A4 Wednesday, October 2, 2013
OPINION
Americans have misplaced their faith in government
It’s Obamacare activation and government “shutdown” week in Washington, where the consequences of misplaced faith in government are everywhere. Still, “true believers” remain faithful that Obamacare will be the exception to government’s past failures in achieving big goals. There are examples galore of government’s inability to do things well and at reasonable cost, but that doesn’t deter those who continue to believe government can solve every problem. The U.S. Postal Service wants to raise the cost of a first-class stamp from 46 cents to 49 cents in order to cover a “precarious financial condition.” That will only encourage more people to stop sending mail, all but guaranteeing another rate increase down the road. The White House announced a $300 million aid package for Detroit, a city in which Democratic rule, high taxes, out-of-control spending and years of corruption precipitated its financial collapse.
EDITORIAL
CAL
THOMAS SYNDICATED COLUMNIST
Half of the money will go toward eliminating blight. The real blight is the Democratic Party that ruled and then ruined Detroit. The Federal Housing Authority announced Friday it is taking $1.7 billion in borrowed money from the U.S. Treasury to cover projected losses in reverse mortgage programs. It can do so without congressional authorization. Actors peddle reverse mortgages on TV all the time and we’re told they are “guaranteed” by the government. What could possibly go wrong? The Heritage Foundation has compiled a long list of government
programs that have failed to live up to their advertised goals. In addition to the Great Society monstrosities that have undermined the American family by subsidizing out-of-wedlock births and welfare dependency, some others include: — Head Start. According to the Head Start Impact Study, in virtually every category, the program for pre-school children has failed to achieve its stated goals. The study found “that the benefits of participating in Head Start almost completely disappear by first grade.” — Food Stamps. This is one of 80 welfare programs going to onethird of Americans that will cost an estimated $12.7 trillion over the next decade without substantial reforms. — Social Security. This is the “untouchable” entitlement, which needs reform as much, or more, than any other federal program. Women, especially, get a raw deal with Social Security. Again, as The Heritage Foundation has noted,
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“Among retired workers, women received $300 less than men in Social Security benefits in 2010, collecting only $1,023 in monthly benefits on average. Women are more likely than men to lack all of the necessary 35 years of payroll tax contributions to qualify for full benefits, as many take time off from the workforce to care for children and elderly parents. And those who don’t have a full work history are even worse off. Many seniors receive benefits below the federal poverty level.” Add to this the annual ritual of federal agencies spending millions of “leftover” dollars before the end of the fiscal year Sept. 30 — $562,000 on “artwork” by the Department of Veterans Affairs, $178,000 by the Coast Guard on “cubicle furniture rehab,” according to The Washington Post — and you understand why so many are cynical about government’s track record of achievement and cost containment. Space does not allow a full accounting of all federal agencies
and programs that should be eliminated or reformed. And yet their budgets are auto-renewed each year, many programs even receiving an increase in the amount of taxpayer money they are allowed to waste. There is no congressional requirement that these agencies and programs prove themselves worthy of our money and, once spawned, government programs are virtually impossible to kill. Given so much evidence of government’s inability to make our lives better, what makes anyone think it will suddenly become competent running Obamacare? Only individuals, not government, can improve their lives by making right choices. Too often, government adds to our burdens with additional debt. It’s the one job government does well. (Write to Cal Thomas at: Tribune Media Services, 2225 Kenmore Ave., Suite 114, Buffalo, N.Y. 14207. Readers may also e-mail Cal Thomas at tmseditors@tribune.com.) © 2013 Tribune Media Services, Inc.
Taxes up, income down
One segment of the economy has recovered entirely from the Great Recession: state and local revenue. U.S. Census Bureau numbers released last month showed $382.2 billion in state and local taxes, a record, were collected in the second quarter of 2013. That number included state and local income, sales, capital gains, property, gas and other taxes. The $382.2 billion was up from the $356.7 billion collected in the second quarter of 2012; a 7 percent increase. Not many Americans saw their incomes increase that much the past year. The $382.2 billion collected also was the highest ever, up 8 percent from the $351.8 billion collected in the second quarter of 2008, just as the Great Recession was beginning. This is significant because a March study by Sentier Research found that Americans’ median income had dropped by 7.3 percent since the recession officially began in December 2007. So, effectively, state and local governments are taking more from taxpayers, even as the taxpayers’ incomes — and ability to pay taxes — have been declining. Some other new U.S. Census data stand out, as analyzed by Remapping Debate, a news site of the Anti-Discrimination Center. For example, in August, the national unemployment rate was 7.3 percent (8.9 percent in California). But black non-Hispanic males, ages 16-25 with no high-school diploma, in August suffered a shockingly high unemployment rate of 53 percent. That was higher even than the 43.3 percent of August 2009, at the height of the recession. Male Hispanics in that same demographic were better off, enduring 22.7 percent unemployment in August. But that still is way too high. Economists generally consider unemployment above 20 percent an earmark of a “depression.” Although that level never was reached within the overall population, unemployment of young black and Hispanic males hit depression levels, and remain there. We