Author: Personal Liberty

Remember when Nebraska Senator Ben Nelson cut a deal with the Obama Administration to deliver the 60th vote in favor of Obamacare? To the ever-lasting shame of both sides, the result was an embarrassment that came to be known as the Cornhusker Kickback.

Basically, Big Ben asked for some special help so Nebraska could cover the increased costs of Medicaid when Obamacare finally passed. Barack and his buddies said “done” and—viola!—suddenly there was an additional $100 million for Nebraska buried deep in the legislation.

When news of this sweetheart deal got out, I’m delighted to report that a mighty outcry went up around the country. No one was willing to defend this crass example of Washington payola—not the folks who arranged it or even the voters who benefited from it.

In a sane world such overt bribery would never make it past a conference committee. But fiscal sanity—or even outright honesty—hasn’t been much of a factor in Washington politics for years. Instead of slicing $100 million out of Obamacare, the wheeler-dealers in charge of spending your money decided that “the only fair thing to do” was to give the same benefits to the other 49 states.

All of a sudden a special subsidy that was going to cost us $100 million—pocket change when you’re talking about a $870-billion piece of legislation—soared to $30 billion. Even by Washington’s spendthrift standards, we’re starting to talk about some real money here, folks.

What happened next shouldn’t have surprised me: The powers that be decided to cover the costs by slapping a new tax on well-off Americans. After all, as President Obama keeps reiterating, it’s only right that the wealthiest among us pay “their fair share.”

So that’s how a brand-new tax on what the redistributionists like to call “unearned income” became the law of the land. Starting next year, if you earn more than $200,000 a year, expect to see another bite taken out of anything you’ve managed to save. The new tax will cover interest on your Certificates of Deposit and other savings accounts; any dividends you make on stocks or mutual funds, rental income on any real estate you own, and anything else our masters in Washington can classify as “unearned” income.

Excuse me for a moment while I let out a primal scream or two about the Marxist misnaming of my so-called unearned income. I worked mighty hard to earn every penny I’ve managed to save. There were a lot of 80 and 90 hour weeks when I was younger and just starting in business. I had to do the work of two or three people every week to keep my company’s doors open. And I’ll bet a lot of you who will be hit by this new tax can say the same thing.

Even Ben Nelson is now in full retreat from the monstrosity he helped create. No sooner had the Senate version of Obamacare finally been approved in the House than he became the first Democrat in the Senate to denounce “reconciliation.” He said he was especially troubled by the new tax he helped foist on us. He also denounced all those other add-ons that have pushed “the total cost of health reform up billions of dollars.”

Gee, does anyone think the senator is trying to curry favor with the voters back home? I hope a lot of Nebraskans will remember all of this when they go to the polls this November.

By the way, while I’m on the subject, may I ask for a show of hands of all of you who feel you don’t pay your fair share of taxes? And yes, Mr. Buffett, if by any chance someone sends you this column, we would love to publish your reply. I’ve seen reports that you think you should pay more. So why don’t you? There’s no law against Berkshire Hathaway adding a zero to every check it sends Uncle Sam.

For the sake of this discussion, I’m willing to grant that every American who is worth more than $50 billion should pay more in taxes than I do. Not just more total dollars, but I’ll compromise my principles enough to tolerate the plank in the Communist Manifesto that calls for a progressive income tax being levied against them.

But for the rest of us, let’s get real, as my kids would say. The canard that well-off Americans aren’t paying “their fair share” is one of the biggest of the Big Lies that socialists have used for decades to foster the culture of envy that dominates almost all of our politics.

Let’s look at the numbers to see what the truth really is. The last year for which the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has released figures is 2007, so what follows is a bit out of date. But I can’t imagine that the percentages have changed much in ’08 and ’09. Look at what the government’s own figures show:

• The top 1 percent of taxpayers in this country pay 40.42 percent of all income taxes.
• For the top 5 percent, the percentage is even higher. The 7.1 million taxpayers who fit this description pay 60.63 percent of all Federal income taxes.
• The bigger the net, the greater the discrepancy. The top 25 percent of taxpayers (35.3 million of us) can take pride in knowing that we contribute 86.59 percent of federal taxes. And the top 50 percent (70.5 million of us) pay 97.11 of the total taxes collected.

