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Articles by Tom Coburn
A $7 Million Transparency Chat Bot Named Benjamin
For the first time since 1789, there is one place to go to get the long-asked question, “What the heck is government up to?” And when you get there, you will find no spin, no obfuscation, no adjectives, no press secretaries, no blustering pols… just the facts. After a $7 million investment over the last five years, for the first time in history, you can finally follow where nearly all taxpayer money was spent. Our innovative new Chat Bot, “Benjamin,” named after Benjamin Franklin, launches today.
Substack: The Militarization Of The IRS - The Facts On The Purchase Of Guns, Ammunition, And Military-Style Equipment Since 2006 - News - News | Open The Books
By Adam Andrzejewski, CEO/Founder, OpenTheBooks.com Read original article at Substack. TOPLINE Big Spend: Since 2006, 103 rank-and-file agencies outside of the Department of Defense (DOD) spent $3.7 billion on guns, ammunition, and military-style equipment (inflation adjusted to CPI). 27 of those agencies are traditional law enforcement under the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
The Militarization Of The IRS - The Facts On The Purchase Of Guns, Ammunition, And Military-Style Equipment Since 2006
TOPLINE Big Spend: Since 2006, 103 rank-and-file agencies outside of the Department of Defense (DOD) spent $3.7 billion on guns, ammunition, and military-style equipment (inflation adjusted to CPI). 27 of those agencies are traditional law enforcement under the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
“Marketing For Your Future” with Tom Coburn from Jebbit - DailyAdBrief.com
Tom Coburn CEO at Jebbit Website Address: jebbit.com Each week on “Marketing for Your Future,” our host talks to media experts across the country. This week our host speaks with Tom Coburn from Jebbit. To learn more check out jebbit.com. What is the biggest change in marketing that you see coming in the next 2 years? Cookies going away What is something in your career that you learned from by making a mistake? Importance of early customer feedback
Don’t Guess, Ask: How Quiz Commerce Answers the Challenges of a Cookie-Free World
May 11, 2021 By Tom Coburn Google’s recent Chrome and email ID announcements have put the industry on notice: consumers want greater control over their data, and going forward, brands will need to build their customer journeys around fully privacy-compliant first-party data. At the same time, new opportunities in e-commerce are emerging. Headless commerce, for instance, has freed the shopping experience from the online store, essentially ushering in a world of e-commerce everywhere.
Eliminate Government Incentives to Overprescribe Opioids | National Review
A pharmacist holds prescription OxyContin pills (Reuters photo: George Frey) Government regulations and industry practices have played a large part in creating the crisis. Last week President Trump declared the opioid crisis a public-health emergency, pledging to “liberate our communities from this scourge of drug addiction.” Opioid addiction kills more Americans than AIDS and has taken a terrible toll on families in my state, Oklahoma.
The best deal for American patients is faster innovation, and smarter competition
Democrats have made drug prices a pillar of their “Better Deal” for the American people. But as has become routine of the party’s leadership under Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi, their plan gets both the drug pricing problem and the relevant solutions wrong. As health care legislation struggles in Congress, we shouldn’t let Democrats take our focus from the reforms that will benefit Americans. Public perceptions of drug prices are highly skewed.
Why Price Transparency Can Revolutionize Health Care
Making price discovery a norm in health care could be a game changer and help reduce the $765 billion our country wastes every year through inefficiency.
Tom Coburn: Here's why price transparency can revolutionize health care
Democratic presidential primary candidates are spending a lot of time talking about health care but no time talking about the primary driver of runaway costs – the lack of price transparency. Price transparency is the right to know what things cost before you buy. Consumers demand price transparency in every other area of the economy. Imagine, for instance, if the prices for products on Amazon suddenly disappeared. Consumers would be apoplectic. But in health care opacity is the norm.
Issues 2020: Private Health Insurance Saves Americans Money
The Narrative “The insurance companies last year alone sucked $23 billion in profits out of the health care system.”[1] — Elizabeth Warren “[P]rivate insurance companies in this country spend between 12 and 18 percent on administration costs....
'Medicare for All': The Hype v. Maryland's Reality
“Medicare for All” advocates, such as Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), argue that single-payer health care could help pay for a major expansion of coverage by greatly reducing the cost of purchasing medical services. They base their argument on two principal observations: that Medicare pays 40 percent less than private insurers for hospital services, and that medical costs are much lower in countries where prices are set by the government.
Obamacare and Traditional Insurance — Why Not Both? | Manhattan Institute
In the debate over Obamacare, both parties have a point: The Affordable Care Act made American health care better insofar as it expanded funding for low-income individuals and guaranteed coverage to those with pre-existing conditions. But the ACA also made things worse by causing premiums for insurance plans on the individual market to soar by 105 percent from 2013 to 2017. It is widely assumed that the premium hike was necessary for the expansion of coverage, but this is not the case.
