump within his party was not enough to win the presidential election next year." . . .

Justin Amash Becomes First GOP Lawmaker to Say Trump Should Be Impeached

He gives Democrats some "bi-partisan" cover. Thanks, Justin; you and Romney can be a caucus together.

NY Intelligencer  "Michigan representative Justin Amash has become the first Republican lawmaker in Congress to acknowledge that President Trump should be impeached. The staunch libertarian, finally responding to the Mueller report in a series of tweets on Saturday, said he believed Trump’s conduct merited impeachment, argued that Attorney General William Barr “deliberately misrepresented” Mueller’s findings, and warned that partisanship has made Congress abandon the rule of law.

CNN's new BFF

"The ultraconservative congressman is one of the few Republican lawmakers who have been willing the criticize the president, though few have done so as consistently or vocally, and he’s one of the only Republicans who seems to have considered running against Trump in 2020. Now he’s endorsing an additional way of removing Trump from office." . . .

GOP Lawmaker Claims Trump Committed Impeachable Acts (But Doesn’t List Any)

That puts Amash to the left of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD), both of who have come out against impeachment proceedings.

 Justin Amash Should Put His Money Where His Mouth Is On Impeachment

. . . "I think Amash’s call for impeachment is stupid at best. His tweets make very serious claims while providing essentially no evidence of those claims. Citing the Mueller report in a completely generalized manner is not an argument for impeachment. If it were, Mueller would have recommended Trump be charged (and we know the OLC opinion on indicting Presidents was not a factor). Saying that any other person would have been indicted, again providing no evidence, is not clever. It’s obfuscation.

"Amash should cite some previous examples of obstruction of justice convictions involving someone who publicly criticized an investigation and thought about doing something but never did it. I mean, since it’s such an open and shut case, there’s got to be just dozens and dozens of examples he can cite, right?" . . .

. . . "The shots at Bill Barr are even worse. At least with impeachment you can fall back on the fact that it’s an open-ended, political standard, which is what Amash attempts to do further down in his statement. What he’s accusing Barr of is simply a lie though. He did not misrepresent the Mueller report and Robert Mueller himself has confirmed that. To drag his name through the mud without anything to back it up undermines the entirety of his comments." . . .

Democrats Accelerate Efforts to Purge Pro-Lifers From the Party in 2020

Legal Insurrection

A growing number of pro-choice Democrats are telling their pro-life colleagues that their days in office are numbered. But will their strategy work?

"In the aftermath of the fetal heartbeat bills that were recently signed into law in Georgia and Alabama (Missouri will likely be next), enraged Democratic party politicians and pro-abortion groups are making one thing increasingly clear: Pro-life Democrats who hold elected office should be purged from the party.

"Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), a 2020 candidate for president, told the Washington Post on Wednesday that being pro-abortion should be a “non-negotiable” position in the Democratic party:" . . .

NC Democrat sides with Republicans trying to override Cooper veto of abortion bill

House Dems unanimously vote to add transgenders to Civil Rights Act of 1964 protections

Christian Post (Article below)

Thomas Lifson  . . . "Because people can and do change their minds on their gender (the expression “gender-fluid” implies it can change day-by-day or even minute-by-minute), a person can gain or lose protected class status on a whim. This is a travesty compared to the genuine serious issues historically faced by African-American descendants of slaves who faced enduring discrimination based on their immutable racial characteristics. To equate someone whose classification is subjective and changeable with a person whose classification is historic, genetic, and immutable makes a mockery of the suffering of the latter group.

"If this were to become law – don’t worry right now, the Senate won’t pass this lunacy, and President wouldn’t sign it into law – the consequences would be far-reaching, and impossible to fully anticipate. But a marker has been laid down, with the Democrats. – the oldest political party in the world – fully embracing the belief unscientific that a person can change from male to female or vice versa merely by wishing it to be true. I realize that the bullies who enforce progressive orthodoxy will call me a hater, but we do all have chromosomes in every cell of our bodies that tell us we are either male or female, and to deny that is folly." . . .

