1) Democrats Swear Allegiance to the Health Insurance Giants

We hate to say we told you so!  In yesterday's HOTLINE, we predicted that House Democrats would rally behind the health insurance lobby that has gotten rich off of Obamacare.

Right on cue, when the CEOs of the big insurers lined up in front of two congressional committees, the Democrats defended the status quo of neverending subsidies, supply restrictions, lack of competition and transparency, and out-of-control health care costs.  These are the same pols who complain that Trump needs to do more to solve the affordability crisis.

The low point of the hearing was when the CEOs received this fawning welcome from New Jersey's Frank Pallone, the top Democrat on the House Energy and Commerce Committee:

"I appreciate the opportunity to hear from the executives of our nation's largest health insurance companies today. This is not your fault; this is the Republicans' fault. It's not your fault. Don't let them drag you in here and blame you for what's going on. It's not your fault."

2) Obamacare’s Crash Is All “Republicans’ Fault!” Really?

The accusation is rich. We’re not in the business of defending Republicans, but let’s take a look at this wild accusation.

Not one Republican voted for the "Affordable" Care Act.  Every Republican, except John McCain, voted to repeal Obamacare. Republicans were the ones who warned that the subsidies would drive up costs, while Obama, Biden, Pelosi, and Schumer solemnly promised to "bend the cost curve down." It bent the cost curve up, as we and most Republicans predicted.

Premiums Have Doubled Since Obamacare Passed

3) Headline of the Day

David Callaway, a liberal who was formerly editor-in-chief of USA Today, filed that report from the annual globalist conference in Davos.

"The passage of the global elite from decarbonization and climate improvement efforts to domestic energy security and international resource-grabbing has finally been completed this week," he mourned.

"Most business leaders wanted to talk AI and rare earths over their champagne and cheese fondue rather than carbon storage or electric vehicles."

(This is a textbook case of “projection.”  This is exactly what leftists did annually at their 34 World Climate Conferences.)

What a difference a year makes. The vibe at Davos has changed completely since Donald Trump's "all of the above" energy policy was implemented. Davos's overall theme this year was "How can we build prosperity within planetary boundaries?"  

The implicit theme at climate conferences was: “How Can We Prevent Prosperity?” and there was almost no climate change hysteria.  

Postscript: Climate doomsayer Al Gore made an appearance at Davos that was more comic than cutting edge. He told one panel that last year's Los Angeles fires had been caused by climate change.  

Yes, this was the same Al Gore who predicted 20 years ago that the entire Arctic's ice would be gone by now and that "within a decade, there will be no more snows of Kilimanjaro."

Give it up, Al.

4) Up To One In Four Colleges Could Go Bankrupt

We don't normally like bankruptcy, but in the case of higher ed, we regard this as a positive development for society and education.

The prediction comes from Brandeis President Arthur Levine, who estimates that between 20 and 25 percent of colleges will close in the coming years.

Some of this is demographics - fewer 18-24 year olds. Technology and AI are allowing young adults to teach themselves.

Universities have sown the seeds of their own demise. They increasingly charge $200,000 for a four-year degree in woke subjects like ethnic studies, that have nothing to do with the demands of employers. Private colleges have nearly quadrupled their tuition after inflation since the early 1960s.

We've made the case that one tragedy of modern America is that the more years of college, the stupider kids become. Socialist Zohran Mondami won a majority of recent college graduates. They were his base.  

The trend toward "making college free" with student loans and taxpayer subsidies has also made colleges worse. If 20-year olds had to pay for their own college by working 15-20 hours a week, they would demand excellence.

Unleash Prosperity senior fellow, Richard Vedder, author of the new book "Let Colleges Fail: The Power of Creative Destruction in Higher Education," argues that forcing college governing boards facing extinction to shape up or ship out is a positive development.

5) World-Class Investor Ken Griffin: Biden Was a Disaster for American Business

Our quote of the day comes from Ken Griffin, head of the multi-billion dollar hedge fund Citadel, who reminded the world on Wednesday at the World Economic Forum in Davos just how much Joe Biden wrecked the economy:

You cannot imagine how painful it was each and every day under the Biden administration to look at what new crazy proposal was being put into place to solve a problem that didn't even exist. I mean, our constant friction at Citadel with the government across umpteen different aspects of our business was exhausting.

To have that literally to end on one day, election day, just gives you so much energy as an entrepreneur to go back and build your damn business. The biggest sea change I've seen across American executives has been just like the giant sigh of relief.

His closing line was golden:  "The end of the regulatory onslaught has been an extraordinary boom for American business."

6) Meet Sparkle Beach Ken

Secretary Treasury Scott Bessent with the zinger of the week:

"Governor Newsom, who strikes me as Patrick Bateman meets Sparkle Beach Ken, may be the only Californian who knows less about economics than Kamala Harris."

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