President Barack Obama has a repetitive tic when it comes to his myriad power grabs.
The President knows if he is straightforward about his plans to government-ize every sector of the economy – said plans will be even less popular than they already are. (Hello, November election.)
So he likes to cite successful private sector endeavors as alleged, though-actually-antithetical visual aides for his government takeover model. He heaps praise upon them – and then announces he is going to bury them with government.
This bait-and-switch approach is working less and less. And sometimes, for some, it never works at all. Remember this?
Obama Loves Mayo, But Mayo Does Not Love Him
Throughout his push for (ObamaCare), President Obama has (repeatedly) held up the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota as an example of great medicine at lower prices – something that could and should be emulated all over the country with guidance from his health care overhaul….
The Mayo Clinic does not approve. And, as he’s pointed out, they should know.
“Although there are some positive provisions in the current House Tri-Committee bill – including insurance for all and payment reform demonstration projects – the proposed legislation misses the opportunity to help create higher-quality, more affordable health care for patients. In fact, it will do the opposite.”
And, of course, Mayo was exactly right.
And let us not forget the many private companies who supported ObamaCare – but then experienced grievous endorsers’ remorse. For instance:
Insurers Regret Backing ObamaCare
Now the President wants to do to the Internet what he’s done to health care.
Dramatically increase regulations on private companies – which will demolish the private sector. And steamroll state laws and dramatically increase federal government funding of local government Internet providers – to replace the private sector he demolished.
And the President has picked his government Internet visual aide.
Obama Touts Municipal Web in Cedar Falls, Where Everyone’s Wired
Obama used the the well-wired city of Cedar Falls, Iowa, which provides broadband access that’s almost 100 times faster than the national average, as an example for the rest of the country.
(The President said) “If you live, or have a business in Cedar Falls, you can get a ‘gig’…for less than many Americans pay for premium cable.”
Except:
Obama Lied: Broadband Speeds Aren’t Faster or Cheaper in Cedar Falls
(Cedar Falls’) 1 gig service…costs more than the most expensive programming packages offered by Comcast, Time Warner Cable, DIRECTV, and DISH Network….
(And) there is no evidence that Internet speeds in Cedar Falls are “almost 100 times faster than the national average.” This statement in the White House “fact sheet”assumes that the national average download speed is about 10 megabits per second (a Gbps is equivalent to 1,000 Mbps).
It’s not clear what the President meant by this, but it fails to pass muster no matter how it’s construed.
Oh – and:
Obama’s Favorite Internet Provider Hates His Net-Neutrality Plan
In a filing made public Tuesday, Cedar Falls Utilities argued that Obama’s net-neutrality plan would burden the company with unnecessary federal regulations.
Betty Zeman, an executive for Cedar Falls Utilities, along with representatives from other small Internet providers, met with FCC staff last week….
(They said) the president’s net-neutrality plan would hurt the finances of small providers and hamper their ability to expand their services, the industry representatives said.…
The small Internet service providers warned that the move could also empower the FCC to enact other regulations, such as price controls.
When Big Brother has lost Little Brothers – the local-government-run “companies”to whom Big Brother is pledging to give tens of billions of dollars (more than he already has) – just how far from the path has he strayed?
And what do you want to bet that many, many, MANY of the private companies (and just about everyone else) that currently support President Obama’s Internet takeover – end up like the aforementioned health insurers? Deeply regretting that they ever said anything positive about dramatically more government in their sector.
The only question is – how does anyone not see coming the government’s next inevitable, disastrous failure?
Editor’s Note: This first appeared in Human Events.