Amazing America

We all know the horrific stories of citizens disappearing in police states.  Picked up by the police.  Nobody knows why.  Nobody knows the charges.  They just disappear.  Of course, that is symptomatic of despotic, totalitarian repression.  It is far too common all over the world.

So I had to smile when I went to the West Virginia Regional Jail website and saw that each night anyone booked into the jail is posted on the site, their picture, the charge, all of it.  We think nothing of this transparency.  But this is how democracy should work and thank the Lord we have a democracy where the rights of the people are never trumped by the power of those temporarily in office.

America does a lot of things right.  No wonder we are the envy of most of the rest of the world.

THIS, THAT AND THE OTHER

Auburn game was entertaining until the fourth quarter.  The turnovers are a problem because they deflate confidence within the players.  Hopefully the team leaders will elevate the players’ confidence level.  This is something the coaches can’t usually do alone.

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Finally, drove passed the huge, new sculpture being erected in front of the Clay Center.  It is certainly compelling in its size and design.  Its lack of an articulated theme lowers my evaluation of it.  After a few minutes of viewing it, I concluded that it should be entitled “Jumble.”

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It was wrong for Bush supporters to accuse those who criticized the war of being unpatriotic.  It is also wrong for Obama supporters to accuse those who oppose Obama of being racists.  Same song, second verse.

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The Political Downside of Health Care Reform

First of all, I consider providing all Americans with health care coverage to be a moral imperative.  It is the right thing to do.  Having said that, some people say it will be a disaster for the Democrats if health care reform does not pass.  Unfortunately, looking beyond the immediate timeframe, passing health care reform may have a looming downside for Democrats.  Here is the analysis.

For years, people have complained (and rightfully so) about rising premiums, long waits at hospital emergency rooms, long waits in doctor’s offices, etc. etc. etc.  Now once health care reform passes later this year, we go into 2010 and 2011.  The average voter has a job and health care insurance.  After health care reform, he will still experience rising premiums, long waits at hospital emergency rooms, long waits in doctor’s offices, etc. etc. etc.  But now, the fact that nothing changed immediately for the “average voter” opens the door to the conclusion, “Gee, health care reform is meaningless.  Nothing has changed.  This is health care reform!”

The point is the “ills of system” can and will be seen as a “failure” of health care reform as opposed to the contunuing problems which over time (several years) the reform is intended to control.  It is  a small step to go further and say, “gee, my tax dollars are being spent on supposed health care reform and nothing has changed for me; in fact it continues to get worst.”  Now the “average voter” is close to concluding that health care reform was a sham.  Who does he or she blame?  Obama and the Democrats.

I can hear it now.  “Have things gotten better for you under health care reform?  Has your coverage improved?  Have your premiums gone down?”  Now the only retort will be but wait things would have gotten much worse without the reforms.  That is the same argument being used to justify the stimulus spending.  We would have lost even more jobs if we hadn’t spent that money is the refrain. 

This I fear is the political downside of health care reform passing.  Unless the “average working insured” American sees an immediate improvement in his or her health coverage “universe” (which no one even argues will occur) that voter will slowly conclude that reform was a failure.  If, as is unfortunately likely, premiums continue to rise and coverage continues to shrink, there will be a voter backlast to health care reform passing.

When health care reform passes and it will in some form, there will be jubilant celebrations claiming victory and triumph.  Remember the old saying, “Be careful what you wish for.”

The only sustainable justification for health care reform is to state that it is morally repugnant for any poor man, woman or child to be denied health care access and treatment because they can’t afford it.  It’s like food stamps; a civilized nation must feed the hungry among them.  Unfortunately, this is not how health care reform is being justified.  Instead “down the road”, “hard to calculate” “systemic” benefits are being debated.  That won’t cut it next year when the average voter sees no benefit from health care reform. 

The spin masters can roll out example after example of unisureds who are now proudly holding their insurance card and are genuinely relieved to have it.  Unfortunately, that won’t mean anything to the person who “trusted” health care reform advocates and sees no improvement in their personal situation. 

It will take years to “reform” the health care system once some reforms are passed.  That may not sit too well with the millions of insured Americans who are unlikely to see anything other than “more of the same” problems after reform.

I hope the above analysis does not come true but I fear that it will. 

East Carolina – the Jarrett Brown show

I was at the game.  The coverage in the Charleston press on Sunday I think failed to properly emphasize the “big league” job done by QB Jarrett Brown.  It has not been since Marc Bulger that West Virginia has had a legitimate long pass threat.  Let me tell you Jarrett AND his receivers are the real deal.  Throwing it over the heads of the defenders is what we need to win big games. We even threw a pass across the middle – something I have not seen from WVU in years.  Several blogs ago, I remarked that Jarrett is the Tim Tebow of the Big East and I think that was proven on Saturday.  With the long ball threat Noel Devine is going to get some nice runs.  If we win decisively at Auburn I am going to feel very, very good about this season.  I still think we are looking at a 9 and 3 season but if Jarrett brings his A game every week….well who knows.  Go Mountaineers!!!