Tonight's Homework

by: Brandon

Okay, I know it's been a while since our last post. Brian and I have been working hard on 4 new videos... even though it seems as if we've been hardly working (yuk yuk). Hopefully you will find them thought provoking and humorous. We're trying to release "Universal Beer Care" before the August Congressional Recess so check back soon!

In the meantime, I'll leave you with the following 5 homework questions. I expect the answers on my desk by tomorrow morning. Don't forget to show your work and label your graphs.


1. If congress passed a bill tomorrow stating that everyone in the United States was entitled to a 'FREE' 50" Plasma TV, would the increased demand and seemingly decreased price cause shortages in Televisions? Ultimately, who would pay for these TV's? Would they really be "Free"? Would people have to offer bribes to obtain one of these few TV's when lines are long and supplies are limited? What makes Health Care any different?

2. Why did a democratic majority in congress vote for a bill to hand out an $8,500 tax incentive to potential home buyers during one of the best "buyer's markets" in the last 25 years? Ultimately, is it not the current home owner struggling to make payments on his/her's mortgage who foots the bill for such an incentive?

3. How much energy (gas/oil/electricity etc...) does it take to manufacture an automobile? How much energy (gas/oil/electricity) does it take for the workers in an auto manufacturing plant to get to work every day in order to produce such automobiles? How much energy (gas/oil/electricity) does it take to shred / crush / "recycle" an automobile? Does the "Cash for Clunkers" program offset this extra fuel needed to run these "less efficient" vehicles by taking them off of the road a couple of years early? If so, why are tax incentives needed to make consumers shred their old vehicles?

4. Where does electricity come from? If I have to burn coal to get electricity to power my new plug-in hybrid... how much cleaner will the Earth be? Which is cleaner to burn... Gasoline or Coal? Will the increase in cost of electricity offset the price of gasoline? What will happen to the supply / demand of electricity? What will the new equilibrium price of electricity be?

5. If I am happy with my current health care provider and I do want to keep my current health insurance, (which I have been told several times that I can do by President Barack Hussein Obama), why did house Democrats slip the following text into page 16 of the 1,018 page bill? : "the individual health insurance issuer offering such coverage does not enroll any individual in such coverage if the first effective date of coverage is on or after the first day" of the year the bill becomes law. Does this not mean that it will become illegal for insurance companies to take on new clients? Will I no longer be able to switch providers because of this? Will this put insurance companies out of business? Will I be forced to use the government option if I can not switch? Why will this bill mysteriously become law in 2013 and not immediately if Americans so desperately need Health Care reform in such a hurry? In what year will the next U.S. Presidential election be held?