My Political Epiphany

You may or may not agree with what I'm about to say... but it's my blog so please be respectful.

I have never been vocal about my political views. In fact, I have tried to keep most of my political views to myself, since I have several friends that typically do not agree with me on most topics. That being said...

While I was in middle and high school, Bill Clinton was in office. I was very happy with what he accomplished during his eight years in office. Not only was the Family and Medical Leave Act passed in 1993, Clinton also passed The Brady (crime) Bill, raised federal minimum wage in 1996 and lowered federal taxes in 1997. The man created THOUSANDS of new jobs, all across the country. He was a good president that did fantastic things for this country. Clinton also managed to give the country a Federal Surplus, the first one in a long time.



When it was time to elect a new president in 2000, I was over 18 and I could vote! Yippee! Unfortunately, Al Gore didn't win in 2000 and John Kerry didn't win in 2004. I had to suck it up and deal with George W. Bush and his "war on terror" for eight long years. Sure, I agreed with Bush initially, but after a few years of fighting with little to no results, enough was enough. Finally, in 2006, a lot of people in the US felt the same way as I did and voted in more Democrats to the House and Senate, making it harder for Bush to do/pass whatever laws he wanted to. I didn't throw tantrums, I didn't protest (even though I wanted to and should have), I didn't watch anti-Bush TV programs, and I didn't make false accusations to get my point across about how much I didn't like George W. Bush. I sucked it up and waited.

In 2008, the presidential election campaigns looked promising. The Democrats had Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton as their primary candidates. I was glad to see a woman running for president; I was also glad to see an African-American man run for president. I didn't care which one of them "won" the primary vote; I just wanted one of them to win the 2008 presidential election. And Obama did just that. I was, and still am, excited for change.

Unfortunately, not everyone agrees with Obama. In fact, people started to throw "tantrums" about Obama winning the election, saying he wasn't a natural-born US citizen, even though a copy of his birth certificate had been disclosed. It seems like everything Obama does, there is something wrong with it...

When Obama was elected, our economy was just starting to tank. George W. Bush was kind enough to put a few laws into place before leaving office, including "The Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 (Division A of Pub.L. 110-343, enacted October 3, 2008), commonly referred to as a bailout of the U.S. financial system, is a law enacted in response to the subprime mortgage crisis authorizing the United States Secretary of the Treasury to spend up to $700 billion to purchase distressed assets, especially mortgage-backed securities, and make capital injections into banks." This, folks, was the bank bailout. Bush did that.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, (aka The Stimulus) signed by Barack Obama, includes federal tax cuts, expansion of unemployment benefits, and domestic spending in education. The money that was given to the car companies was from the Public-Private Investment Program, which was a part of TARP (something that Bush had signed into office), and only $3 trillion of the allocated $11.5 trillion was spent by both Bush and Obama by the end of the "Cash for Clunkers" program that so many people were up in arms over. Since then, the economy has started to pick back up, slowly but surely.

And now, there's the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, that was recently passed and signed into law on March 23, 2010. This health care bill does many things: (from Huffington Post)
1. Health Insurers cannot deny children health insurance because of pre-existing conditions. A ban on the discrimination in adults will take effect in 2014.
2. Businesses with fewer than 50 employees will get tax credits covering up to 50% of employee premiums.
3. Seniors will get a rebate to fill the so-called "donut hole" in Medicare drug coverage, which severely limits prescription medication coverage expenditures over $2,700. As of next year, 50 percent of the donut hole will be filled.
4. The cut-off age for young adults to continue to be covered by their parents' health insurance rises to the age 27.
5. Lifetime caps on the amount of insurance an individual can have will be banned. Annual caps will be limited, and banned in 2014.
6. A temporary high-risk pool will be set up to cover adults with pre-existing conditions. Health care exchanges will eliminate the program in 2014.
7. New plans must cover checkups and other preventative care without co-pays. All plans will be affected by 2018
8. Insurance companies can no longer cut someone when he or she gets sick.
9. Insurers must now reveal how much money is spent on overhead.
10. Any new plan must now implement an appeals process for coverage determinations and claims.
11. This tax will impose a ten percent tax on indoor tanning services. This tax, which replaced the proposed tax on cosmetic surgery, would be effective for services on or after July 1, 2010.
12. New screening procedures will be implemented to help eliminate health insurance fraud and waste.
13. Medicare payment protections will be extended to small rural hospitals and other health care facilities that have a small number of Medicare patients.
14. Non-profit Blue Cross organizations will be required to maintain a medical loss ratio -- money spent on procedures over money incoming -- of 85 percent or higher to take advantage of IRS tax benefits.
15. Chain restaurants will be required to provide a "nutrient content disclosure statement" alongside their items. Expect to see calories listed both on in-store and drive-through menus of fast-food restaurants sometime soon.
16. The bill establishes a temporary program for companies that provide early retiree health benefits for those ages 55‐64 in order to help reduce the often-expensive cost of that coverage.
17. The Secretary of Health and Human Services will set up a new Web site to make it easy for Americans in any state to seek out affordable health insurance options The site will also include helpful information for small businesses.
18. A two‐year temporary credit (up to a maximum of $1 billion) is in the bill to encourage investment in new therapies for the prevention and treatment of diseases.