"I think that the Democrats have abjectly surrendered to the transgender lobby, and that this will cost them support on Election Day. I have never seen a poll of the public on their beliefs about transgenderism. For instance:  Is a biological male who “transitions” an actual female?  Does such a person deserve civil rights protection?

"My inference is that the media who commission polls realize that the general public does not buy into their latest dogma, and do not want to offer any ammunition to opponents. Therefore, the House Democrats have no genuine sense of the public’s real feelings on the matter.

"And with the level of bullying applied to people who speak their minds on the subject – Haters! Transphobes! – feedback from the general public is suppressed.

"With actual female athletes facing a future where their championships are dominated by genetic males, a new victim class is forming."

"This will not end well."

Transgender Woman Convicted of Raping 10-Y-O Girl in Bathroom, Faces Up to 70 Years in Prison

Has the California backlash against liberal craziness finally begun?

Ronald Reagan was a Democrat for many years before switching to the Republican Party. When asked why he changed parties, he said, “I didn’t leave the Democratic Party - the Democratic Party left me.” That seems to be a sentiment being echoed by Common Sense Californians up and down the state as many blue blood Democrats and Reagan Democrats feel like their party no longer reflects their values or priorities. 

Fox News   (This is from 2018; how's that all working out nowadays?)

"California's red-leaning areas may be rising up against the state's longstanding liberalism. 

"In a state consumed by conservation and environmental issues, one highly endangered species has long gone unnoticed and unprotected – the California Conservative. Is it still possible to rescue them from the brink of extinction? Can their numbers be revived? And can they thrive here once again? 

"While the nation continues to view California as a homogeneous voting block of individuals in lock step with an increasingly progressive liberal agenda, for Common Sense Californians up and down the left coast state, there’s a sense that a different tide is rising. 

"The ripple began in Los Alamitos where the city council voted to opt out of California’s sanctuary law. And it was followed by Orange County who voted to join the U.S. Department of Justice in challenging the state’s sanctuary city laws. This decision was echoed by the city of Escondido and later this month San Diego County will also vote to join their ranks in this federal lawsuit. Other municipalities are lining up to consider doing the same.

"California has always been the tip of the spear. Often the genesis of art, influence, ideas, style and entertainment, we also take the lead in ways that are less admirable with high state tax, high gas tax, high costs of living and housing, an out of control homeless problem in our urban areas, declining test scores in schools, increasingly inaccessible and cost-prohibitive health care, and many of our major cities often appear on lists of the least-livable cities in the U.S. 

"A supermajority of Democrats at the state level has presided over a tragic decline in virtually every statistic and has championed expensive and detrimental ideas such as the multi-state tax, a failing high speed rail project and of course the most recent sanctuary state status. These consequential endeavors are concocted in the cocoon of Sacramento, isolated and unconnected to the effect those decisions have on everyone else who lives in the state. They spend money as if it’s theirs. It’s not. It’s mine and every other taxpayer’s in California. Yet we have no voice and many of our representatives no longer represent us, if they ever did." . . .

Buttigieg Backs FAR-LEFT Idea Of ERASING Thomas Jefferson's Name

Socio-Political Journal

"Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg said Friday that things named after President Thomas Jefferson should be renamed because that’s the “right thing to do.”

"Buttigieg, the mayor of South Bend, Ind., who became the rising star of the 2020 Democratic primary, echoed the far-left calls to rename buildings or events that carry the names of prominent U.S. figures on the grounds that they were owners of slaves.

"The mayor was asked during "The Hugh Hewitt Show" on radio whether the name of the annual Indiana Democratic dinner, named the Jefferson-Jackson Dinner, should be renamed as both presidents were holders of slaves.

"Yeah, we're doing that in Indiana. I think it's the right thing to do,” Buttigieg said, according to the Washington Free Beacon. He then offered a tepid defense of the Founding Father while agreeing that events shouldn’t be named after him." . . .