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Notice that recovery.gov is #4 on the list.

 Alright, I can’t hold my tongue any longer on this issue.  Health care consumes over 15% of the country’s GDP, and you want to ram through a bill in the next 2 1/2 weeks that will completely reform it?  What happened to bipartisan efforts?  There are other ways to get this done, and they certainly don’t need to be acted on by August.  Here’s MY idea (and this is by no means original):

 (a) Get rid of employer sponsored coverage.  Workers that receive coverage through their employers are getting government subsidized health care that puts the rest of us at a disadvantage when shopping for health insurance with our taxed dollars.  Drop the benefits and add the money saved onto worker’s (taxed) salaries.  Better yet, the government could offer an income tax refund on money spent on health insurance.  Sound familiar?  This gives everyone the same purchasing power and puts consumers in charge of their insurance.  Once consumers are paying their own premiums they may think twice about visiting the doctor for a cold.  Employers don’t cover homeowner or auto insurance, why should they fund health insurance?

 (b) Promote competition.  This can largely be accomplished by removing restrictions that prohibit us from purchasing insurance across state lines.  Premiums could drop as much as 15% as a result.

 Two ideas that don’t cost any money and would go a long way to reform health care.  ObamaCare, on the other hand, would cost $1-2 trillion in the midst of a recession, and promises to save money?  Obama proposes to fund the new plan in part with $500+ billion in savings from reducing waste in the Medicare system.  If you can find $500 billion in waste in one government run program, why the hell would you start a new, broader one?

 “That is why those who are betting against this happening this year are badly mistaken," Obama said. "We are going to get this done. We will reform health care. It will happen this year. I’m absolutely convinced of that.”

 President Obama, I’m betting against you.

 The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (AARA) was supposed to turn the economy around and prevent job loss.  As unemployment climbs to nearly 10%, it is evident that the $787 billion plan is not living up to original claims.  The administration is now stating that the AARA was only designed to "stabilize" the economy as opposed to stimulating a full on recovery as the name might suggest.  I’m not going to go on about this, but would instead like to reflect on the last economic stimulus that was passed.

 In May 2008, I received a $600 check from Uncle Sam.  This stimulus plan received much ridicule, even from me.  After all, what is $600 going to do to stimulate the economy?  Despite it’s downfalls, the plan did put money in to people’s pockets.  Back to me.  I spent my stimulus check entirely on my first professional dSLR camera.  A few months later, I helped start a small business that would not have been possible without that purchase, made possible by the stimulus bill.  Today, just over a year after I received my check, the business has 8 clients (and counting) and is spending revenue on website hosting, a photo management site, print and book ordering, business cards, membership dues to a local business group, local and federal taxes, et cetera.  I have purchased a second camera body, lens, and lighting equipment for the sole purpose of improving the quality of the service that the business offers.  Not to mention the fact that we are offering affordable photography services to couples who can spend the money they save on booking us as their wedding photographers elsewhere.  I accept that I am a unique and rare example, but how’s that for stimulating the f’ing economy?

 EDIT:  I just did the math.  Obama’s $787 billion plan comes to $5,703 per U.S. taxpayer.  I could do a lot of stimulating with $5,703 in my pocket.

 My parents spotted this in Alaska.  Awesome.