I don't know about you, but A LOT of those things sound pretty good to me. I especially like the no denying coverage pre-existing conditions, health care for all children, no more lifetime maximums (which are usually $1 million or unlimited), no co-pays for preventative care including annual check-ups, and calorie counts for all restaurants. Maybe I can appreciate these things because I have worked in medical settings with patients who have complained about their "not so good" health care benefits that they pay a lot of money for. Maybe I can appreciate these things because I didn't go to the doctor for over a year because I didn't want anything on my record that would give me a pre-existing condition that would deny me for coverage later. Maybe I can appreciate these things because I've been both the patient and the employee when it came to my doctor billing fraudulent charges to my health insurance... health insurance that I was paying over $100 a month for and I still had a $30 copay, a $3,500 deductible, and a $1 million lifetime maximum!

Why do you think insurance premiums go up every year? Of course, the typical answer would be, “It’s a company that needs to make money in order to pay their employees.” Well, sure, but insurance companies make that and then some. Insurance companies collect your money every month, hoping that you won’t go to the doctor and that you won’t get sick. Think of it like someone trying to sell you flood insurance for your home, but you live in Southern California, where it’s typically dry. If you have health insurance, but don’t go to the doctor at all, where do you think your money goes? If you think it’s saved in a special “health insurance savings plan” that’s used for you and only you, you are sadly mistaken. There are people out there who have very serious diseases and complications and require a lot of medical care. If just one of these people pays $100 a month for his/her health insurance, but spends more than $1,200 a year with that care, where does that extra money come from? Your premiums. I know there are people out there that do not want to "pay" for others to get "free" health care, but I hate to tell you all... it’s already happening. Every time someone without insurance coverage goes to the emergency room and doesn't pay the bill, your insurance premiums go up in order to help cover the cost. Pharmaceutical companies are charging outrageous amounts for their fancy, non-generic prescription drugs and that also raises your insurance premiums.

Which leads me to my next topic... Apparently, this health care bill is going to make this country Socialist, Communist, Fascist, and even Marxist. Yes folks, I've heard them all used to describe what's going to happen to our country. Let's look at the political spectrum:





Socialism is defined as: a theory or system of social organization that advocates the vesting of the ownership and control of the means of production and distribution, of capital, land, etc., in the community as a whole; a procedure or practice in accordance with this theory; (in Marxist theory) the stage following capitalism in the transition of a society to Communism, characterized by the imperfect implementation of collectivist principles. It is an economic system in which the production and distribution of goods are controlled substantially by the government rather than by private enterprise, and in which cooperation rather than competition guides economic activity. There are many varieties of Socialism. Some Socialists tolerate capitalism, as long as the government maintains the dominant influence over the economy; others insist on an abolition of private enterprise. All Communists are Socialists, but not all Socialists are Communists.

Communism is defined as: a theory or system of social organization based on the holding of all property in common, actual ownership being ascribed to the community as a whole or to the state; a system of social organization in which all economic and social activity is controlled by a totalitarian state dominated by a single and self-perpetuating political party. Communism is a theoretical economic system characterized by the collective ownership of property and by the organization of labor for the common advantage of all members; A system of government in which the state plans and controls the economy and a single, often authoritarian party holds power, claiming to make progress toward a higher social order in which all goods are equally shared by the people.

Fascism is defined as: A system of government marked by centralization of authority under a dictator, stringent socioeconomic controls, suppression of the opposition through terror and censorship, and typically a policy of belligerent nationalism and racism; A political philosophy or movement based on or advocating such a system of government; Oppressive, dictatorial control. Although both Communism and Fascism are forms of totalitarianism, Fascism does not demand state ownership of the means of production, nor is Fascism committed to the achievement of economic equality. In theory, Communism opposes the identification of government with a single charismatic leader (the “cult of personality”), which is the cornerstone of Fascism. Whereas Communists are considered left-wing, Fascists are usually described as right-wing.

Recap:

Socialism: The people own the business/means of production/company. Individuals can each own a share, but together, they own the whole. Hot Dog on a Stick and WinCo Foods are Socialist; they are employee-owned businesses. Businesses that sell shares of stock are participating in a form of Socialism and NewsCorp, the parent company for Fox News, does just that.

Communism: The government/The community owns the business/means of production/company. No individual owns a share; the whole is owned by the community.

Fascism: Extreme patriotism and nationalism; one country is better than any other and that country will take any means to "prove" it to other countries, including going to war, along with the attitude of, "If you're not with us, you're against us."




