Listening to election news lately is like keeping track of a Roller Derby game. They keep going around the same circle, bumping into each other, occasionally shouting unsubstiated things—at each other and the audience—and by and large just getting in each others’ ways. If you like that kind of sport, it can be entertaining. Otherwise…
So I’ve been working on new fiction and playing with photoshop and basically tuning it all out. As much as I hate to say it, I already know that I’m not going to vote for any Republicans, and most of the Independents are seemingly farther right. As much as I agree that spending is out of control, voting for the Republicans right now also brings a whole bunch of other nonsense into play that I just can’t tolerate. (I know, I should be tolerant, but after a while, stupidity is unsupportable, in the name of anything.)
What we seem to be seeing a lot of right now is some kind of principle that should have a name, basically a principle that half-measures are worse than leaving something alone. The health care “overhaul” is unpopular. Some of it deservedly so, but polls are showing that people are cherrypicking it—there is a lot that they like, but the total package sucks. So they think. Of course, premiums were heading no where but up, so most of us are about to end up without health insurance anyway, so you would think the cry would be for more controls, not less. (Is anyone still so naive as to think that deregulation is a good idea? Don’t most people understand that the current economic fiasco is the direct result of NO REGULATIONS on key parts of the financial sector? How is it they can come up with a thesis that says less will work any better?) But it is fair to say that the compromises that resulted in the current law hamstrung it so badly that it may well be worse than nothing. If Obama had forcefully backed single payer…
Of course, that scares people of a certain mindset even more. Single payer! That’s Socialism! Well, somewhat. And so what? If the end result is to provide good health care for as many of our people as possible…
But there’s no point going over this again. People may not say it, but they act as if they would rather die bleeding in the street than have the government in any way involved in their (nonexistant) medical care. If we got the way the Republicans want to, that’s pretty much what will happen.
Mind you, if people in general were willing to say “Let them die” if they can’t pay for their own health care, then there would be some spine to the Republican position. But we’re not. We take of people when we find them in serious straits. And pass the cost on to those who can. Increased premiums. Why isn’t this seen as a form of Socialism, only privately funded? Why do we think Big Business has more moral authority in this than our elected officials?
Be that as it may, I don’t much care right now. I’m listening to all the campaigns and feeling more and more like Mercutio. They either haven’t the brains, haven’t the guts, or haven’t the ethics to represent me. But I will vote. Oh, yes. I believe that if you don’t vote you don’t get to bitch. And I intend to bitch.
Meantime, I’m playing with fiction and photographs. After such a bit of spleen, here’s something more pleasant to contemplate. Enjoy.
