The Prussian strategist Carl Von Clausewitz said war is politics by other means. It’s also been said politics is war without bloodshed. American conservatives are fighting a political war for America, one which we are losing badly. Like Vietnam, the rules have changed, and most conservatives don’t even know.  Even when conservatives win elections, they are losing the overall political war with progressives for the following reasons:

Conservative Weakness #1: Conservatives don’t know who they are. In a 2009 Gallup poll, over 40% of America’s identify themselves as “conservative,” making them the single largest ideological group in America. Yet, in an unscientific internet poll, 40% of Americans believe no more than 10% their fellow citizens have even read the Constitution, the cornerstone of the conservative movement.  So what is a conservative? A conservative might be defined as someone who believes in smaller government and more personal liberty.

However, this flies in the face of a recent poll finding 90% of Americans strongly support social security, with over 60% of them supporting expansion of the social security. Almost 80% of Americans support expansion of Medicare eligibility to some degree. By default, the majority of those who call themselves conservative accept the premise of larger government, wealth redistribution and socialism.  

The Medicare and social security programs, both hurdling to bankruptcy, are the cornerstones of progressive power in America. Conservative electorate buy-in, and subsequent dependence, on these two programs dooms the conservative movement to failure from the gate.

This is the number one reason the Republican Party is ebbing as a conservative power center.

Conservative Weakness #2: The Republican Party is compromised.  After the Reagan Revolution, 12 Years of Bush rule, and forgotten Contract with America, the Republican party is less conservative and progressive power has grown to capture all branches of the federal government.

This happened partly because the Republicans found the conservative electorate didn’t truly want to shrink the federal government, having grown dependent on Social Security and Medicare. It’s also due to good old fashion corruption, with the Republicans becoming intoxicated by the big government power, thereby betraying their own values and party. Finally, Republicans (from Reagan to now), once in power, realized the progressives held all the cards.

Conservative Weakness #3: Conservatives hold very few of the key social institutions, and those left are isolated and under assault. Since the 1960’s the progressive movement infiltrated and seized so many of our institutions they have surrounded and isolated conservatives from each other. They wholly own the courts, education, private and public sector unions, vast stretches of local, state, and federal bureaucracies, and the news media. They’ve made significant inroads into the Republican Party. Under Obama, they now have new beachheads in finance, industry, and healthcare.

Conservatives hold small enclaves in the shrinking Christian community, the military, law enforcement, and talk radio. We are surrounded. Progressive brilliantly conquered our institutions by patiently converting power to money, and money to power, in a bottom-up approach. Starting with our children in the 1960s, they now hold the heights of economic and political power. They have outflanked conservative at every turn, even when conservatives thought they were winning. This is why the few remaining conservative enclaves are doomed.

Progressives started with one institution first: entertainment.

Conservative Weakness #4: Conservatives lost popular culture. We lost it for good in the 1960s, but progressives were at work in Hollywood years earlier. Regardless, it’s gone. There is NO significant conservative foothold anywhere in entertainment. Conservatives only exist in force in the niche talk radio field and on the internet. More importantly, conservatives have no mass media access or pipeline to the youth. Conservatives are cut off from the future.

Conservative Weakness #5: There are no Conservatives beyond American shores. Progressivism is European socialism repackaged with a heavy dash of Marxism and a splash of Fascism. It’s the staple political diet for the rest of the world. Conservatism, based on natural rights and personal liberty, has no formal movement beyond the US. Progressives routinely draw upon resources and support from kindred Social Democrat movements in Europe and elsewhere. American conservatives are alone.

Conservative Weakness #6: Progressives never yield, while Conservative often compromise – Conservatives are always on defense. From appointing judges, to federal spending, to social issues; Progressives set the agenda and never give an inch. Ever hear a conservative politician say “...that’s a non-starter” or “I even reject the premise...” No, from animal rights to global warming, progressives set the debate. Then, since they control so many institutions and the popular culture, they isolate and hammer conservative opponents into submission. 

Can Conservatives fight back? Yes, but they are way behind the power curve.

First, Conservatives need a long-term, multi-generational battle strategy with real, definable goals other than just winning elections.

Stage 1: Know who you are as a Conservative. Government dependence and conservatism are mutually exclusive.

