Morgan Warstler is a video technology start-up guy. He's the co-founder and CTO of SaysMe TV, which allows almost anyone to run ads on TV. Before that, he sold some video based learning companies to Michael Milken's Knowledge Universe. Before that, he founded LOAD TV and Morgan Digital studios in Hollywood. In 2000, Variety named him one of the Internet's Top 30 under 30. He has two little girls and to his grandmother's relief, he just got married.
Morgan Warstler
Which Democrats Get Free Passes?
by Morgan WarstlerStarting today, the RNC should offer Free Passes to targeted Congressional Democrats who will agree to vote NO on health care.
The Free Pass should include:
- A guarantee no national money will be used against the Democrat in the general election.
- A guarantee if the Democrat wants to jump parties (far less likely), he/she will receive the RNC’s endorsement in the primary & national money in the general.
Yes, Pelosi still faces hurdles. Yes, a government take-over of health care would inflame America’s likely voters and lead to greater Republican gains in November. Yes, we can attempt to repeal it. Yes, we can cheer SCOTUS to rule it unconstitutional.
But, none of these things is worth the current Republican passivity. We have no time for party purity here. Our own focus must be jobs, jobs, jobs. And we cannot get bogged down with “repeal it,” even if we gain power.
Right now, Republicans should be locking down NO votes with as much carrot as we have stick. We’ve put the fear of god into them, for the ones still fence sitting, it is time to offer salvation.
Here’s my list of persuadable Democrats to be offer a Free Pass:
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The Key Health Care Question for Obama
by Morgan WarstlerAs Republicans are preparing for the Press Event with Obama on Thursday, I’d like to see a specific point be made with regard to costs. Something like this:
“Mr. President, our plan removes the barriers to Interstate Insurance sales, so individuals and families can purchase insurance with specific benefits across state lines. We’re sure you are aware with insurance every new benefit mandated with the force the Federal government, will increase costs for every US citizen’s own policy.
“As such, we’d like to go over this list of Benefits / Services currently mandates by the states:*
“Mr. President, you’ll note that there are very few benefits that even 25 of our states require, but there are more than 130 potential mandates. And if all the state plans are forced to cover the same fifty Federal mandates, people won’t actually have any real choice. Republicans believe there have to be both low cost, bare bone plans and plans that cover specific types of patients.
“Why do mandates happen Mr. President? Largely because special interest groups (good people in a state all suffering from the same condition and their doctors and drug makers) lobby their state government to have their problem covered by everyone, so their own costs are lower.
“Who can argue with: If special education for autism is covered, why not home healthcare? If an Osteopath is covered, why not a Psychiatric nurse. If HIV drugs are covered, why not morbid obesity, why not sickle cell, why not an athletic trainer, why not massage. Mr. President, special interests have succeeded in getting ALL of these covered in different states. Do you really believe the federal government can be trusted to say NO?
“Mandates pit patients and their doctors against other patients and doctors. Who’s health is most important?
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Public Sector Pay: Pucker Up Monica and Bring Your Scalpel
by Morgan WarstlerI’m sure Ms. Monica Potts, is a delightful person and in polite company never wets on the carpet as some of us are want to do. And history teaches when a lady speaks ill of me, I surely have earned it.
![fail-kid-bird[2]](http://biggovernment.com/files/2010/02/fail-kid-bird2.jpg "fail-kid-bird[2]")
So I find myself a bit out of sorts after pouring over her latest screed, at the American Prospect, because no matter how I turn this around in my little mind I reach the conclusion: Monica owes me (gasp) an apology.
Here are a few minor gaffes Monica makes:
- I called for 20% cuts in federal, state, and local employees salaries. She misread and uses only federal numbers to impugn either my math skills or Google’s Calculator.
- I said we should cut public employee compensation by 20% and future increases should be tied to private wage growth. Again, Monica appears to have misread. I didn’t say each worker should receive 20% less, precisely because there is so much obvious inequity in the salary, pension, and overtime public employees receive. She makes my point by explaining a government cashier earns sixteen thousand dollars more per year than a cashier in the private sector. NJ’s governor just pointed to a 49 year old pensioner who is to receive $3.3 Milion on a $124,000 contribution. Please know this Monica: I don’t want to use a hatchet, I want to use a scalpel to remove 20% from public employee compensation. This doesn’t mean job reductions (that’s for another post), but if for instance a cashier quits in a huff, his eager replacement will still earn less. And this doesn’t mean furloughs, workers will be expected to earn less and (horrors!) show up for work.
