A Few Thoughts

In http://iansapathy.blogspot.com/2011/03/planned-parenthood-at-risk.html?showComment=1302237194978#c7216977316574755321

I do agree with some aspects on your blog post regarding government funding. Planned Parenthood does provide excellent service, help, and resources to many of those active in the sexual community. However, should this really be funded by tax dollars? Every day millions of Americans are diagnosed with cancers, diseases, and disorders that will cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to treat and/or cure. Our government-funded programs, such as Medicaid, are aimed to help these individuals in financial need by providing them care. However, these programs are for people that find out they have breast cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, etc. Although there are many factors that increase the likelihood of these medical conditions, no one actively chose to have sex, then ended up with diabetes. The services Planned Parenthood provides such as contraceptives, STD testing, and abortion, are all helpful resources for those who CHOOSE to be sexually active. Yes, they do help millions of people who can't necessarily afford birth control or healthcare which is great. But why should every single person in the United States pay for other people to have sex? Any responsible human being would know that when you choose to have unprotected sex (or sex in general for that matter), you are directly risking your chances of getting STDs and/or pregnant. Because there are an uncountable amount of people that do not know this, that should be a grand indicator that we need to increase our educational programs/education system in general. Sex is a choice. It is time for people to start taking responsibility for their actions, and stop expecting other people to pay for their mistakes. Japan and the Netherlands have low teen pregnancy rates due to their culture's high opposition to casual sex and awareness.
An addition to the Republican-controlled Congress, the budget cuts are quite necessary. Considering our government is expected to shut down next week, I would think it is in everyone's best interest that 800,000 employees don't go jobless on Monday.

It is an interesting point of view you have. I like how you tried to form a solution by the government only funding the services, and not abortions. I believe that's how it is already. The government only funds contraceptives, STD awareness, etc. My guess and argument if I were a politician would be that many Christians choose to abstain from sex until marriage (although I'm believing the opposite). Therefore, none of the services or help needs should be needed by those who do hold those religious beliefs. Why pay for other people's choices when they can be avoided?
We don't allow lifetime alcoholics to jump first on a liver transplant list. In fact, we don't even give them the choice to get a new liver at all. Self-induced mistake = everyone shouldn't pay for. Only those who use it should.

The Energy Market, an Economic Giant

Although the uprising in Libya has brought the United States a series of unwanted issues, it serves as a primary example to many lessons learned during an international crisis. For the past 2 years, Obama has attempted to cut about $36 billion in subsidies to oil and gas companies.

Money Out the Window

In The National Review blog post "A Physician’s Check-up on the One-Year-Old Health-Care Law," Senator Tom Coburn talks about the issues of the 1 year-old healthcare plan also known as "Obamacare." Tom Coburn, Senator of Oklahoma, is not only well-educated about the economics and politics of our country, but also a medical doctor. As a Republican Senator, he is most likely trying to gain support from the American people (both Republican and Democratic) and fellow Senators with his education and opinion about the issue. The Democratic House passed this 2,700 page bill that I'm can assure you no sane individual read in its entirety. By spending tax dollars to run the bill ads, only about half the U.S. population actually support this plan. 
There is no doubt that our government has a long-run fiscal disaster ahead of us if we continue to spend money on ineffective programs. This $2.6 trillion monstrosity has more than just a few things wrong with it. Before this bill was enacted, Medicaid already denied care by about half of physicians. Half the time this healthcare "plan" doesn't even cover what is needed for the individual's health, further wasting tax dollars. It also increases the middle-class taxes by $813 billion. Sen. Tom Coburn highlights many more problems with this healthcare plan. In summary, this law results in higher taxes, costs,  spending, and deficits. 
As an economics student, I extensively studied this subject in "Health Economics" and several other courses. My opinion is long-winded and very strong. The Medicaid/Medicare system is so inefficient it is frustrating. There are too many moments I find myself thinking "They really can't be that stupid to think this will work."  In example, an individual has the option to avoid Medicaid, yet decide to purchase it in the event they become ill. 

Wasteful Government Spending

In today's newspaper, the Wall Street Journal, there was a particular article titled "Both Sides Embrace Government-Waste Study" about government spending that caught my interest. Both the Democratic and Republican party have come to an agreement on the vast wasteful nature of the United States government. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report unveiling billions of US taxpayer dollars going to waste on dozens of overlapping programs. The government offers financial support to several different programs in areas of defense, education, and transportation. By consolidating these programs, the efficiency of these organizations would drastically increase saving billions of dollars. The government needs to look at more pressing issues, such as the rising government deficit which is expected to reach $1.65 trillion in 2011 and the high possibility of reaching the  debt ceiling by early April. This article is very interesting because it talks about the various inefficiencies in how the US government is currently run, its impractical spending, and how we should look to improve in the future. Also, it is super cool to see how both parties have agreed to work together to make our country a better place!