Stage 2: Solidify the remaining Conservative institutions and learn fight. Use them as a base to attack progressives across the board. Go on the offensive. Never leave an issue as “settled,” learn so say “No,” and yield nothing. 

Stage 3: Economic Empowerment. Get conservative Americans to live and prosper by living by Conservative economic ideals. This includes financial self-sufficiency and getting out of debt. This should be a grass-roots effort though the churches, private schools, private charities, private industry, and television. There are two critical elements of this plan, one Conservatives MUST address for success:

            a. Private retirement plans as an alternative to social security.

            b. Private medical plans as an alternative to Medicare.              

Stage 4: Get conservative Americans to reject participation in federal wealth distribution. This is where Americans forsake participation in Social Security and Medicare. I like to call it the “I Don’t Want It, I Don’t Need It” campaign. Economically Empowered Conservatives send in their Social Security checks and forsake Medicare, freeing them from the big government paradigm. This alone will strip the progressive of vast power.

When Americans are being taxed without any benefit, then they will become truly motivated for change.

Stage 5: Infiltrate progressive institutions, starting with education. There should be a push for Conservative professors, staff  and teachers on campuses all over American and in primary education. In a generation this will strengthen conservative ideal in education, journalism, government, law, and the social sciences.

In a generation, America will have enough of an educated and truly independent electorate. They will not be held hostage by government dependency and can begin the long process to purge of the congress, the courts, and our institutions of the progressive rot destroying our liberty and our future.

 In 2007, a passionate debate raged across the scientific community which culminated with the International Astronomical Union (IAU) downgraded Pluto from the status of planet to mere planetoid.

The decision rocked the world. According to CNN, the Illinois Senate declared Pluto be restored to “full planetary status.” New Mexico’s House of Representatives designated March 13^th, 2009 as “Pluto Day.” Pluto fans can order “Plutophile” bumper stickers, join a Pluto fan club, or sign an online petition.  The media still devotes extensive coverage to this issue. In 2008, the "The Great Planet Debate: Science as Process" conference convened at Johns Hopkins University’s Applied Physics Laboratory (APL).  According to Livescience.com:

The entrance to the debate over Pluto's planet status said it all: With techno music blaring in the background, the two debaters and a moderator walked into the auditorium, cameras flashing and the audience clapping.

Hal Weaver of JHU's Applied Physics Laboratory, called the spectacle "a real scientific conference to lay out all the issues and discuss them."

What’s all the fuss about? Pluto is an ice covered rock about 3 billion miles away. It has yet to be reached by a space probe and will probably never be visited by humans. It has zero impact on the lives of most Americans other than what our children memorize in school.

Why did the IAU change its status? A spokesman for the IAU said, “We now know that what we call the different objects has to necessarily change with time." Planetary science advanced in the 79 years since its discovery. Now, advanced instruments like the Hubble telescope, space probes, radio and x-ray telescopes, and host of other tools have enabled breathtaking discoveries. As our body of knowledge expands, old ideas are challenged and definitions change. In science, no assumptions are sacred.

If science deems it important to expend time and money determining the legal status of a hunk of a frozen rock, why won’t we spend at least the same level of effort asking when human life begins?

In Roe v Wade and several other cases, the Supreme Court upheld the legality of abortion and dismissed the question if a fetus was a legally human, stating:

"We need not resolve the difficult question of when life begins. When those trained in the respective disciplines of medicine, philosophy, and theology are unable to arrive at any consensus, the judiciary, at this point in the development of man's knowledge, is not in a position to speculate as to the answer."

In the same ruling the Supreme Court place infant viablity at about 27 weeks.

This was1973, when ultrasound technology was just in its infancy. 3D ultrsound and prenatal genetics wasn’t even science fiction. The mirablce of in-uterous fetal surgery didn’t become successful till the 1980s.

Now, in 2009, over 50% of all American premature infants born at 24 weeks survive. In Sweden that number is 70%. Tony Perkins, with the Family Research Council, interviewed for an ABC story, said. “As we see, with the advancement of medical technology, we have children surviving outside the womb younger and younger.” Medically, we’ve come a long way since the Blackman Court.

 

Just when you might think capitalism's global crisis would breathe new life into the left, it's looking increasingly divided and tired. German Chancellor Angela Merkel's re-election a week ago is highlighting a conservative surge in her country and Europe's other powerhouse economies — Britain, France and Italy — where the center-right is either firmly in power or about to get there.

