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Today’s News Stand is short on Virginia news, so we’ve drilled around for a plethora of outstanding commentary to supplement some important national news. All are highly recommended. Here’s a peak at the content of some because it isn’t readily apparent by the headlines:

In the National News section, the Washington Posthas coverage of the Sonia Sotomayor confirmation hearings, while the AP tells us that the Episcopal Church doesn’t really care about its schism. Expect to see further splitting up of that denomination.

In Commentary, Marcia Segelstein writes wisely about parenting, while Jeremy Wiggins reports on truly disgusting things school children are taught in Britain as part of its nationalized health care. Is this what we can expect under ObamaCare? Speaking of the POTUS, what about his meeting with Pope Benedict? He had a lot of chutzpah telling the Holy Father he wanted to reduce abortions. How did lightening not strike? Speaking of religion, the Methodists hope to attract the 25-34 set with ads in Times Square — touting the environment. True.

David Limbaugh looks at the thrashing those compassionate liberals are putting Frank Ricci through. He’s the firefighter Judge Sotomayor denied promotion to until she was overturned by the Supreme Court. Ken Connor takes a look at Obama and abortion, while Peter Heck, whose column we’ve linked to here before, debates the president of a group called Freedom From Religion, one that needs our prayers more than most. It’s a short video and worth the look. Enjoy.

News:

New loan program for state workers wins praise (Richmond Times-Dispatch)

Deeds reports raising $3.4 million in month (Richmond Times-Dispatch)

National News:

White House Looks to Include Same-Sex Unions in Census Count (Wall Street Journal)

The Culture Wars’ New Front: U.S. History Classes in Texas (Wall Street Journal)

The Scene: Culture Wars Intrude on a Day of Cordiality (Washington Post)

Episcopal Church to affirm ‘gay’ clergy (AP/OneNewsNow.com)

Commentary:

A Personal Inequity(Thomas Sowell/GOPUSA.com)

Who’s in charge here? (Marcia Segelstein/OneNewsNow.com)

Britain’s National Health Service — Abandoning Purity For Pleasure (Jeremy Wiggins/American Family Association Blog)

Obama vs. Pope Benedict XVI — Round 1 (Jeremy Wiggins/American Family Association Blog)

Calling Balls and Strikes on the Supreme Court(Bobby Eberle/ GOPUSA.com)

Methodists Ask People to Rethink Church Via Times Square (American Family Association Blog)

Hell Is For Heroes (David Limbaugh/GOPUSA.com)

Cap-and-Tax: Government vs. America (David Limbaugh/American Family Association Blog)

Change: But In What Direction? (Ken Connor/GOPUSA.com)

Video Link:

Peter Heck Debates President of Freedom From Religion (American Family Association Blog)

I found this video of Dr. Herlinger explaining how consumer driven health care works. If we find video of her TMG speech, we’ll post it.

If the Swiss and South Africans can do it, why not us?

In the debate over health care “reform,” liberals point to models in England, Canada and other socialist countries as systems we should emulate, despite their abject failures and rationing. The next time a liberal tells you the Euros do it better, agree. Then add, “if you mean Switzerland.”

Switzerland?

Yes. It just so happens Switzerland has, perhaps, the best consumer driven approach to the health care marketplace. There are spots of consumer driven health care percolating here, such as “doc-in-box” services and clinics at chains such as Wal-Mart and CVS, which drive down prices for non-emergency care. But Switzerland is where it’s at, according to Regina Herzlinger, the Nancy R. McPherson Professor of Business Administration at Harvard, no less, and author of Who Killed Health Care? (and this Washington Post piece).

She was the featured speaker today at the Tuesday Morning Group monthly meeting in Richmond. Here’s how it works there, in a nutshell:

There is a government mandate: All citizens must buy health care coverage, because neither the government nor employers provide any! The result is massive competition and more than 80 insurance companies in that small nation. (What is the U.S. down to? Six, not including the government?) Even nuns in the mountains have formed insurance companies.

The policies have high deductibles so people are not tempted to use their insurance when you have an earache. People are forced to more cost effectively spend on their health care. This creates competition for services, just like any other trade, such as computers, phones, restaurants or clothes: Health care providers line up to provide the best service possible, or a niche service that’s needed, at the best cost possible to win customers. Because customers pay out of their own pocket, there’s no haggling by insurance companies and government to determine a price in which doctors must settle for their service. Instead, doctors set their own prices and if patients don’t like it, they go to someone else. Insurance is used for what it is really intended — serious illness or injury.

The result is health care costs are 5 percent lower in Switzerland than here and takes up only 11 percent of GDP, while it accounts for 17 percent here. Not only that, insurance companies rebate you half your money if you stay healthy. They also create reinsurance pools among themselves to minimize risk.

But if the Obama administration doesn’t want to look to the one European country that does it right — better, in fact than we do it now — maybe he’ll stop apologizing for America long enough to look to a country we supposedly had to apologize to. Dr. Herzlinger pointed to an experiment in South Africa, of all places, where an insurance company paid clients to stay healthy. It motivated them to eat right, live a better lifestyle and exercise. The result is that the percentage of certain illnesses are lower in the RSA than in the USA.

One last observation by Dr. Herzlinger: If you think outsourcing of certain jobs is bad now, wait until socialized medicine is approved by Congress and the Obama administration. She predicts jobs and services will get exported to India, Singapore, Brazil, Costa Rica and Argentina.

Wrong. Way wrong. According to Andrew Langer, president of the Institute for Liberty, who spoke today at the Tuesday Morning Group, the federal government’s regulatory burden on small business equals $7,700 per employee. For a small, family-owned company, with 10 employees, that’s a $770,000 annual gorilla on its back.

This is small business, the engine that creates about two-thirds of all American jobs. That figure doesn’t include state and local regulations, either. Get the picture as to why we need smaller government?

The irony is that many big businesses don’t mind regulation. It locks in many advantages it has over competitors. That’s why Philip Morris lobbied for the recent bill that empowers the FDA to regulate tobacco (see New York Times). Large companies have the wherewithal, lawyers, accountants and savvy to maneuver around and take advantage of the avenues and loopholes the regs provide.

But you poor small business owner saps . . . good luck. More is on the way (see Entrepreneur’s Daily Dose blog).

From Karl Rove:

There are 63 House Democrats who represent districts won twice by George W. Bush. Of those, there are 49 such Dems who represent districts won the last three elections by Mr. Bush and John McCain.

How will they vote on socialized medicine?