How much do two years at community college cost?

Alternative History of Obama's First Two Years -- Would it Have Been Better This Way?

• What if Obamacare had been a 200 page bill, incredibly easy to read and understand, that set up poverty primary care centers in 2000 cities and towns in USA, with well-stocked pharmacies, at no charge to indigent verified citizens of USA. Non citizens are treated first and then deported immediately back to Mexico. If they show up again Mexico jails them. These primary care centers would be for people below the 150% of Poverty line. They would be staffed by Uniformed Public Health Service Doctors and Red Cross Volunteer Nurses, physician's assistants and orderlies who would get very generous college grants in exchange for their service. There would also be staff from Pinkerton's, or Kroll's, or Brinks to assure total security for the Always Open Primary Care Centers and Pharmacies. Violent felons would simply be shot if they attacked these facilities. The money for this very simple bill would not come by raiding the Medicare Trust Fund and stealing $400 Billion out of it. It would have come from fines and disgorgements on Wall Street Bankers and Bankers. Each of the Big Banks who have done much wrong would pay part of their fine every year for 20 years. Each senior executive would get a claw back of their ill gotten gains in the form of a fine to be paid over 20 years. They could keep their jobs but they would not be allowed to go back to their hienous conduct. They would have to earn their living by providing real value, not swindles. Or they could seek jobs elsewhere. See the Punish the Bankers Program and the Fund the Healthcare Program are connected. So you don't need to steal money from anybody to pay for healthcare for poor people. You also don't need to reform health insurance. You don't need to kill private practice by Doctors. You don't need to force people to buy things. You don't need to bully the states. Instead you bring them solutions to problems. Solutions that are paid for, and not by them. No unfunded mandates, free gifts instead, to lighten the load on their local taxpayers. And you get to pick up and get rid of a lot of Illegal aliens, and repatriate them so they can be legal citizens (but not here, in their own country instead). Cooperation of Mexico could be attained by restoring the Maquiladora plants along the Texas Mexico border and giving Mexico advantageous trade relations with USA while closing down some of the free access for the Chinese who are eating our lunch, after lending us the money to buy it, and then making it for us. Plants along the border can provide entrepreneurial opportunities for American citizens, and we should make sure that happens as part of the deal. This also gets rid of the problem with Arizona. They could have the integrity of their own state. Somebody could just tell Janet Napolitano to go back to her office and shut up. Let Joe Arpaio do his job. And finish the danged fence. Close down our relationship with Iraq. Just bring the troops out, even if Iraq never resolves its election or decides how to divvy up their oil money. Not our problem. Suspend parts of the Posse Comitatus Act so that returning troops can be posted along the Texas Mexico border to secure it until a workable fence can be built. Get most of the troops out of Afghanistan. Wage totally lethal war on Al Qaida and Taliban from predator strikes. Upgrade our targeting capacity with more and better satellites and more and better analysts, connected in real time to more and better triggermen at Central Command, or at Battle Mountain. Sneakers on the linoleum actually works better than boots on the ground. It's more cost effective per terrorist killed. We need to focus on Yemen anyway, that's where most of Al Qaida has gone. Obama gets credit because he tried to do big things. He wants to be a Great President, like Ronald Reagan, not a midnight basketball baby steps President. Obama needs to learn that he's not a good manager, and that all his "yes" men are not good managers either. So the West Wing needs some good managers. Why not recruit some H. Ross Perot types from the business community? People who know how to get things done. It's not enough to have big dreams, or big audacity, you also need to have big management talent. If Obama could realize that he needs such talent around him, he could do much better in the next two years. Alternative history is only of interest to people who are interested in history, politics, policy, economics, or reason. Most folks just want the remote, the six pack, and the chips and dip. That's cool. Thinking will not hurt your brain, so please hink on these things, and let me know your non-scornful, and non-clowny best answers. Thank you so much. The Little Servant of all Mankind, Dolphin314etc

• Answer:

  Assuming I agree with all your premises (which I don't) here are a few problems I see: - I agree some of the bankers should be in jail. But why should fines go to people for healthcare, before the people the bankers screwed (who lost houses and retirement money) get reimbursed? Also, don't forget Congress & the SEC had oversight on the banks, and they share the blame. Those people should be punished too. - The illegals. You say "you get to pick up and get rid of a lot of Illegal aliens, and repatriate them so they can be legal citizens (but not here, in their own country instead)." How are you going to do that? You can do it once or twice, then the entire illegal community will be wise to your tactics, and besides that, there are at least 30 sanctuary cities (New York, San Fransisco, etc.) in the US that welcome illegals and make it illegal for their police to detain illegals. It won't work. (But I am with you about building a border fence.) - Janet Nepolitano. I think your comments were too kind. - Trade. The Maquiladora plants already have a special status that gives them tax breaks. NAFTA already gives Mexico advantageous trade deals with the USA & Canada. You can't stop dollars going to China, because they are getting the dollars from US consumers who are purchasing Chinese products (made by US companies). - All this crap going on is a distraction to us. I believe there are other things being done behind the scenes that we will not know about for years. Obama has over 30 czars, who is watching them? The UN law is also creeping into the US via Obama and Bush signing treaties. Trust but verify. I do not trust any politicians once they are sitting in DC.