No, transparency will not cause healthcare prices to rise
On June 24, former Oklahoma Rep. Ernest Istook, a Republican, challenged the wisdom of an executive order President Trump signed that same day. Without having seen the executive order (the opinion piece was written before the order was published), Istook adopted the most bizarre of positions: that giving patients complete information about the prices they’ll pay for healthcare services will drive prices higher.
The world will be freer, safer by smashing firewalls of closed societies
Closed society regimes openly acknowledge the internet’s ability to undermine their survival, and therefore they provide unlimited resources to maintain internet firewalls — the Berlin Walls of our time.
Republican Indifference on Deficits is Empowering Socialists
They say money doesn't grow on trees but many of today's leading progressives, including candidates for president, may beg to differ. An economic theory called MMT or Modern Monetary Theory, which essentially says deficits don't matter so go ahead and create more currency, is shaping the agendas of Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and others.
Washington's paralysis requires a constitutional convention
Americans know Washington is broken. That’s why they elected an outsider who promised to “drain the swamp.” But while President Trump can undo Obama-era executive orders, he does not have the power to fix decades of broken statutes and regulations. Congress won’t fix it either. What I learned from 16 years in Congress, 10 in the Senate, is that Congress doesn’t see its job as going back to repair or eliminate obsolete laws.
Washington Is Missing a Chance to Cut the Federal Workforce
COMMENTARY Both parties have adopted a mantra of protecting federal employees during the recent government shutdown and ongoing showdown over immigration. Last month, all House Democrats and 29 Republicans voted to increase federal pay by 2.6 percent.
Congress has a job — but has largely stopped doing it
For more than 200 years, Congress operated largely as the country’s founders envisioned — forging compromises on the biggest issues of the day while asserting its authority to declare war, spend taxpayer money and keep the presidency in check. Today, on the eve of a closely fought election that will determine who runs Capitol Hill, that model is effectively dead.
Cut pharmaceutical costs with a tried-and-true approach: the free market
Whenever the spotlight falls on an expensive drug, some policymakers will point to drug re-importation as a potential solution: If a drug is too expensive here, let patients import them from Canada, where drug prices are much lower. In America, importation can be the last resort for patients burdened by high drug prices.
First Principles Are at Stake in Kavanaugh Confirmation
As a former member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, I participated in four Supreme Court confirmation hearings (for John Roberts, Samuel Alito, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan). None came close to the divisive and circus-like atmosphere the nation has witnessed during the confirmation hearings for Judge Brett Kavanaugh. Still, in the midst of the circus, two quiet and enduring questions about American first principles remain unanswered that are critically important for future generations.
Let's End Washington's Use-It-or-Lose-It Spending Culture
COMMENTARY In a few weeks, members of Congress will face voters who ought to be in a better mood. The economy is growing twice as fast as it did under the previous administration. Tax and regulatory reform are bringing capital back into the economy. Still, taxpayers feel uncertain and nervous. One reason could be Congress’ failure to curtail spending. Polls taken before President Trump took office showed the public perceived that government wasted about half the money it collected.
Tom Coburn: Oklahoma can have affordable insurance
For the past two years, anyone shopping on Oklahoma's health insurance exchange has come face to face with the stark reality of Obamacare. Left with only one insurer to choose from, Oklahomans have been forced to shop for expensive plans that may not necessarily fit their needs. In 2018, average monthly premiums for a benchmark Obamacare plan in Oklahoma were $659, almost $200 more than the national average.
How to Manage Someone Who Has More Experience Than You
We hired our first VP of sales about a year after we dropped out of school to pursue our startup dreams. We’d raised $2 million in funding, hired a handful of our friends and classmates, and moved into a big house together to get to work. But while we had secured a few early customers, we were really struggling to figure out a repeatable sales model. He would change that. We just knew it.
How to manage someone who has more experience than you
We hired our first VP of sales about a year after we dropped out of school to pursue our startup dreams. We’d raised $2 million in funding, hired a handful of our friends and classmates, and moved into a big house together to get to work. But while we had secured a few early customers, we were really struggling to figure out a repeatable sales model.He would change that.
Trump Needs a Bridge to Nowhere Moment
Trump Needs a Bridge to Nowhere Moment While the nation was distracted by the political theater around immigration before the July 4 recess, the Senate cast a critical vote killing a very modest attempt offered by President Trump to rein in spending. If Trump plays his cards right, this will not be the end of a fight but its start.Read Full Article »
Price Transparency Key to Saving Medicare and Lowering the Debt
Entitlement spending grabbed headlines last week, with the news that Medicare’s Hospital Insurance Trust Fund will become insolvent by 2026, three years earlier than previously projected. Social Security, meanwhile, is expected to remain solvent until 2034, keeping in line with previous projections. Driving the insolvency is the unsustainable spending that has come to characterize America’s entitlement programs.