In comparison, the bottom 50 percent of filers—some 70.5 million of Americans with any kind of income—pay a minuscule 2.89 percent of federal tax dollars.

By what possible rationale can anyone say that the “rich” in this country don’t pay their fare share? You tell me. If the 71.22 percent that the top 10 percent in this country pay isn’t “their fair share,” then what is? I’d really like to know how you Obamaites (and yes, there are lots of you who read this column) justify urging government to confiscate more of our earnings.

With tax-collection day now less than two weeks away (Tax Freedom Day won’t happen for nearly two more months; I’ll write about that as it gets closer), I’ve been thinking a lot about our rapacious government and what it will take to put it on a diet.

As we’ve just seen, asking nicely ain’t gonna do it. Even yelling loud and long won’t be enough.

We’ve got to run the rascals out of office. Not all of them, I’m happy to say. Get rid of the worst 10 or 15 percent and the rest of the crowd in Washington will move to the right so fast the loony left won’t know what hit them.

Remember, most legislators aren’t dedicated to making government bigger. They aren’t dedicated to making it smaller, either. They’re just dedicated to staying in office. And if sounding (and voting) like a new Sarah Palin is what it will take to protect their careers, most of them will move right so fast all you’ll see is a blur.

In this country, we can still “throw the rascals out.” But it will only happen, as I’ve said before, if those of us who work for a living become as devoted to the battle as those who vote for a living.

Until next Friday, think about what you’ll do to make a difference. And keep some powder dry.

—Chip Wood

http://www.personalliberty.com/conse…st-you-plenty/

After campaigning with her former presidential running mate John McCain, Sarah Palin energized a Tea Party crowd in Nevada on Saturday, urging them to "take back America."

The choice of state was not accidental, as Nevada is the home state of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Democrat. In fact, Palin stressed Reid will have to explain his voting record when he comes back to the state to campaign for reelection this fall.

The former Alaska governor also expressed hope that the big government politics and the big spending promoted by this Congress will come to an end in November.

"You’re fired!" Palin told a cheering crowd of some 9,000 Tea Party activists gathered in a small former mining town south of Las Vegas.

Some polls are showing Reid may be losing ground in the Silver State, due in part to a persistently high unemployment rate. However, Democrats hope that if the healthcare reform proves popular, he and other Democrats who currently appear vulnerable will be able to hold on to their seats.

To that end, President Obama was in Iowa City last week trying to convince Americans that the enacted reform will benefit them and their businesses in the long run.

http://www.personalliberty.com/news/…st-harry-reid/

Although democrats claim healthcare reform will provide millions of Americans with medical insurance, there is no guarantee that there will be enough doctors to treat the sudden influx of new patients.

Over the past decade the United States has seen the number of students training to become primary care physicians and registered nurses dwindle rapidly, and the recently passed healthcare bill is bound to only exacerbate the issue.

According to the Associated Press (AP), several recently published reports have predicted a shortfall of approximately 400,000 primary care physicians over the next 10 years due to other career paths and medical specialties having better pay, improved hours and a higher profile.

"I think you have a real supply issue," said Fred Earley, the president of Mountain State Blue Cross Blue Shield, quoted by the Charleston Daily Mail.

"I think we have a real concern over whether we have the number of physicians or primary care providers to provide the care for all these additional people that are going to be accessing the health care system," he added.

The federal government has estimated that 65 million people currently reside in areas that are experiencing a shortage of local doctors. In Massachusetts alone, approximately 40 percent of family and general practitioners are not accepting new patients, a record number for the state that is only expected to increase over the next few years.

http://www.personalliberty.com/news/…care-overhaul/

Despite the fact that dozens of state attorneys general filed a lawsuit last week to overturn the recently passed Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, there are many politicians, mainly on the Left, who have vowed to defend the healthcare bill.

Among them is Pennsylvania Governor Edward G. Rendell, who signed a letter to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, in which he and the governors of Washington, Michigan and Colorado offer to do just that.

"We believe the legal efforts [of those who seek to overturn the bill] will fail in court, unnecessarily delay the urgent need to get our citizens access to healthcare and waste our state tax dollars," Rendell and others wrote.

