WHERE's THE BEEF?

Several years ago, Wendy's ran a very successful and memorable ad campaign with an old woman screaming, "Where's the Beef?" This ad's theme, for those who may have forgotten it or never seen it was that Wendy's competitor's hamburgers were very, very small, while Wendy's burgers were substantial. This same slogan can be used when talking about and/ or evaluating the main two programs that the President and the Congress have been spending so much time on - - health care, and joblessness.
Yesterday, President Obama gave a speech (it is beginning to seem like the "Speech of the Day" club) about how he would like to have Congress address the extremely high unemployment situation (What took so long?). Some of the President's suggestions included help for small businesses, transportation, energy- efficient homes, etc. Mr. Obama stated that the U.S. has to "spend our way out of this recession." Since more than 7 million Americans have lost their jobs since the recession began about two years ago, and the unemployment rate is 10% (that's the statistic although the reality is far higher), Mr. Obama called the rate "staggering" and made several proposals (cost estimates of about $150 billion +) he said would stimulate hiring and put Americans back to work again. Those proposals included: bridge and highway construction (MY NOTE- short-term and long-term, infrastructure programs usually add value and provide something eventually needed); for small business tax cuts (including elimination of capital gains if expenditure was accompanied by adding jobs); and credits for making homes more energy efficient. In addition, the President recommended more protections re health insurance for laid off workers, and suggested additional spending for seniors and veterans, and additional aid to states and municipalities so they won't have to lay off workers. This plan, of course, would have to go through and be approved by a splintered Congress, which is extremely time consuming and the result is unsure. All of this is being proposed while the President continues to talk about the need to address the growing Federal deficit. Many Republican leaders have already scoffed at this proposal, and if any program finally passes, I fear it may be another case of "too little, too late," and contain as much "pork" as effective program. It is always easy to criticize and point out the weaknesses in a plan, but isn't it about time for politicians to actually work FOR their constituency, instead of constantly playing politics (SEE YESTERDAY'S BLOG ABOUT POLITICIANS VS STATESMEN)?
In the meantime, the health plan debate goes on. Last night, an announcement was made that a compromise was reached where the "public option" would be replaced by a different alternative. There was another announcement that a vote was taken regarding language about abortion, and the more severe exclusionary language would not be included. Since the House bill that was passed last month will differ substantially from this Senate bill, a joint compromise bill will have to be arrived at, after which both the House and the Senate will have to approve. Further complicating the matter is certain language in each version appears to be distasteful to a large number of the supporters of the other version. The truly sad thing is, that after all this time and expense, if and when a final bill is approved, there is no assurance that it will be better, less expensive, or provide any better quality medical care. In fact, many independent (?) studies have indicated that the likelihood is that insurance will be more expensive for many, and provide lesser coverage for those fortunate enough to presently enjoy good medical insurance coverage. The costs, medical liability issues, unnecessary testing, expense of drugs, malpractice grants, etc. do NOT appear to have "made the cut" in either plan, but, of course, we do not really know what the final plan might look for. However, I have a hunch, that when all is said and done, that little voice in my head will hear the old lady chiming in, "Where's the Beef?"

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