Six Forces Disrupting Higher Education
Universities and health care, “eds and meds”, have been in a huge growth cycle over the last few decades. Many communities have been pinning their hopes on anchor institutions like a university or research hospital to retool their economies for the 21st century. Yet the higher education industry is facing a convergence of several trends and forces that threaten their future. At a minimum, schools need to be figuring out how to navigate these choppy waters ahead.
How To Restore The U.S. Constitution To Its Rightful Preeminence
Over the years, many concerned Americans have asked me, “What can we do to restore the Constitution?” It is an apt question that deserves a meaningful response. But in my experience, most of the suggestions generally proffered as the key to “restoring the Constitution,” however noble and well-intentioned, simply do not have the power to achieve the goal. For instance, some insist that we do a better job of educating Americans about the Constitution.
Tom Coburn: More oversight, not more taxes, needed in state government
I have read with interest and reflection the opinion pieces and other letters to the editor about the effort by Oklahoma Taxpayers Unite! to collect signatures for a referendum on the tax increases passed by the Legislature. I wholeheartedly agree we need to have our teachers at salaries that attract the best and brightest to educate our most valuable resource, our children. We should have the highest-paid teachers in our area in the country and the most accountable.
Rage and Race at Yale
On the university’s latest kowtow to the diversity enforcers Once again, a college president has chosen to fan the flames of racial grievance rather than to calm them. This time, that president is Yale’s Peter Salovey.
Where College Grads Are Moving
The Wall Street Journal just ran an interesting interactive feature looking at where college grads move after graduation. They looked at 445 schools, and tracked destinations by metro area. They discovered that graduates, particularly from stronger schools, are flocking to major metro areas. The Big East, Ivy League, Pac-12, Big-12, ACC, and Big Ten are all over 70% in sending college grads to major metro areas (but see below for caveats). The Ivy League grads are even more concentrated.
Dr. Tom Coburn: We should pay teachers better, but tax increases without oversight won't work
Write A Letter To The Editor Letters to the editor are encouraged. Each letter must include the author's name, mailing address and daytime telephone number. The author's name and city of residence will be used if the letter is used in print or online. Addresses and phone numbers will not be published. Letters have a 250-word limit. Letters may be edited for length, style and grammar. Send to letters@tulsaworld.com. Mail to Tulsa World, Letters to the Editor, Box 1770, Tulsa, OK 74102.
Shop Around for Surgery? Colorado May Soon Encourage It
Here’s a simple idea to help lower health-care costs: publish prices. A bipartisan group of state lawmakers in Colorado is pushing a bill to do precisely that. The Comprehensive Health Care Billing Transparency Act would allow Coloradans to see the true price of any health service they use—exams, procedures, prescriptions—before they undertake treatment.
A Balanced-Budget Amendment Will Not Fix Washington
Congress is not only irresponsible with the federal budget; it’s schizophrenic. On March 23, Congress passed a $1.3 trillion omnibus spending bill, with spending hikes expected to raise the deficit over $1 trillion as soon as next year. Three weeks later, the House voted on a proposed constitutional amendment that would require Congress to balance the budget each year. The proposal failed, naturally. But the American people should see it for what it was: a cry for help.
Manhattan Institute
In an era of hyper-individualism, we should rekindle the bonds of community He held his phone close, eyes searching for privacy. The man scarcely noticed the subway riders around him, nor the 90-year-old artist sketching his hunched frame from across the train. In the seven decades since Alex Katz first drew the outlines of commuters on New York City’s early-morning trains, the chattering riders and newspapers had all but gone.
$21T Reasons to Fix Budget Process
$21T Reasons to Fix Budget Process In the wee hours of the morning of March 23, the Senate passed a 2,232-page, $1.3 trillion budget-busting spending bill barely 24 hours after it was introduced to the public. The bill provides funding for the 2018 fiscal year that began six months ago. Members did not even have time to read and digest the bill, let alone debate and amend its provisions.Read Full Article »
$21 trillion reasons to fix the budget process
ANALYSIS/OPINION:In the wee hours of the morning of March 23, the Senate passed a 2,232-page, $1.3 trillion budget-busting spending bill barely 24 hours after it was introduced to the public. The bill provides funding for the 2018 fiscal year that began six months ago. Members did not even have time to read and digest the bill, let alone debate and amend its provisions.Unfortunately, this unseemly process of dropping a take-it-or-leave-it spending bill right before the deadline is not an outlier.