"As you prepare and deliver your defense of this landmark legislation, you have our commitment to work with you, at your request, to assist in this effort," they added.

The act was passed by the House of Representatives on March 21, and signed by President Obama two days later, although there was another vote after the Senate failed to pass two amendments to the reconciliation package. To date, at least 14 state attorneys general joined the lawsuit filed in a federal court in Florida by that state’s chief prosecutor Attorney General Bill McCollum.

http://www.personalliberty.com/news/…-act-in-court/

The FBI is currently investigating several reported death threats and acts of vandalism aimed at Democrats who voted to overhaul the healthcare system.

While more than 10 lawmakers complained of threats leading up to the final vote, two congresswomen from New York and Arizona reported that the windows of their district offices had been smashed soon after the measure was passed.

Furthermore, the FBI is also investigating an alleged incident concerning Representative Tom Perriello’s (D-Va.) brother, who told investigators that a gas line had been purposefully severed at his Charlottesville home. Apparently, Tea Party activists had posted the address online assuming that it was the congressmen’s estate, encouraging members to stop in and "express their thanks" for his vote, Fox News reports.

Meanwhile, Representative Louise Slaughter (D-N.Y.), who herself received "alarming" threats, blamed leaders of the GOP on Wednesday for "fanning the flames" of hatred toward Democrats, according to USA Today.

House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) condemned the acts of violence in an interview with Fox News, calling the threats "unacceptable."

"Yes, I know there is anger, but let’s take that anger and go out and register people to vote, go volunteer on a political campaign, and let’s do it the right way," he said.

http://www.personalliberty.com/news/…vote-19690094/

Defense Secretary Robert Gates has announced that the Pentagon will soften its policy of not allowing openly homosexual individuals to serve in the military.

Gates said that anonymous, third party complaints will no longer trigger an investigation under the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy. With the new guidelines, which will go into effect in 30 days, informants must present complaints under oath and each case needs to be reviewed by a senior officer at the level of a one-star general or higher. Military leaders are also advised to ignore complaints based on simple hearsay.

Furthermore, military personnel can no longer be expelled from any branch of the armed forces based on information provided to lawyers, clergy and psychotherapists, CNN reports.

“I believe these changes represent an important improvement in the way the current law is put into practice, above all by providing a greater measure of common sense and common decency,” said Gates.

Meanwhile, Family Research Council President Tony Perkins said that the new guidelines undermine the enforcement of the law, which Gates admitted can only be repealed by Congress.

“The new regulations only invite open defiance of the law which was passed by Congress and signed by President Clinton,” concluded Perkins.

http://www.personalliberty.com/news/…licy-19692919/

Will it never end?

Will the daily, relentless assault on our freedoms by the current socialist-in-chief, President Barack Obama, and the socialist Democrat-controlled Congress never end?

Will the constant pounding and pounding on the Constitution by Obama and Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid and the rest of the socialist elite elected class—as they work to not just chip away at our nation’s foundation as progressives before them, but to obliterate it completely—never end?

Will the takeover of business and industry never end?

Will the calls for a cap-and-trade system that will raise taxes and energy costs and further erode out economic well-being never end?

Will the push for amnesty for illegal aliens never end?

Will the spending and the money printing and currency debasement never end?

Will the hubris of the elected class never end?

Apparently not.

Day by day; week by week; month by month the socialist Democrats pounded away at so-called healthcare reform. In office for 14 months, the Obama-Pelosi-Reid triumvirate worked to enact a socialist, European-style big government healthcare system on America.

The American people didn’t want what Obama, Reid and Pelosi were peddling. By 59 percent to 39 percent, according to the latest CNN/Opinion Research poll, Americans opposed Obamacare.

And they said so over and over. They said “no” to the secrecy of the bills, which were crafted in smoke-filled rooms, behind closed doors and foisted upon the public at the moment of the vote. They said “no” to the cost which kept growing and growing with each incarnation. They said “no” to the Louisiana Purchase (to get Mary Landrieu’s vote), the Cornhusker Kickback (to garner Ben Nelson’s support) and to the Gator Aid (to secure the support of senior citizens).