Much of the answer lies in the nature of modern European politics, where even the most ardent conservatives can still embrace social welfare policies that would seem leftist to Americans. And in recent years, European center-right parties have mastered a certain political alchemy in co-opting some of the left's best ideas.

The result is that what would be hot-button issues in the U.S. — abortion, gun control, gay rights or state-guaranteed health care — have long ceased to rile voters in Europe.

Conservatives "have taken a page right out of Bill Clinton's playbook, and that's triangulation,"... Now European conservatives have done "taken the socialist agenda and claimed it as their own,"...

The right has also profited by pounding hard on immigration and crime — popular in times of economic uncertainty — while sending out reassuring messages about preserving Europe's generous welfare systems.

"Our social system is not under threat at all," added Ghislaine Robinson, a French national who is spokeswoman for the Party of European Socialists, the left-leaning bloc in the European Parliament....

..."I think the right wing has stolen quite a few ideas from the left and is pretending to sell them better than we do," said Robinson, of the Party of European Socialists....

..."People are sick and tired of little battles between parties," she said. "What they care about is how they are going to pay their bills and feed their families. That's what matters to them."

If European conservatives believe they’ll sell socialism better than socialist, why do they call themselves “conservatives?” If you soft-peddle socialism, that doesn’t make you a conservative, it makes you a socialist.

 Does anyone on the Continent ever bring up this simple question: Maybe the left's social welfare policies ARE the reason for Europe’s social ills, suck as immigration, crime, and the current economic crisis?

On this side of the pond, when ‘conservatives’ peddle socialism, things always go from bad to worse (see Bush I & Bush II). I call it the "Lord of the Rings Theory." Socialism is a powerful, seductive force. It will, however, always doom to ruin all those who use it, regardless of their good intentions. Progressive's who call themselves ‘conservative think they can cherry-pick elements of socialism and reject only the "bad parts, " or  think socialism will work if only its marketed effectively. Socialism either corrupts market forces, causing economic disaster (the housing crisis) or real conservatives reject progressive "conservatives" outright (Bush I), or both (Bush II).

America rejected McCain in 2008 because we weren't "sick and tired of little battles between parties." We rejected McCain because there was essential no difference between ‘progressive’ conservatives and ‘normal’ progressives except the speed at which they are pushing the nation left.

I hope Europeans are really looking for a choice, for real conservatism, but I don't believe true freedom is in Europe's blood. They are too addicted to their failing safety nets. True freedom takes courage; courage to stand on you own and reject the government drug of wealth redistribution that puts people to sleep and slowly rots their souls. Socialism is a parasite which eventually kills its host. I look at Europe, and I see a dying continent, Europeans are only really choosing how quickly.

At a news conference with NATO leaders President Obama said "This is not an American battle. This is a NATO mission as well." I hope the President was trying to say this is an international effort, but his words were horribly chosen. Horribly.  

This is not an American battle? 3000 Americans died on 9/11. America was attacked on her own soil by enemies based and supported from Afghanistan. Americans were killed in New York, Pennsylvania, and WashingtonD.C.  

American's are grateful to our NATO allies, who make up about 1/2 of the manpower in Afghanistan and have sustained over 500 dead on the battlefield. GOD BLESS YOU. Your great sacrifices are deeply appreciated and needed.  As an American what I'm saying is this: If not one NATO country joined us we would still be there fighting.

Conflicts are defined by the people who actually fight them (not by the politicians or historians) not by who they fight with, but why they fight. In World War II, the Brits thought of the war as a British battle, the Poles thought it was a Polish battle, and the Russians thought if it as a Russian battle, and so on, even as they fought side-by-side with allies. The fact they fought a common foe with allies didn't change the nature of why they fought, for soil and blood. We fight for American soil and American blood. I'm sorry, Mr. President, but it is an American battle and will remain that way long after our NATO allies pack up and go home.

This would be obvious to most common Americans. Why isn’t it obvious to the commander-in-chief?

 

This is from AP this morning. It isn't telling us anything new, other than social security is nose diving faster than earlier forecasts.  Here's a telling excerpt:

The Congressional Budget Office is projecting that Social Security will pay out more in benefits than it collects in taxes next year and in 2011, a first since the early 1980s, when Congress last overhauled Social Security.