Bolton right choice on national security: Tom Coburn
Trump critics seek to frighten us while they actually endanger our future: Opposing view The president’s decision to appoint John Bolton as his national security adviser reflects an understanding of the critical lessons of history, and the Bolton designation will greatly reduce the grave risks now faced by America during today’s increasingly troubled times.
Rely on the Free Market to Address Drug Prices and Foster Innovation
Once we increase the number of new drugs on the market, we need to find new ways of paying for them. This is especially important for those new drugs that come with high price tags. I have a personal interest in ensuring that we solve the payment issues for these personalized medicines. I have stage-four prostate cancer, which is close to remission, and my doctors have already engineered a personalized medicine to give me next.
In Oklahoma, treat the cause of the problem
As a doctor, I investigated the root cause of problems. Some doctors have fallen into the trap of just treating symptoms — this is the major reason for the overdose epidemic.In government, the prime way politicians, bureaucrats and some advocates approach government is to throw your hard-earned money at it. The answer to state government’s failures isn’t more money — it’s fiscally responsible governance.Recurring revenues have been raised more than $700 million the past several years.
Tom Coburn: In Oklahoma, treat the cause of the problem
As a doctor, I investigated the root cause of problems. Some doctors have fallen into the trap of just treating symptoms — this is the major reason for the overdose epidemic. In government, the prime way politicians, bureaucrats and some advocates approach government is to throw your hard-earned money at it. The answer to state government's failures isn't more money — it's fiscally responsible governance. Recurring revenues have been raised more than $700 million the past several years.
More money no cure for government ills
As a doctor, I investigated the root cause of problems. Some doctors have fallen into the trap of just treating symptoms — this is the major reason for the overdose epidemic. In government, the prime way politicians, bureaucrats and some advocates approach government is to throw your hard-earned money at it. The answer to state government’s failures isn’t more money — it’s fiscally responsible governance. Recurring revenues have been raised more than $700 million the past several years.
Earmarks Are Inherently Corrupt. Congress Shouldn't Resurrect Them
Months of headlines detailing misconduct inside Congress has apparently not been enough to shame Washington away from soliciting even more scandals. Congressmen resigning in disgrace for unethical and potentially criminal activity. A secretive congressional account doling out millions of dollars, with little transparency or accountability as to who is getting the money or for what purpose.
Earmarks Are Inherently Corrupt | RealClearPolitics
Earmarks Are Inherently Corrupt Former Republican Sen. Tom Coburn writes that Congress would be insane to resurrect earmarks, which he says are inherently corrupt.Read Full Article »
Tom Coburn: Making medicine affordable is simple
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine recently released a sweeping report, “Making Medicines Affordable: A National Imperative,” adding a new perspective to our national conversation about drug prices. Unfortunately, the recommendations made by this report fail to solve the drug pricing problem because they do not go far enough in addressing the lack of transparency and competition in the biopharmaceutical space.
Whatever Happened to 'The Inheritors'? | RealClearPolitics
Whatever Happened to 'The Inheritors'?
Opioid Crisis: Medicare Incentives Made It Grow | National Review
Last week President Trump declared the opioid crisis a public-health emergency, pledging to “liberate our communities from this scourge of drug addiction.” Opioid addiction kills more Americans than AIDS and has taken a terrible toll on families in my state, Oklahoma. From 2007 to 2016, drug-related deaths there grew by nearly 70 percent, with two-thirds of them involving opioids.
The Individual Mandate Is Unnecessary and Unfair | Manhattan Institute
Executive Summary The importance of the individual mandate to the Affordable Care Act’s exchanges has been greatly exaggerated. It has done little to increase enrollment, to reduce insurance premiums, or to alleviate the burden of uncompensated care. Rather, the main effect of the provision has been to concentrate more of the expense of covering the chronically ill on the relatively small cohort of working Americans who lack employer-sponsored coverage.
LETTERS: Policymakers must further cut spending
To the editor:Dear Oklahoma policymakers, Ronald Reagan once wisely warned: “In this present crisis, government is not the solution to our problem. Government is the problem.” About taxes and spending, he said, “The problem is not that people are taxed too little, the problem is that government spends too much.” These words of wisdom apply directly to fiscal policies being debated in Oklahoma today. Take, for example, the last several legislative sessions.
The Constitutional Amendments We Need Today
Sometimes our government defies its founding principles in ways that are not easily corrected through the political process. When this happens, Americans have three options: do nothing, take up arms, or seek a constitutional remedy in the form of one or more amendments to decisively correct our nation’s course. I submit that this third option is the one that befits a people striving toward freedom, justice, and equality. Consider slavery in America.
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