They said “no” by marching on Washington D.C., by the tens of thousands. They said “no” through the Tea Parties. They said so through calls and letters. They said “no” at town hall meetings. They said “no,” “no,” “No,” “NO!”

They said “no” at the voting booth in Virginia, New Jersey and Massachusetts. Yet the socialist Democrats passed it anyway.

So the people ask, “What part of no don’t you understand?”

Know this: Pelosi, Reid and Obama—they understand. They just don’t care. It’s the progressive way.

Responding to questions about the special favors garnered by recalcitrant Senators in order to enlist their support, Reid replied with something to the effect of: That’s the legislative process. If a Senator didn’t get something he wasn’t doing his job.

Hey. It’s only money, and printing it is cheap.

As Pelosi responded when asked where Congress gets the authority to mandate United States citizens purchase health insurance: “Are you serious?”

Well, yes Madame Speaker, Constitutional issues are serious business to us. They should be to you. But they’re not. That’s because the Constitution limits their power over the citizenry and power is what the socialist elected elites seek.

If the Constitution was important to the socialist elite there would have been an open process in putting together a bill that reformed the health insurance system by letting the free market system work rather than further empowering government. And certainly there would have been no talk of using parliamentary trickery—the Slaughter Rule, also known as Deem and Pass—to pass it.

If the Constitution was important to the socialists there would be no provisions mandating that people buy something simply for being American and no need for 14 states to file suit against the Federal government for violating the 10th Amendment.

If the Constitution was important to the socialists Americans wouldn’t be sitting back asking themselves, “What’s next on their agenda: Another stab at amnesty for illegals, another run at cap-and-trade, a gun grab, a value added tax?”

If the Constitution was important the government wouldn’t own General Motors, Chrysler, the financial industry and now, insurance companies.

If the Constitution was important the government wouldn’t be in the business of setting the salaries of everyone from the lowest level employee to the CEOs of large companies.

To be fair, all of this can be laid at the feet of the socialist Republicans who blindly followed George W. Bush’s big government socialism over the economic cliff. They—the socialist Republicans—are claiming an epiphany now and appear to be standing up to the Democrat tyranny. But like all socialist elected elites, when they controlled Congress the socialist Republicans grew government, expanded its power to monitor its citizenry and supported Bush’s nation-building, empire-expanding war policies and his original $700 billion Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP).

Though they—the socialist Republicans—claim to be strict constructionists when it comes to the Constitution now, they helped Bush enact his ridiculous “compassionate conservatism” that increased government entitlement spending and therefore increased the roles of non-producers eager to sponge off the hard work of the producers.

But that’s what you get from the socialist elected elites. They ignore the Constitution because to them the “be all and end all” is government. They like big government and they like bigger government even better.

You can be sure that the Obama-Pelosi-Reid triumvirate isn’t going to rest on its laurels. More big government programs are on the way.

And Pelosi is not afraid to kick in a few doors to accomplish it. As she told a group of Leftwing bloggers leading up the passage of Obamacare, “…once we kick through this door there will be more legislation to follow.”

So this is only the beginning of the socialist takeover of America. It’s evidence that sovereignty is in the hands of but a few, just as the writer Brutus warned in Anti-Federalist No. 1: “If the people are to give their assent to the laws, by persons chosen and appointed by them, the manner of the choice and the number chosen, must be such, as to possess, be disposed, and consequently qualified to declare the sentiments of the people; for if they do not know, or are not disposed to speak the sentiments of the people, the people do not govern, but the sovereignty is in a few.”

At the close of the Constitutional Convention a woman asked Benjamin Franklin what type of government had been created. Franklin’s reply: “A republic, if you can keep it.”

We couldn’t.

http://www.personalliberty.com/liber…uldnt-keep-it/

The growing list of health benefits associated with vitamin D supplementation became more extensive at the recently held American College of Cardiology’s 59th annual scientific session in Atlanta. According to a new study, consuming the sunshine vitamin can help ward off heart disease in people with low blood levels of the nutrient.

In the study, researchers from the Intermountain Medical Center Heart Institute in Murray, Utah, monitored more than 9,400 patients who exhibited low vitamin D levels in an initial blood test.

After one year of follow-up, a total of 47 percent of patients had increased their nutrient levels through supplementation to more than 30 nanograms per milliliter, which is generally considered normal.