Since Obama has taken office, the following items have started to bother me (things get added onto this list on a daily basis):

1. HYPOCRISY.
- People don't want the government telling their doctors what they can/can't do, BUT people want the government to ban abortions...?
- People don't want the government to interfere with their lifestyle choices, BUT people want the government to ban gay marriage...?
- People don't want "big government" to interfere with state sovereignty, BUT people want "big government" to outlaw certain things for all states...?
- People don't want government run health care, BUT people want Medicare...?
- People don't want to pay taxes, BUT people want to drive on the roads, visit public parks, and be protected by the police and fire departments...?
- Oh, and my favorite double standard: "It's OK if You're a Republican." I've always hated hypocrisy and double standards, but this saying takes the cake!

2. The media's "scare tactics" that have misinformed people into believing untrue statements. It started with, "Obama isn't a natural born US citizen!" and it has progressed from there. Obama is a Muslim. Obama is a Socialist. Obama is a racist. Obama is putting us into TRILLIONS of debt. Obama is Hitler. Obama wants to take away your guns. Obama is attacking your personal freedoms. If you watch Fox News, you've already heard all of these.

The main person on most of those comments, of course, is Glenn Beck. Here is a recent clip from his show and shown below, is the TRUTH behind what he's claiming. Unfortunately for Beck, there are still intelligent people in this country who are willing to prove his theories wrong on a daily basis. There's more on my thoughts on Beck later on...

3. The unwillingness to cooperate of the Republican representatives and senators. They are acting like CHILDREN. They're not getting their way, because they're the minority, and they're throwing almost daily temper tantrums. Since the Democrats pushed health care, the Republicans have decided to stop cooperating with Obama and the Democrats in Congress, according to John McCain. When the Democrats were the minority in Congress, they still continued to vote- there was still cooperation to get things passed. No one threw temper tantrums like this; these are grown adults acting like children because they didn't get their way. They all need a time out. ALL Republican senators and representatives that act out in this manner NEED TO BE VOTED OUT OF OFFICE. I'm not saying a Democrat needs to fill their spot, but I am saying someone who is going to act like a grown-up and not throw tantrums when things don't go their way deserves a seat in Congress. Knock your shit off and grow the f*ck up.

4. People trying to tell me that Ronald Reagan was the best president ever. First of all, I was born the year he took office and only 7 (going on 8) when he left office. I don't remember ANYTHING about his presidency! I'm wondering why friends my age seem to think they remember... Sure, he was great, but was he the best? I don't think so. Reagan was pro-education; "We also believe that a good, solid education is the right of every child in our land." Reagan was also anti-nuclear weapons; "We must never stop at all until we see the day when nuclear arms have been banished from the face of this Earth." Same as Obama.

5. Conservatives should NOT push their agenda on children. I think it's a CRIME that Texas wants to remove Jefferson from history textbooks, simply because he used the term, "separation of church and state." The Conservatives in Texas want the children to know a "different" America, one that fits their agenda. They don't want people they don't know or like in our history books. They won't put in Hispanic leaders into text books because they're not known... How is that history? I seem to think Jefferson was one of the best Presidents... he's on Mount Rushmore for a reason, folks. Are they going to remove Lincoln next because they never wanted slavery to end? That's the whole point of school... to LEARN about things you don't know! *duh* As Reagan said, "We've got to teach history based not on what's in fashion, but what's important." Jefferson is important. End of story.



The moral of this blog: Don't start spouting propaganda within my earshot that hasn't been checked by a trusted online source. Don't tell me you watch Fox News; anything you say can and will be held against you, especially if you like Glenn Beck. I don't want to hear it. I put up with Bush and his bullshit for eight years. You can deal with Obama for another three... maybe another seven.






**warning: the following epiphany may offend some religious readers**




My Epiphany:
Glenn Beck is afraid that America is going to become Socialist and/or Communist in nature, thanks to the health care bill. As we learned above, all Communists are Socialists, but not all Socialists are Communists. Glenn Beck is Mormon; he is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS). As a member of the Mormon church, Beck (and all other Mormons) must pay a 10% tithing on his monthly income. On top of his federal and state taxes, he also has to pay 10% to his church (and he may pay more, since he is most likely able to).

Here's the good part:
The church takes this money, along with fast and other offerings, and does several [good] things. One of these things is providing food and/or monetary aid to church members who are in need. Within the church, the church owns the company/means of production/business when it comes to their canneries, farms, and retail establishments (bookstores, clothing, and furniture). Church members are "called" into their positions within the church and are not paid for their leadership roles, whether the person is a Bishop or a nursery school teacher. This, my friends, sounds a lot like Communism to me.

So...
WHY IS GLENN BECK SO AFRAID OF COMMUNISM?!
He's a part of a church that has embodied Communist practices!

(Granted, I am *NOT* a Mormon, so if this isn't 100% correct, you know why.)