regret to say that matters well could get worse. The high levels of taxation by state and local governments are reducing the amount private citizens and businesses have for buying and investing. A law Gov. Jerry Brown signed last week boosts California’s minimum wage to $10 an hour, from $8, by 2016. Many minimum-wage jobs simply will be eliminated, adding to unemployment. And the uncertainly and confusion surrounding the arrival this week of Obamacare already is causing problems. Employer offered health coverage is mandated for any workers putting in 30 or more hours a week. To get around it, many firms are cutting workers’ weekly hours to 29 or less. With taxes up, median income down and working hours being cut, we just don’t see how this works out well for the national and state economies. If another recession results, the political finger-pointing figures to be much more strident than the current squabbling in Washington over the debt limit. Politicians at all levels need to stop playing games and start righting the economy. Guest Editorial The Orange County Register
DEAR DOCTOR K: I’m 65 and my face is starting to look old. Can you recommend nonsurgical tr eatments to take a few years off my face? D E A R R EA D E R : Our faces age along with the rest of us. The difference is that our face is the part of ourselves that we look at most often — and that others look at most often. Some people accept these changes; others fight them every step of the way. But there’s also a middle road for people who prefer to make relatively small tweaks that can make a noticeable difference. When we’re young, fat plumps up our for ehead, temples, cheeks, and areas around our eyes and mouth. With age, that
No more use of ‘Munich’ to shackle opponents MARK SHIELDS CREATORS SYNDICATE
“Why is it that when political ammunition runs low, inevitably the rusty artillery of abuse is always wheeled into action?” asked the late Adlai Stevenson. To listen to what passes for our national political debate is sadly to hear that Stevenson maxim confir med almost daily. Think about it: When was the last time you heard the advocate of U.S. military intervention — in Iraq, Panama, Syria or Iran — seek to intimidate his political opponent by accusing him of ignor-
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ASK DR. K UNITED MEDIA SYNDICATE
fat loses volume. Features that were round may sink. Skin that was smooth and tight loosens and sags. Facial bones also change. Our upper jaw, lower jaw and cheekbones shrink. Less bone contributes to looser skin. And, of course, there are the wrinkles. (I’ve put an illustration of common facial changes on my website, AskDoc-
ing the lesson of Munich. The Munich referred to in this case is not the largest city in Bavaria but the 1938 conference where the British prime minister Neville Chamberlain and the French premier Edouard Daladier agreed in exchange for Adolf Hitler’s empty promise of non-aggression to return to Germany, the Sudetenland, that area of Czechoslovakia populated by ethnic Germans. Conveniently overlooked in hindsight is that Great Britain, with approximately one-third the population of the United States, had suffered more casualties, only 20 years before Munich in
torK.com.) Many nonsurgical treatments can give your face a more youthful appearance. I was r eally dubious about this, but I’ve learned I was wrong. And I did not learn this just from my dermatologist colleagues — I learned it from my patients: — Sun protection. Protecting your face from the sun is the single best way to keep it looking youthful. Use broad-spectrum sunscreen that protects against both UVA and UVB light, and wear a wide-brimmed hat when you’re outside. My dermatologist colleagues say to do this “whenever you’re outside, even for a minute.” What I recommend, and what I do myself, is to use sunscreen and a hat whenever I
World War I, than the U.S. sustained combined in both world wars. “Munich” is shorthand for ‘if you have reservations about sending Americans into battle,’ you must be lily-livered, weak-kneed or worse. And the Munich analogy is not limited to foreign policy and defense arguments. In the Senate debate over the funding of the national government and the proposed de-funding of the Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare, freshman Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, argued that implementing the health law was analogous to appeasing Adolf Hitler: “If you
know I’ll be outside for more than 10 minutes a day. (I’ll bet I get mail from der matologists telling me that’s too lenient.) — Creams and lotions. Moisturizers may temporarily make wrinkles less noticeable. Exfoliant creams can remove dead skin cells that don’t slough off as readily as they used to. Prescription creams containing retinoids reduce wrinkles and liver spots caused by sun exposure. — Botulinum toxin (“botox”) injections partially immobilize facial muscles to smooth out expression lines on the forehead and between the brows. They are safe, but you should find a doctor who has considerable experience doing them. — Der mal fillers treat lines
go to the 1940s Nazi Germany. Look, we saw in Britain, Neville Chamberlain, who told the British people, ‘Accept the Nazis. Yes, they’ll dominate the continent of Europe, but that’s not our problem. Let’s appease them. Why? Because it can’t be done. We can’t possibly stand against them.’” Let the record show that Arizona Sen. John McCain gave Cruz a short history lesson telling of how he had campaigned throughout 2012 and at “every single campaign rally I said ‘we had to repeal and
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created by lost collagen and fat. Prime treatment locations are the pair of lines that extend from the nose to the corners of the mouth, and another pair that extends from the corners of the mouth to the chin. — Laser treatments can home in on liver spots. They’re also used for wholesale facial resurfacing. The uppermost skin layers are stripped away, and with them, wrinkles from sun damage and acne scars. Smoother layers of tissue replace the old, damaged layers. (Dr. Komaroff is a physician and professor at Harvard Medical School. To send questions, go to AskDoctorK.com, or write: Ask Doctor K, 10 Shattuck St., Second Floor, Boston, MA 02115.)