The research team found that those who boosted their vitamin D levels were 33 percent less likely to have a heart attack, 20 percent less likely to develop heart failure and had a 30 percent lower risk of dying between doctor visits.

"Although randomized trials would be useful and are coming, I feel there is enough information here for me to start treatment based on these findings," said lead author Brent Muhlestein, quoted by Health Day News.

http://www.personalliberty.com/news/…risk-19672932/

On March 18, President Obama made a pledge to the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) that he would push for amnesty for illegal aliens, in a move that that the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) called an act of "buying votes."

Obama’s promise came just hours after members of the CHC threw their support behind the healthcare reform bill, which passed late on March 21.

The announcement also coincided with the release of an outline for amnesty legislation by Senators Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), which would require illegal aliens to admit that they broke the law, pay a fine and back taxes and fulfill certain civic requirements in order to regulate their status. Moreover, the proposal calls for increases in future immigration to the United States.

"The Schumer-Graham plan appears to be a near carbon copy of the McCain-Kennedy-Bush amnesty legislation that was resoundingly rejected by the American people in 2007," said Dan Stein, president of FAIR.

Coincidentally, a huge crowd marched on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., March 21—the day of the healthcare vote—to support the administration’s proposals for immigration overhaul.

During the rally, Obama spoke via a video link, saying he would do "everything in my power" to get a deal within the year.

"While Congress and the administration ignore the concerns of millions of American families who are struggling through the worst economic crisis in 75 years, they appear remarkably responsive to the demands of people who are in the country illegally," Stein commented.

http://www.personalliberty.com/news/…lout-19685336/

Results of a recent UK study suggest that seaweed fibers may one day be capable of helping people fight obesity.

In the study, a team of Newcastle University researchers used an artificial gut to test the effectiveness of more than 60 different natural fibers by measuring the amount of fat that was digested and absorbed with each alternative treatment.

Lead investigators Iain Brownlee and Jeff Pearson found that alginate—a natural fiber found in sea kelp—was able to reduce fat intake by approximately 75 percent, which is more competitive than the majority of over-the-counter anti-obesity treatments.

"This suggests that if we can add the natural fiber to products commonly eaten daily—such as bread, biscuits and yogurts—up to three quarters of the fat contained in that meal could simply pass through the body," said Brownlee.

The next step for the research team is to conduct clinical trials to see how effective alginate is when eaten as part of a normal diet. In addition to weight management, adding seaweed to food has been proven to boost fiber content and overall digestive health.

http://www.personalliberty.com/news/…sity-19685586/

*What makes Clint’s day. There’s a new coffee-table book out on Clint Eastwood’s film career, from the 1959 western Rawhide to his most recent directorial duties on Invictus. The book includes 325 photographs and movie stills and some wonderful quotes, such as this one from the time he had the romantic lead in The Bridges of Madison County. Said Clint, “This romantic stuff is really tough. I can’t wait to get back to shooting and killing.”

*Stock tips from a bankrupt ball player? Former Phillies baseball great Lenny Dykstra has hit a tough patch, financially speaking. He declared bankruptcy last year, lost his multi-million-dollar home to foreclosure and even auctioned off his World Series ring. So what’s he doing to stage a comeback? Selling investment advice. For $999, you get three weekly forecasts, a monthly conference call and a signed baseball. No thanks. I can think of lots of better ways to spend my money.

*An intellectually dishonest economist. New York Times columnist and former Enron advisor Paul Krugman penned yet another article last week in which he lambasted Republican opposition to government giveaways. He quotes Senator Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) as saying that unemployment relief “doesn’t create new jobs. In fact, if anything, continuing to pay people unemployment compensation is a disincentive for them to seek new work.” Krugman scoffs that “To me, that’s a bizarre point of view—but then, I don’t live in Mr. Kyl’s universe.” Ah, but he used to. In a textbook he wrote called Macroeconomics, Krugman said, “In other countries, particularly in Europe, [unemployment] benefits are more generous and last longer. The drawback to this generosity is that it reduces a worker’s incentive to quickly find a new job.” Seems Krugman isn’t an economist anymore; he’s an apologist for Big Government.

