It's Good to Be the King

When it comes to socialized medicine, President Teleprompter will be using private doctors, thank you very much.

Although I didn't watch the Obamacare infomercial on ABC, I did read some incredibly elitist statements by the Dear Leader on abc.com. Great fares to India on Air France!

Here is the relevant quotation:

"Devinsky asked the president pointedly if he would be willing to promise not to seek such extraordinary help for his wife or daughters if they became sick and the public plan he's proposing limited the tests or treatment they can get. The president refused to make such a pledge, though he allowed that if "it's my family member, if it's my wife, if it's my children, if it's my grandmother, I always want them to get the very best care. "

OK, so the rest of us would suffer under Peasant Care, while the elites enjoy the best treatment. Boy, that sounds strangely similar to dictatorships of yore, or the IRS special treatment of Charlie Rangel and Timothy Geithnerof! Compare Long Term Care Insurance Quotes and Save!

Here is the proof that President Teleprompter has absolutely no clue how government competing with private business will destroy private business.

"The president rebuffed that, arguing that "we can set up a public option where they're collecting premiums just like any private insurer and doctors can collect rates," but because the public plan will have lower administrative costs "we can keep them [private insurance companies] honest."

Isn't it nice that he believes private insurance is dishonest? Funny how he also thinks a government-run program will have lower administrative costs. That is hilarious! Perhaps my tin foil hat is on just a little too tight, but perhaps his plan is to have socialized medicine, and this is just the first step to run out private insurance. Cheap? No. 100% Free. Trade stocks for free on Zecco.com. The Free Trading Community. www.zecco.com

Dear readers, if you wish to stop this free fall into socialized medicine, you better call your elected representatives today and register your complaints. You should also consider voicing your opposition to this cap and trade nonsense.

Another Look at Hybrids

With gas below $4, and in some states below $2, I thought I would take another look at hybrids and their economic efficiency.

While I am not against hybrids per se, I still am not completely convinced that the value proposition is there.

In my previous column about hybrids titled "Hybrids, the Real Deal or Flavor of the Month" and "Hybrid Hummer Hums," I made a general statement about how to determine if the fuel savings of the hybrid is greater than the additional acquisition cost. Also, I recommended using the MPG calculator at http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/savemoney.shtml.

I decided to compare the Toyota Camry and Toyota Camry Hybrid. Here is a table I created using data from an auto buying service. The data surprised me.

2009 Toyota Camry 4dr Sdn V6 Auto XLE (Natl) vs. 2009 Toyota Camry Hybrid 4dr Sdn (Natl)

As configured, the MSRP is $2545.00 greater ($28695.00 vs $26150.00).
Engine Type 6 cylinders standard, versus 4 cylinders standard.
Fuel Economy City 14 mpg lower fuel economy in the city (19 versus 33).
Fuel Economy Highway 6 mpg lower fuel economy on the highway (28 versus 34).
Cruising Range City 216.1 less miles cruising range in the city (351.5 vs 567.6).
Cruising Range Highway 67 less miles cruising on the highway (518 vs 584.8).
Base Curb Weight 164 pound(s) less base curb weight (3516 vs 3680).

What does all of this mean? I couldn't believe that the non-hybrid was $2545 more than the hybrid. But the story doesn't end there.

In a recent article in The Wall Street Journal about small cars, the Journal reports that hybrids are more expensive to own. To me, that didn't seem possible until I read the article.

Insurance for hybrids is more expensive, as are repair parts and labor. "The 2009 Camry hybrid, for instance, costs an average $1,957 to insure for that 40-year-old male driver, while a similar conventional 2009 Camry costs just $1,302, according to Insure.com."

Also from the Journal, "Hybrid cars cost more to insure because they can't [always] use after-market parts, the labor charges per hour are higher, and the they take longer to repair," says Amy Danise, a spokeswoman for Insure.com.

Just when I thought I might buy a hybrid during the gas run up, I am glad I didn't. I had no idea about the insurance issue, but that is why I wrote this article.

I wanted to highlight the need for a smart consumer to perform comparisons based on all of the facts. Many people have bought hybrids to be "eco-chic" or some other non-measurable quality. Others only view the gas savings, but don't know about the insurance hit.

Ultimately, since its your money, you will decide the relative value of each option, but please, do so in an informed manner.