Social Security is projected to start generating surpluses again in 2012 before permanently returning to deficits in 2016 unless Congress acts again to shore up the program. Without a new fix, the $2.5 trillion in Social Security's trust funds will be exhausted in 2037. Those funds have actually been spent over the years on other government programs. They are now represented by government bonds, or IOUs, that will have to be repaid as Social Security draws down its trust fund.

So, Social Security has a $2.5 trillion deficit. Its in a little suitcase (or "lock box" as Al Gore would describe it), in the form of tiny bits of paper with "IOU" scribbled on them . The government can't get anyone to take those little scraps of paper anymore, so it prints more little scraps of paper (dollars) to pay back the scraps of paper it keeps in the suitcase. Oh yea, the real  money that was originally in the suitcase, well the Chinese want that money paid back and I don't think they will take our Monopoly money for it. 

This is just dumb. This is far beyond dumber. This is insanity.  The house of cards will fall long before 2037.

Welcome Home, G.I. Joe Part I.

Welcome Home, G.I. Joe Part II.

Welcome Home, G.I. Joe Part III.

In the last installment, G.I. Joe sought help from the mainstream media to tell America its government no longer upholds the principles of the Constitution. He was rebuffed by a progressive reporter, a product of years of liberal indoctrination in America’s prestigious universities. Joe finds himself wandering the streets, not recognizing the nation he left for war years ago.

 Joe passes store after store, most shuttered and closed. He stops in front of a GM dealer to see what this year’s new models look like. The showroom is empty. A faded sign out front says, “Cash for Clunkers...last week!” Joe looks across the street to see a Toyota dealer also shuttered and closed. Next to the closed Toyota dealer is an open gas station/convenience store where gas is $6.00 a gallon.

G.I. JOE:If no one is driving, why is gas so expensive?

 He rummages through some change in his pocket, thinking a cold drink would be nice. He crosses the street and enters the store. A pudgy, bored looking white teenage clerk, covered with piercings and tattoos, sits behind the counter. Leaning back with his feet up on the counter he’s reading a porn magazine. He doesn’t look up as Joe enters he store. Next to him is an older man, possibly from India or Pakistan, ringing up purchases for the small line of customers.

 On the way to the drink cooler Joe stops in his tracks. The price for the 20oz colas start at $6.99. A small bag potato chips goes for $7.99.Candy, and other snacks range from $8 to $15 per item. Mouth agape, he moves from aisle to aisle, stunned by prices.A pack of light bulbs is $49.99. Cigarettes are over $150 a pack (a sign next to the cigarette display states, “The Surgeon General warns smoking makes you a BAD person.”)  The only item he can find which is even close to prices he recalls before he deployed is beer.

 Joe is very thirsty, so he reluctantly grabs a small $5 dollar can of Pepsi and heads to the register. Joe stands behind an old woman in a shabby sun dress, a young black man dressed hip-hop, and a middle aged white man in blue mechanics coveralls. Aside from the mechanic, who had a six-pack of beer, Joe is the only with merchandise.

Joe looks outside at the empty gas pumps and wonders what everyone in line for. Joe reaches the front of the line...

INDIAN MAN: How many lottery tickets would you like?

Joe notices a tray in front of the register filled with a few crumpled dollar bills (which look slightly odd) with a sign ‘Need a dollar, take a dollar. Have a dollar, leave a dollar.”

G.I. JOE: No thank you, just the soda.

INDIAN MAN: (Raises his eyebrow in disbelief. He holds a ticket up with the words “SUPER GIGANTIC MEGADOLLAR EXPRESS) Are you sure? The drawing tonight is for $10 billion.

G.I. JOE: (Almost chokes) Whoa! No, I’m not one for playing lotteries. (looks around, no one is in line behind him). Just the Pepsi, please.

INDIAN MAN: (Shrugs and rings up the drink) Have it your way. That will be $7.68. 

G.I. JOE: But it says ‘5 dollars’ on the sticker.

INDIAN MAN: (Irritated) Yes, it is. But I have to add tax.

G.I. JOE: That’s over 25% sales tax!

INDIAN MAN: No, sales tax is only 8%. Since it is officially designated a junk food, the Federal Obesity Tax is added on, too. Also, since it is considered a luxury the National Greenhouse Emissions Tax is added in as well. I do not write the laws; I am just a humble merchant. Lucky you are not getting gas, Cap and Trade has doubled the price even with so few people driving these days.