—Chip Wood

http://www.personalliberty.com/chip-…acedeconomist/

After president Obama signed the newly passed healthcare reform bill into law, 14 states challenged the legislation by filing suit in Federal Court.

Twelve states joined Florida’s Attorney General in the suit filed in Pensacola’s Federal Court. They are South Carolina, Nebraska, Texas, Utah, Louisiana, Alabama, Michigan, Colorado and the commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The commonwealth of Virginia filed suit separately.

The plaintiffs claim they want to protect individuals’ freedom to pay their healthcare bills on their own rather than be forced by the federal government to buy insurance.

“This is a tax or a penalty on just living, and that’s unconstitutional,” McCollum said, adding that “there’s no provision in the Constitution of the United States giving Congress the power to do that.”

Meanwhile, the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) has said 38 states have either filed or announced their intentions to file ALEC’s Freedom of Choice in Health Care Act that would “stop ObamaCare at the state line.”

The act has already been passed by one legislative chamber in Georgia, Missouri, Oklahoma and Tennessee, and is expected to be heard on the floor in Alabama, Kansas and Michigan.

http://www.personalliberty.com/news/…ment-19685333/

As the Democrats pushed through the $940 billion healthcare reform bill, and President Obama signed it into law, the National Inflation Association (NIA) has said the legislation will significantly contribute to an outbreak of hyperinflation in the United States by 2015.

Although the Congressional Budget Office is estimating that the healthcare bill will cost $940 billion over the next 10 years, NIA members pointed out that when Medicare was created in 1966 the House Ways and Means Committee estimated that in 1990 its cost would reach $12 billion per year.

However, the actual cost that year was $107 billion—meaning it was 792 percent more than what had been projected—and today Medicare costs $408 billion annually.

“If history is any indication, the actual cost [of the healthcare reform] will likely be several trillion dollars,” the organization asserted. “[We] believe the healthcare bill will be the final nail in the coffin of the U.S. economy and will just about guarantee that we will see hyperinflation by the year 2015.”

According to NIA, in addition to the healthcare bill and rising interest payments on national debt, another major catalyst for hyperinflation will be social security payments, which adjust to the CPI-index.

http://www.personalliberty.com/news/…rica-19687033/

Headlines around the world are full of news about the aftermath of Chile taking a big hit Feb. 27 with a magnitude 8.8 earthquake, the fifth-strongest ever measured in the country. The good news is Chile’s capital, Santiago, is located about 200 miles northeast of the quake’s epicenter and avoided the worst of the disaster. The airport had resumed operations and several shops were open for business on the Monday following the weekend earthquake. In addition, the Chilean stock market was back online March 1 without a hitch.

Indeed, iShares MSCI Chile Investable Mkt Idx (ECH) jumped 4.46 percent during the week following the earthquake, as the powerful temblor barely registered as a blip on Chile’s stock exchange. Chile’s stock exchange proved to be as robust as most of Chile’s rigorously constructed buildings.

Chile: Free Market Reforms + Discipline = Economic Success
Unlike Greece or other countries on Europe’s periphery, Chile has been a model for how a small developing country should conduct its economic affairs. This country of nearly 17 million people, with an economy about the size of Alabama, is arguably the most economically successful and certainly, on a per capita basis, the wealthiest country in Latin America.

Understanding the reasons behind Chile’s economic success can help you identify other countries in the world that are getting the basics right—and, like Chile, are the source of stock market profits that put the United States S&P 500 to shame.

Despite its impressive achievements, Chile’s success has been a quiet one, with few countries seeking to duplicate the “Chilean Miracle.” Chile first introduced free market-oriented reforms with the help of the “Chicago Boys”—a group of University of Chicago-trained economists—during the bad old days of August Pinochet’s military government in the 1970s. The first democratic government of Patricio Aylwin—which took over from the military in 1990—continued with these economic reforms, as have successive governments since then. The impact of these reforms became crystal clear as Chile’s economic growth rates began to outpace that of its Latin American rivals virtually overnight.

