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1/8/2010
Senator Feingold worrisome and big red flags

Senator Feingold listened. He said he’s done some 1,200 of these meetings in his years in the Senate – 16 years by my count, having been first elected in November, 1992. Feingold’s commitment has been to visit each of Wisconsin’s 72 counties every year – so that’s 72 x 16 = 1,152. A town meeting an average of every 5 days. Make a promise, keep the promise, be out among the people. Great formula.

Part of that formula meant appearing at the Appleton Public Library yesterday for the Senator's annual Outagamie county visit.

If he’s not done it already, Senator Feingold must write a book on Town Meeting Mechanics. Get everyone in attendance to submit contact info, in the tiny hope your name might be chosen to speak. Visions of sugarplums and all that. Establish the rules up front - in a fatherly way. Fair, not ominous.

Then, share instructions. It was something like... “Lots of folks here, I’d like to hear from as many as possible. Please be concise in your comments, I’ll try to be concise in my answer, if an answer is called for. [Smart. Told folks up front he may not always respond to a comment.] If your comments extend longer than a minute or two, my assistant will raise this gentle reminder [a kind sign that said something like ‘consider closing’].”

Miscellaneous stuff I learned (what were your takeaways?) from Senator Feingold’s responses to questioners:

The last book he read was The Inheritance of Loss, a novel by Kiran Desai.
Feingold believes both the House and Senate health care bills to be constitutional, though he believes constitutionality of the individual mandate is a fair question and will most likely go to the Supreme Court.
The Senator’s out on the abortion issue is that “even though [he is] pro choice” he doesn’t believe the final bill should be used to replace the Hyde Amendment. That said, Feingold believes the protections in the final bill will be stronger than the Hyde Amendment (forbids federal funding for abortion).
The Senator is very disturbed by the lack of transparency in the ‘conferencing’ process. But “I’m not going to tell you I won’t support the final bill for that reason.”
When asked for insight into why President Obama has become so much different from candidate Obama (A questioner likened her vote for Obama to buying something from an infomercial, then getting it home and recognizing it wasn’t half of what was promised.), Feingold offered as an excuse the “many people around the President,” citing Obama’s disappointing (to Feingold) Afghanistan decision as an example.
The federal deficit – “absolutely one of my top priorities.” [His support of the health care bill is a huge contradiction.]
In reference to spending stimulus dollars – “The idea is to prime the pump, not to become the pump.”

The more worrisome stuff
Abortion protections
We’ll see exactly what those look like in the final bill. I suspect a majority of Senator Feingold’s constituents may not be happy about them.

Health bill costs
When asked how much the health care bill will cost families in America, Feingold responded that the health care bill will save Americans $187 billion – not cost them. When many in the crowd objected, Feingold absolutely would not acknowledge that the bill supposedly “saves” Americans dollars only because taxes, fees and other costs are increased.

You decide the true costs of the bill. Lots of different estimates are out there. For a start, here’s the CBO’s most recent work on the subject and here’s one of the latest pieces from Heritage.

Suffice it to say, when estimates are in the $1 to $2 trillion “range” – you know you’ve got problems.

Be assured, this is not the end of it
The Senator, as he’s been very public about, is disappointed the final bill will most likely not contain a public option. But fear not; the public option is sure to come. “If we don’t pass a bill [in the first place], we will never have a public option….The health care issue is not going to be done when we pass this bill.”

FICA - scary
When a question was raised about the solvency of the “Social Security Trust Fund,” Feingold opined that the situation “can be solved fairly easily.” 1) Increase the maximum on which FICA taxes apply and 2) increase the retirement age because Americans are living longer.

Social Security began as an insurance program, not a welfare benefit. Taxes are capped (FICA now applies to incomes up to $106,800) because benefits are capped. Feingold sees the contribution cap increased – perhaps considerably. Higher income earners would transfer their contributions to the system to those who contribute too little or nothing at all. The country’s newest welfare program.

Feingold also threw out the example of perhaps an age 70 retirement minimum. He then qualified that by saying he works by moving his jaw (get it? – he talks for a living…) – so he could see himself working until he’s 70. But that might not apply to backbreaking jobs like farming and bricklaying. And I suppose ultimately he might add policing and firefighting to the list and heaven knows what else. This is a very big red flag. Not only would some have to pay substantially more into the system, the government will decide who of us can retire at what age. Even though government today is expanding in leaps and bounds in ways many of us couldn’t even imagine only a few short years ago…. THIS is scary.

Jo Egelhoff, FoxPolitics.net

COMMENTS

Feingold is in a box, just like the other liberal when it comes to trying to explain away this massive government takeover of nearly 20% of our economy. Remember, it's not about health 'care,' it's about health 'insurance.' The Social Security 'trust fund' (there is neither a fund, nor any trust about it) is empty. The politicians like Feingold have borrowed it all and now don't have the resources to put it back. They now need to bleed out another vein in the false promise of, "Hi, I'm from the government and I'm here to help you."

Under Jim DeMint's proposal for term limits this liberal who just moves his mouth for a living would have been gone 4 years ago.

Duke (Fri Jan 08 06:49:31 2010)

Thanks for the update, Jo. But oh, the Heritage receives heavy funds from the insurance industry so I'd recommend avoiding their garbage.

Jack Lohman (Fri Jan 08 08:04:25 2010)

Yeah, let's see teachers work until 70 ... somehow I don't think that will be happening. And I pray I don't see pilots, air traffic controllers (who also move their lips for a living), or neurosurgeons working that long either.

Jeff Riedl (Fri Jan 08 08:34:17 2010)

Why do police and firefighters need to retire with full benefits at age 55? Seems to me there are jobs within those agencies that are administrative and do not require special physical capabilities. Also, why not transfer them to fill openings in other departments of local government. This way they can continue to be productive to full retirement age, earning retirement benefits like everyone else.

Dennis (Fri Jan 08 10:04:07 2010)

The easy answer is “they shouldn't.” Police, fire and all government positions should be treated no differently than any worker on the outside of government. They should be required to work until 65 before collecting social security (or any retirement plan), and be required to pay in the same amount. If they want more they can start a savings account when they start working.

But try to change it! It is what it is, but Feingold or Congress is not in a position to change it. Nor are the current county supervisors, because contracts are in place. The only option is for the city/county to declare bankruptcy and be relieved of contractual arrangements. But then, who is going to buy them out of bankruptcy?

Off subject, but for what it's worth.

Jack Lohman (Fri Jan 08 10:41:27 2010)

Jack is right. Municipal employee unions get binding arbitration if the county/city does not ratify their contracts. As a result the contracts only ever ratchet up, never down.

By the by, our esteemed currently liberal state legislature just held a public hearing yesterday on "protective status" for correctional officers - jailers. If it passes jailers will be granted the same retirement as cops and firemen.

Duke (Fri Jan 08 10:50:34 2010)

Exceptions to retirement age? No. Maybe farmer or firefighter must work s as store clerk until 70, but there are plenty ways to keep working until 70.

Tim (Fri Jan 08 12:03:15 2009)

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