G.I. JOE: But why is this drink 5 bucks in the first place? When I left a 12 ounce can of soda like this cost 50 cents, maybe 75 cents tops. What happened?

INDIAN MAN: My tall, clean shaven customer, you are most confused on the ways of the world! See him? (points to the teenager still reading porn behind the counter). He is my only employee. I cannot afford any more because a few years ago I was forced to unionize under the new Card Check law. Clarence here had seniority, so my other employees had to go. Now I must pay him well above minimum wage, and provide him full “free” healthcare I must buy only from the government. He has paid vacations and...oh, I could go on and on. (the teenage clerk shoot the Indian man the middle finger without looking up. The Indian man rolls his eyes and goes on.) Since I’m considered management, I cannot work here alone or I will be fined for unfair labor practices. He cannot work here alone without supervision or I will be fined for unfair labor practices. So, my pool of employees shrank, my labor costs skyrocketed, I now work 18 hour days and I’m can no longer stay open 24 hours. Oh, and these costs are now passed on to you, my most valued customers. (sighs). I should have stayed in Bombay.

Joe hands over a $10 bill. The Indian man looks quizzically at money, and then shakes his head.

INDIAN MAN: I’m sorry, sir, but I cannot accept that money. Dollars are not legal tender anymore.

The teenage clerk looks up at Joe in mild interest, shakes his head and mutters, ‘tard’. Joe resists the urge to put a boot upside the punk’s head.

G.I. JOE: (irritated) What do you mean? This is legal U.S. script!

INDIAN MAN: Have you just arrived from Mars, young man? (points to the sign behind the counter: WE TAKE AMERODOLLARS ONLY! NO LEGACY BILLS ACCEPTED). All of our prices are in Amerodollars, not legacy dollars.

G.I. JOE: When did this happen?

INDIAN MAN: When inflation made the U.S. Dollar worthless.

Joe picks up a dollar from the tray and examines it closely. The color and general design are similar to the dollar he knows, but it is graced with the portrait of the current president, not George Washington. The flags of the U.S., Canada, and Mexico are printed on it.

G.I. JOE: (Shakes his head in stunned) You have to be kidding me. I’ve been out of the country for a long time. Maybe too long. Can I exchange my dollars for these...? (points at the new script).

INDIAN MAN: Ameros.

G.I. JOE: Ameros (the word feels dirty on his tongue. He tosses it back into the tray in disgust).

INDIAN MAN: (laughs) Oh, no sir! It would take several truckloads of old money to buy this can of refreshing cola. (after a thoughtful pause he goes on). Come to think of it, it won’t be long before it will take a truckload of the new money to buy it, too.  

INDIAN MAN: (shrugs) I’m sorry. Have a nice day and comeback soon...but with real money.

Dazed, Joe walks to the door. The Indian man grabs a broom and dustpan and moves to the back of the store, shooting the clerk a nasty look. On the way out Joe glances at the magazine rack and stops cold. On every magazine cover, every newspaper (of which there were few), and every tabloid are pictures of the president. Each picture is flattering, each caption glorifying. Joe looks up at the television, and there is the president making a speech. Joe walks back to the counter again.  

G.I. JOE: Can I change the channel for a moment? It will only take a second.

CLERK: (without looking up) I don’t care, it’s all ‘tarded anyway.

Joe reaches up and scrolls through the channels. The president is on every channel. On one network he’s giving speech, on another he’s reading to school children, and on another he’s joking with a group of women on a morning talk show.A cold chill runs down his spine, he’s seen this before.

America was now a third-world backwater, where the money is worthless and politics is a personality cult. Here the people are repressed through excessive taxes, state media, and the numbing drug of socialism. Anger fills Joe’s heart.

G.I. JOE: Hey, buddy, which channel is Fox News on?

CLERK: (finally looks up with an expression of shock and disgust) What ARE you talking about, dude?! That s*it is definitely con-tra-BANDED! They dun outlawed that hate speech, mo-fo! Whut’choo want wid dat? Are you a hater or sump’ing?

Joe steps away from the counter and leaves without a word.

CLERK: (calls out as Joe leaves) Dat’s right, keep walking! Get yo a*s outa here, you HATER!

Joe walks the streets for hours, unable to reconcile what he’s seen this day with the America he loves and cherishes.