What’s most impressive about Chile is that it has stuck to its reforms through thick and thin—a discipline that is sorely lacking in recent U.S. administrations. After being elected in 2006, President Michelle Bachelet took a lot of flack when she failed to succumb to pressure to spend Chile’s windfall earnings from high copper prices. The “Great Recession” of 2008 and 2009 revealed the wisdom of her policies. When the global financial crisis set in, government coffers had the cash to implement one of the world’s largest stimulus plans. The ant prevailed over the grasshopper yet again.

Skeptics point out that for all the importance of free-market reforms, Chile wouldn’t be this far along without its huge reserves of copper. Copper accounts for about one-third of the government’s revenue and, as the world’s third-biggest producer of copper, even a small stumble in Chile’s copper production due to the recent earthquake sent global copper prices soaring.

But ideas do matter. What copper is to Chile, oil is to Venezuela. Yet, Venezuela is an economic basket case. Contrast the economic fates of Latin American countries that invoked the name of Che Guevara (Cuba, Venezuela) with the economic views of Milton Friedman and the “Chicago Boys” (Chile) during the past 40 years and you can see why Chile has become a poster child for free-market reforms. As the late, great Jim Rohn observed, “People aren’t building rafts to escape to Cuba.”

Chile: Consistently Hot
While most global stock markets go in and out of fashion, Chile has been the single most consistent performer among all global markets over the past decade. It has ranked as the third-best performing market in the world for each of the last 10 years, three years and year-to-date.

Sadly, U.S investors did not have a chance to profit directly from the Chilean index’s performance until the launch of the iShares MSCI Chile Investable Mkt Idx (ECH) in November of 2007.

But had you invested $10,000 in the iShares MSCI Chile Investable Mkt Idx (ECH) on the date of its launch on Nov. 20, 2007, you’d be sitting on $12,001—a solid 20 percent gain. Had you invested that same amount into the S&P 500, you’d have only $8,685. That’s a remarkable 38 percent difference over the span of only 27 months.

Bottom line? Chile may sell off briefly after the devastating earthquake but I believe that Chilean equities will recover soon and will continue to be among the top stock-market performers for the coming decade.

http://www.personalliberty.com/liber…ket-performer/

Last week, the Congressional Budget Office released a report which estimates that the updated healthcare reform bill will cost approximately $940 billion over the next 10 years.

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said the measure will cut the federal deficit by as much as $130 billion in the next decade, and more than $1 trillion over the following 10 years due to revenue increases and cost savings, compared to the current system.

“I think the momentum is growing for this bill,” said Hoyer. “The more and more people have looked at this bill…a greater number of people are becoming more comfortable.”

The release of the estimate may set the table for a final vote on healthcare reform in the House this Sunday. Democratic leaders plan to post the reconciliation bill online Thursday to give the public and some conservative Democrats 72 hours to review the language, Fox News reports.

The package that was considered by the budget office was the Senate bill combined with supplemental changes instituted by members of the House. If Democratic leaders decide to use the parliamentary tactic known as budget reconciliation, and all indications are that they will, Republicans will not be able to prevent the bill from getting to President Obama’s desk.

http://www.personalliberty.com/news/…cade-19677733/

The Senate’s version of healthcare reform legislation was narrowly passed by the House Sunday evening after President Obama struck a late deal with Representative Bart Stupak (D-MI) and other pro-life Democrats, promising to issue an executive order clarifying abortion language in the bill.

After a dramatic week of impassioned debate and feverous name calling from both sides of the aisle, the Senate bill cleared the House by a 219-212 vote. A total of 34 dissident Democrats joined every House Republican in opposing the legislation.

Later in the evening, a second measure – which makes changes to the recently approved bill – was quickly passed by a margin of 220-211. That piece of legislation will now move to the Senate, which can approve the bill by a simple 51-vote majority by using the parliamentary tactic known as budget reconciliation.

A jubilant President Obama was relieved that his hallmark campaign measure, which seemed dead only a few months ago, is all but assured to be signed into law in the near future.

“We pushed back on the undue influence of special interests,” the president said. “We didn’t give in to mistrust or to cynicism or to fear. Instead, we proved that we are still a people capable of doing big things.”

Meanwhile, House Republicans leaders said that the now inevitable passage of healthcare reform legislation defies the wishes of the American people.