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Hacking the Minimum Wage
by Morgan WarstlerIn a recent post, I posited unemployment insurance should be reformed to offset the minimum wage for new small businesses hires. Please continue in comments to help me brainstorm.
This is a “free stimulus,” because it uses current unemployment payments to actually create new jobs. No tax cuts. No deficit spending. No new government program. And only Main Street gets to use it. When was the last time you heard something sane and immediate?
The Elevator Pitch
Example: A company not currently making new $7.25 per hour hires, can bid $2 per hour and if no other employer in the area bids more, and have deeply discounted workers… with the government making up the difference to $7.25.
The discounted employment contract is for one month, so when a higher bid comes in, the current employer will have to meet the new pay. If no higher bid comes in, the small business continues paying $2 per hour. Highest bid wins.
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We Ought to Join the EU
by Morgan WarstlerThe Greek Comedy that is playing out in Europe shows the tremendous impact one man can have on the world in his lifetime.
The fellow we owe an attaboy and backslap is Nobel Prize winner Robert Mundell, who I’d argue has done more for the cause of conservatism than maybe our own minor deity Ronald Regan. A short primer on Mundell:
- Father of Supply-side economics
- Father of the Euro
- Top adviser to Bejing on the Yuan
Imagine that. Saving us in the 80’s, Europe in 90’s, and China in this century. Preaching the same gospel wherever he goes… less currency is more.
I’m joking, lightly, about America joining the EU. I’d prefer we stop printing money, and convince them to adopt the dollar. Joking again, even less. It has been great fun watching old socialist Europe become fiscally conservative over the last eleven years as every member country must hold deficits to 3% of GDP. And for that we thank Mundell. Surely, delicious statements from across the pond, like this:
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Keep the Cheap Jobs Here
by Morgan WarstlerArianna once again has her panties in a bunch, and I’m the libertarian brave enough to reach in and fix them.
Yes, it’ll drive Huffington into spastic frenzy. But, this is not a reason to subsidize the minimum wage. David Shuster will tunnel ever deeper into his rabbit hole of despair. Sadly, neither is this a reason to subsidize the minimum wage.
Unemployment is somewhere between 6.3-17.3%, and that is why we need to allow small businesses to pay employees a couple bucks an hour and have unemployment make up the difference.
Don’t jump to conclusions here, please read my plan through. This isn’t an off-the-wall proposal. Republicans can reach across the aisle to Obama with an idea Paul Krugman himself supports. Presenting this as a “no-cost jobs bill” and “free stimulus” is exactly the kind of reform judo conservatives need.
Overall, as Cato points out 6.3% – 17.3% of America is unemployed depending on your definition of unemployment. In December 2009:
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Think Progress: ‘Let’s Not Pay Back China’
by Morgan WarstlerIf there’s anything that should convince China to become more capitalist, and put less faith in socialism, it is American progressives.
Yesterday Matthew Yglesias’ head shook violently and he barked out like Paul Krugman with Tourette’s :
…you could start musing allowed about how many we just won’t pay the Chinese the money we owe them. Or you could reflect on the fact that if the People Bank of China is determined to buy bonds and prevent the dollar from falling at all costs, then we may as well totally forget about the short-term deficit and just not collect any taxes at all for the rest of FY 2010.
Ladies and Gentlemen, I believe this marks the first time in modern history a liberal has suggested we stop collecting taxes.
Welcome to the naked liberal mind. Technically, it shouldn’t shock us, Matt is just riffing off the subtext of Paul Krugman’s prescription for what ails us – massive inflation. Liberal economics springs forth from this assumption: We just keep printing money to payoff Dem voters until our debts aren’t so big any more.
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A Formula for Real Economic Growth: Cut Public Employee Pay by 20%
by Morgan Warstler
Slate’s Jacob Weisberg came unhinged on Friday and gave the country the finger.
“Down with the People!” he screams from Bill Gates lap. As Jacob sees it, we the people are demanding two mutually exclusive things: premium government services and tax cuts, and when we can’t have what we want, we become unruly children.
There is of course a third option, and I think it is the voting issue for the 2010 elections. It frankly amazes me that TPM-style Democrats going after Paul Ryan’s Roadmap, don’t see it coming…
You can thank me later, but I just saved the United State of America at least $278,309,600,000.00 PER YEAR. You read that right. $278 BILLION per year. That’s almost entirely what Medicaid will spend this year for children and the disabled. That’s what our normal deficit looks like without TARP and stimulus.
The crazy thing is how easy it was to do. It took me like three minutes. And since I’m a big open source, creative commons guy I’m even posting my magical formula shown here using 2008’s budget:
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