G.I. JOE: (Grits his teeth and shakes his fist) How did this happen here!

He comes upon a church, Main StreetMission, nestled among the decaying buildings of downtown.

 Joe has both a spiritual and physical hunger. As the sun sets and the night turns cold he refocuses his mind on his immediate needs: food and shelter. He can live off the land if necessary, but he prefers a warm bed to the cold ground. Maybe the mission will have a spare cot and something to eat. 

Hope rises in heart and his spirits lift as he walks toward the chapel. He’ll go inside and pray. Still, he believes in the American people.

To be continued.

Minute by minute rundown of until I had to go back to work:

12:08 CST - Eight minutes into speech he villianize insurance companies (1^st Villainization event)

12:10 - Says the recession could be worse if it wasn't for him.

12:12 - Says rich people have healthcare coverage, but not "working people."

12:14 - Says people with healthcare need reform because system works too good for insurance companies (2^nd Villainization event).

12:15 - Obama says if you like your doctor, insurance, etc, you can keep them, and gov't shouldn't (not wouldn't) meddle, but says insurance companies shouldn’t be able to meddle (3rd Villainization event).

12:16 - Keeps talking about "Laurie" (a previous speaker) as the victim - if it can happen to her it can happen to you. Be afraid.

12:17 - Says insurance companies can't deny coverage due to medical history, getting sick, watering down coverage..."be there when it counts." No caps, too…limits on co-pays…insurance must cover preventive care and checkups. Looks like he's shifting the focus to insurance reform.

12:19 - If you don't have healthcare coverage, you'll have options after this. If you already have it "no bureaucrat or gov't rep will get between you and doctor."

12:20 - Tells audience to play nice before he takes questions…tells audience not to get worked up over "wild representations" and boogiemen that just aren't real." "Deserves real debate...have years to get this right."

12:22 - Trots out all the organizations which support his plan, including AMA, AARP, and drug companies.

12:23 - Villianizes "special interest" as trying to stop healthcare reform (4rth Villainization event). "What is truly scary is if we do nothing...14,000 Americans will lose their coverage everyday."

12:24 - Villianizes insurance companies again (5th Villainization event).

12:25 - Says he needs our help. Standing applause (crowd is chanting for him) - Who is in this audience?????

12:26 - Q1 from Peter Schmidt, State Rep (party?) - Will Pres. pass reform without Republicans? (Fair question)...Obama doesn't answer question shifts question to Medicare....says majority of Americans will still get coverage under provide insurance. Says "public option" will give uninsured the same options as congress, says public options, as long as not publicly funded, will keep private insurance honest. Talks about a few Republicans who he says are trying to work with him (Olympia Snow)...talks about victims and Laurie again. Says medical reform needed to balance budget.

12:31 - Q2 from Julia Hall, little girl (12):  - How do kids know what is true and saw a bunch of signs talking bad about healthcare reform. (ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!!!) Starts talking about scare tactics "pulling the plug on grandma." References part of bill about end of life care. Thinks this is where "rumor came from." Just blamed it on a Republican congressman - Isakson from Georgia (6th Villainization event). Says he's not in favor if it. Says concern over rationing of care is "legitimate concern." Blames it on overhead from insurance companies - Villianizes them AGAIN!!! (7thVillainization event). Says "medical experts and doctors" should make those decisions.

12:37 Q3: Can't hear because of damn newsman on FOX...changing to CNN.

12:40 on CNN finally...talking about generic drugs, villianizing drug companies (8th Villainization event).

12:41 Q4 from Jackie Millet (old lady) - How will Medicare under new proposal who need Medicare prescription drugs. Says plan won't cut Medicare coverage, that why AARP supports it. Says he'll make Medicare more efficient, including reducing reimbursement for return visits for same condition. Says he'll reform prescription drug reimbursement by negotiating with drug companies (Canada and Mexico model?) References AARP again

12:45 Q5 from Ben Hershenson - Old man, says he's a Republican. Asks if Pres is still supporter of universal (I think he means "Single Payer") plan. Pres defines Universal vs. Single payer. Pres says he is not a single payer supporter (?????). Says supports plan which everyone can get coverage at affordable price. Says public options would provide competition - says private companies can compete if private companies are providing good service and public option must be self-sustaining.

This is all I heard, I had to go back to work. What did I take out this? I’d be nervous if I was in the health insurance business.