“We have failed to listen to America,” said House Minority Leader John Boehner. “This body moves forward against their will. Shame on us.”

http://www.personalliberty.com/news/…king-19682155/

The majority of United States infants are not receiving the recommended amount of vitamin D and should be given supplements, a new federal study has concluded.

Although the American Academy of Pediatrics raised the recommended daily standard of vitamin D for infants in 2008, a shockingly low number meet the 400 IU per day requirement for optimum health.

In the study, researchers from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Epidemic Intelligence Service collected data on infants who were younger than 10.5 months. They found that among infants who were exclusively breastfed, only 5 to 13 percent received the recommended amount of the nutrient.

For babies who were breastfed and who were also given formula, a total of 35 percent were getting enough vitamin D.

“In the past, it was assumed that children receiving formula didn’t need a vitamin D supplement, because they were getting it from the formula,” said lead researcher Cria Perrine.

However, in light of the new findings, “most infants, starting at birth, will need a vitamin D supplement,” she added.

The researchers also recommended that expectant mothers take prenatal vitamins and other approved natural supplements.

http://www.personalliberty.com/news/…in-d-19682735/

The embattled and highly controversial community organizing group known as the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, or ACORN, announced on Monday that it will formally disband on April 1 due to declining revenues.

ACORN’s funding and reputation took a huge hit last year after a widely disseminated video showed several of the anti-poverty group’s employees giving tax advice to two conservative activists posing as a prostitute and pimp. The organization’s credibility has also been tarnished over the last 18 months following several charges of voter fraud and embezzlement.

In light of the video, which surfaced in September 2009, Congress pulled ACORN’s federal funding, while many private donors have blacklisted the organization. Officials with the group have consistently professed their innocence and have indicated that partisan attacks have forced them to close their doors.

“ACORN has faced a series of well-orchestrated, relentless, well-funded right wing attacks that are unprecedented since the McCarthy era,” said Bertha Lewis, CEO of ACORN. “The videos were a manufactured, sensational story that led to rush to judgment and an unconstitutional act by Congress.”

Although the organization will officially disband in April, several of ACORN’s affiliates broke away earlier this year and are operating under different names.

http://www.personalliberty.com/news/…hips-19685106/

Frustrated with President Obama’s broken promise to overhaul the immigration system within his first year in office, thousands of grassroots activists rallied at the National Mall in Washington March 21 to express their displeasure with the lack of progress concerning immigration reform.

In the face of heavy criticism from supporters of new legislation, Obama reiterated his campaign promises last week, stating that he will “do everything in [his] power” to put an immigration bill in front of Congress by the end of 2010.

The president also supported a reform outline authored by Senators Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), which will force undocumented workers to admit they broke the law, pay back taxes and perform community service to become legal United States residents, Fox News reports. Illegal immigrants would also need to pass a background check and an English exam before being cleared to stay in the country.

However, when asked about the administration’s current priorities, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs did not mention immigration reform and indicated that nothing would get accomplished without bipartisan support, according to ABC News.

“It’s got to be more than the president wants to get something done,” he said.

http://www.personalliberty.com/news/…ress-19680357/

A controversy regarding patient’s rights is brewing in Idaho after the State House passed a bill that allows all healthcare professionals—including dieticians and pharmacists—to refuse to provide care that violates their conscience.

In addition to end-of-life care, SB 1353 extends the provisions to abortion and emergency contraception, permitting any licensed healthcare provider to refuse to provide a treatment or medication on conscience grounds.

“The intent of this legislation is not to restrict or limit in any way healthcare services to women or men in Idaho,” said lead sponsor Senator Chuck Winder, a Republican, quoted by The Spokesman Review.

He specified that he considered the bill as “an attempt to correct what we perceived to be an oversight,” as the current state law permits doctors or hospital workers to refuse to participate in treatments, but does not cover all licensed healthcare professionals.

However, critics have alleged it will allow providers to override a family’s or a patient’s decisions expressed in living wills or through advance directives.

“The Idaho House said it’s all right for healthcare professionals to ignore the wishes and instructions of their patients—and that’s a dangerous direction for healthcare in our state,” said Jim Wordelman, state director for AARP in Idaho.

The organization has urged Idahoans to contact the governor’s office and urge him to remove the contentious language or veto the bill.

http://www.personalliberty.com/news/…ghts-19677809/