WeblogBahamas.com

James Shikwati: Commercializing African Entrepreneurship For Wealth Creation

by Rick Lowe (http://www.weblogbahamas.com)

James Shikwati of the Inter Region Economic Network (IREN) in Nairobi, Kenya shares some insights from Kenya and Africa in general at a conference here in Nassau a couple years ago.

In the following video for The Nassau Institute and The Atlas Economic Research Foundation he discussed some of the pitfalls of foreign aid in Africa, but more importantly he spoke about the initiatives that individuals are taking to improve their lot in life without waiting on the government.

Some universal lessons that The Bahamas can also benefit from.

Lessons in Freedom: Equality is no big deal

by Tibor R. Machan (http://www.weblogbahamas.com)

"Fact is, about some matters there is just no way to get things arranged politically no matter how hard it is tried."

In the fields of political philosophy, theory, and economy much debate occurs about just what is most important for a human community—that is, what, as a community guided by a legal system, should the citizenry be aiming for. The issue comes up, of course, outside of academic disputation, as well. For example, in his inaugural address President Obama stressed that America ought to have some large objective, a grand vision, and he promised that the country will pursue just such a vision. Others, like the American founders, de-emphasize any such overall objective and focus more on making it possible for citizens to pursue their own diverse visions, their happiness as they understand it.  In many countries what is taken to be the overall goal is set by the Bible or the Koran or some other religious text. There are also countries, and have always been, in which the issues is left entirely up to some charismatic leader—he or she is to set the goals to be pursued by all.

Dr. Michael Walker: Lessons from Global Experience for Health Care Reform in The Bahamas

by Rick Lowe (http://www.weblogbahamas.com)

The Nassau Institute has launched a YouTube Channel as advised a couple days back.

However, with the raging debate in the US about socialised medicine, I think it is important for citizens of the US and Bahamas alike to get a first hand look at the famous or infamous Canadian system.

Government health care. Buyer beware

by Rick Lowe (http://www.weblogbahamas.com)

Anything Peaceful, Fee's Blog, points us to this AP article.

The specific quote they direct us to is:

"A government-sponsored plan is among the options available through the exchange, with premiums estimated 10 percent lower than private coverage."

If Medicare and Medicaid are bankrupting the US, making this government take over of the health care industry necessary  as suggested, how will the government's plan charge lower premiums than the private sector? Particularly when government expenditure increases each and every year.

Is it possible that Americans will be taxed more to pay for it all and get worse results with their health care system?

That's certainly what the case is with other socialised medicine systems.

As anything Peaceful asks, "will the government be able to undercharge its "competition" because of superior efficiency or because if has the taxpayers to fall back on?"

The other point they make is that if government is under charging, "isn't that what they call "predatory pricing"?"

Finally, we can rest assured that whatever "logic" the US government uses to promote their cause of socialised medicine, we can expect to hear the same rhetoric in our election campaigns here in a couple years.

See the Anything Peaceful post here...

Lessons in Freedom: This is Economic Fascism

by Tibor R. Machan (http://www.weblogbahamas.com)

Fascism is a political system in which a country is lead by a charismatic leader who has full power to order things about because he (or she) is taken to know best. Obviously this is a mythical sort of regime, with most of its essential features impossible to come by. No such leader exists, period, but there are many who pretend that they are fully qualified.

Nassau Institute in The Bahamas now has a You Tube Channel

Check out The Nassau Institute's You Tube Channel at this link...

It's worth the time.

With the Health Care debate raging in the US I'd recommend you watch the videos of Dr. Michael Walker's presentation.

Enjoy!

Obama's Health Care Reform - A Nightmare

by Sidney Sweeting, DDS (http://www.weblogbahamas.com)

While browsing through the CNN pages on the internet regarding the health care reform plan that President Obama is trying to rush through Congress I found an article by Shawn Tully who has apparently found the time to read the 2,000 pages of tortured legal language and it became obvious why the President wants to rush it through Congress. Do it before everyone has a chance to read it!

In his article Mr. Tully lists five cherished freedoms of health care that will be lost:

1. Freedom to choose what is in your plan. Each state will have "qualified" plans but the federal government will impose a list of benefits that each plan is required to offer. Americans will not know what is in their plans, and what they are required to pay for, until after the bills become law.

2. Freedom to be rewarded for healthy living, or pay your real costs. The bills would ban insurers from charging differing premiums based on the health of their customers. That's understandable for people with diabetes or cancer. but the bills would bar rewarding people who pursue a healthy lifestyle. It's as if car insurers had to charge the same rates to safe drivers as to chronic speeders with a history of accidents.

Toad The Wet Sprocket - Song of the week - July 27, 2009 - Walk On The Ocean

by Rick Lowe (http://www.weblogbahamas.com)

I thought the title of the song looked familiar when I picked the CD up, and as soon as the first beat of Walk On The Ocean played I realised why it seemed like I knew the band. I have heard it a number of times on the radio.

Hope you enjoy Walk On The Ocean and will go out and buy some of their music.

Check out their MySpace site here...

Lessons in Freedom: Brazil's President Lula, Venezuela, and the U.S.A.

by Tibor R. Machan (http://www.weblogbahamas.com)

Sadly, as some have pointed out, America's own civil servants appear to be under the illusion that they are saviours, that their judgments in economic and other spheres must be superior to those of American citizens.

The president of Brazil, Luiz Inacio Lula Da Silva--President Lula for short--was recently interviewed by Fareed Zakaria on the latter's Sunday CNN program, GPS (Global Public Square). In this interview much was discussed in rather vague, geo-political terms, with banalities being the norm rather than the exception. For example, President Lula insisted that in the international community all the different cultural and national political practices and histories must be accorded equal respect, a notion, like multiculturalism, that is at best a gesture, more likely an impossibility and certainly something without much practical prospects.

Walter Williams' PBS documentary Good Intentions

by Rick Lowe (http://www.weblogbahamas.com) "Walter Williams' PBS documentary Good Intentions based on his book, The State Against Blacks (1982). The documentary was very controversial at the time it was released and led to many animosities and even threats of murder.