Wednesday Potpourri

First, since no one has had very much to say about the downside of Obamacare, we are struck by the words of Dr. Dan Choi:

One of my biggest regrets was voting for President Obama in 2008 as a medical student & celebrating the passage of the ACA 

Little did I know the carnage it would wreck on the medical profession and my future patients. I had no idea then that the ACA was written to strip physicians of their autonomy, boost insurer profits & drive healthcare consolidation End result 15 years later is a more expensive healthcare system with less competition resulting in lower quality, less efficient care for patients. Coverage is not care!

Second, it looks like Disney is bombing at the box office. The ill-fated remake of Snow White has disappointed the company, and perhaps taught it a lesson about going woke. The film cost something like $250,000,000. 

Rick Moran summed it up:

The opening box office says it all. The movie made just $3.5 million in Thursday previews and is projected to earn $45 to $55 million during its opening weekend. This is far below the usual boffo $100 million openings for Disney films that are supposed to be hits.

The controversies over dwarfs ("magical creatures") and a lead actress who suffered from continuous hoof-in-mouth disease doomed this supposedly family film before it even hit the theaters. Families don't like controversy, and Rachel Zegler's outspoken views on Palestine and women's issues were better left unsaid. In fact, the overriding question of WWWD ("What Would Walt Disney Do") with a loudmouth actress who freely shared her political views isn't hard to imagine. Disney wanted the public image of Walt Disney characters to be squeaky clean and without a hint of controversy. Zegler would have been handed her walking papers at the first hint that she was going to offend someone.

Third, the word out of Argentina is still positive. The work of President Milei has been successful. The Chairman of Milei’s Council of Economic Advisors, Damian Reidel, attempts irony, but is still clear enough:

Have you heard about the so-called Argentinian economic miracle? I have news: there is no miracle. This is a lie. I am the chairman of President Milei’s council of advisors, and I want you to know that there is no miracle here at all. You read that correctly. No miracle whatsoever.

What you are witnessing is the most impressive turnaround in the country’s history. 

We slashed wasteful spending that once enriched the few at the expense of the many. 

We brought down inflation—a tax that disproportionately burdens the poor. As a result, we lowered poverty rates by more than 11% and lifted millions out of poverty.

We eliminated the thousands of pickets that made travel across the country a nightmare. Imagine the relief of breathing in fresh air after years of suffocating congestion. Welfare programs? The left’s favorite: they mostly served politicians. They even stole food from the poor. Yes. They stole food from the poor. Now, welfare flows directly to those who need it most. 

At the core of our strategy, we eradicated the source of the macroeconomic instability that had plagued our nation for so long: we eliminated the fiscal deficit. We now run a fiscal surplus, which has dramatically reduced our country risk—from the 3000s to the 700s. 

A miracle, some say? How dare they! This is not a miracle. This is hard work. This is putting the country first, not politicians. Why is the opposition protesting so fervently? Not because they care for the people or the nation, but because they fear the truth—that they have been the problem all along….

This is hard work. This is having a vision, formulating a plan, and executing it without fear. This is having the guts to do what is right. This is president @JMilei leadership. The jig is up for the left. They have nothing, and they never did. They do not love the poor. They love poverty. Now, tell me again that this is a miracle. We didn’t know it was impossible—so we did it. Viva la libertad, carajo!

Fourth, is the West trying to destroy itself? Germany has shut down its most advanced coal-powered plant. This, from an account called-- Amuse:

Over the last decade China has increased electricity production by 70% while production in Germany has declined by 10%.  Germany has taken all of its nuclear power plants offline and must import the bulk of its energy.

Fifth, Seattle had the brilliant idea to shut down its gifted and talented programs in the school system. The problem was clear: there were too many white and Asian students and not enough minority participants.

So, they shut down the program, and lo and behold, enrollment declined because white and Asian students are leaving Seattle public schools.

Sixth, it’s bad enough that the president of Columbia University is incompetent and weak. Apparently, she also lied to the Trump administration.

Newsmax reports:

Critics of antisemitic college campus protests have been skeptical of Columbia's concessions to restore its $400 million in federal grants, and now a new report suggested the interim president might not be dealing in good faith with the Trump administration.

Columbia interim President Katrina Armstrong reportedly told the Trump administration the school would enforce a mask ban on pro-Hamas protests on her campus, but The Wall Street Journal reported that she is telling faculty there will be no such ban.

Critics of mask protesters note that their speech, even if unpopular is free, but they should not be permitted to mask up to avoid discipline or accountability for rule-breaking amid their antisemitic protests.

Seventh, a feel-good story, for a change. I will not offer an explanation-- you can figure it out yourself-- but for the first time in memory Americans feel good about their future. They believe that the country is now heading in the right direction.

CNN reports, via Newsmax:

The share of Americans who say the United States is "on the right track" is soaring, according to CNN senior data reporter Harry Enten, despite the fact that President Donald Trump's net favorability rating has dipped into negative territory.

Citing polls from Marist and NBC News, Enten said Tuesday that the percentage of Americans who say the country is headed in the right direction is "through the roof."

"It's actually a very high percentage when you compare it to some historical numbers," Enten said in comments highlighted by Mediaite. "What are we talking about? According to Marist, 45% say that we're on the right track. That's the second highest that Marist has measured since 2009. How about NBC News? 44%? That's the highest since 2004."

Finally, I now have several free consulting hours for my life coaching practice. If you are interested, email me at StuartSchneiderman@gmail.com