Right now, there’s a lot of debate about how to “fix” the health care “problem.” However, I’m not sure we have defined the problem clearly. It seems most of the problems are defined in terms of some politician’s or PAC’s solution.
The “universal health care” option is being sold with the mantra “No one should die because they cannot afford health care, and no one should go broke because they get sick.”
Sounds good on the surface. It’s a tragedy when a personal illness forces someone into bankruptcy. I’ve seen it happen – a friend had just started his new job (after being out of work for some months) when he found out his wife was pregnant. The doctor determined that the pregnancy started a couple weeks before he signed into the company, so the “pre-existing condition” was not covered. It became a burden when she delivered early and the preemie went into the state hospital’s neonatal ICU. By the time the daughter went home, the bill was over half a million dollars. His job as assistant manager of a fast food chain store could never cover that cost, and they chose bankruptcy. (That was Massachusetts.)
The baby received the care it needed, and the state had to pay the costs. There were consequences, but there are always consequences in life.
If instead, the dad had finished high school with more than a barely passing grade, he would have found insurance earlier. If there were effective public health clinics, she might have carried the baby to term. And if the government had had free universal health care, it’s doubtful there would have been enough medical advances to keep the child alive to become a vibrant toddler.
We feel for the plight of the underinsured and the uninsured, but taking away choices doesn’t make the system better.
It’s been a tough weekend for the Palin family, the McCain campaign and the Republican party. What started with a clownfooting of Obama’s love-fest became a mudpatch, with every lowlife democrat hack and liberal blogger spreading lies and inuendo.
Every day seemed to bring new revelations, new pains, new questions. It dominated the news and the internets. From over 3000 hits on Digg extolling Sarah Palin on Friday, to twice as many vilifying her on Sunday. It became a referendum on McCain’s judgment.
(Obama’s problem was that when the news wasn’t talking about Palin, they were talking about Hurricane Gustav. He was hoping to get a bounce out of the convention, but was almost completely forgotten. Especially since the Vice President seemed to have more experience than the Democrat’s headliner.)
The good this does for the Republicans is that it gets all the dirt out now. Then, later in the week, we’ll hear Sarah Palin – a competent speaker, a born leader – and the base will be enthused again. By the time the election gets here, it will all be old news and no one will care. The issues have traction today, but won’t then.
You don’t see much of them, but John McCain’s family is a microcosm of the modern American family. No longer mom and dad and two kids and a dog, McCain’s children are the products of three marriages and three adoptions. Let me explain.
When he married Carol, his first wife, he adopted her two kids, Doug and Andy, from her former marriage. (Doug is now 48 and a pilot with American Air Lines.)
Then there is Sidney, his first-born, who was only 9 months old when he was captured. She seems to be the one most at odds with her father, not really meeting him until she was in elementary school. “In high school I was very rebellious. I needed to look at all sides. At least he would hear me out.” Sidney is now an executive in the music industry, but she was friends with the singer Moby before she let it slip who her dad was.
When John divorced Carol, the kids were devastated, and did not reconcile for a number of years. They did not attend his wedding to Cindy, but are on good terms now.
From his marriage to Cindy, he has daughter Meghan and sons Jack and Jimmy. And Bridgit, their adopted daughter from Bangladesh (now 16). These children lived a very different life. To begin with, their mother came from money. And dad was home every weekend (though he missed a lot of weekday activities while working in Washington. He also makes special effort to spend even more time with his kids during vacation times.
John McCain has made peace with each of his children. Andy now plays a key role in Cindy’s family-owned beer-distribution company in Phoenix. Megan is with him on the campaign trail. Jack (21) is in the Naval Academy, following in the family tradition. (Doug was also a Navy pilot.) Eighteen-year-old Jimmy is a Marine currently serving in Iraq. Bridgit is a normal teenager in Phoneix.
The McCain family blends children from multiple marriages, but is otherwise very normal. And like normal kids everywhere, they’re not in the public eye.
How is the best way to lead? By example. And McCain’s example of charitable giving is impressive.
According to a post by BibleTrainer, McCain’s charitable giving appears relatively stable from year to year within a range higher than 20% of his AGI. By contrast, despite widely publicized church attendance, Obama rarely gave more than 5% until he announced his candidacy for President.
McCain’s generosity is understandable. He’s a member of North Phoenix Baptist Church. I’ve heard their former pastor and know that most Southern Baptist Churches teach their people to give 10% of their gross income as a tithe, and then to be generous with giving over and above that amount.
It comes from within, as demonstrated by a long history of generosity. His own campaign literature puts it this way: “First and foremost, I promise to put our country first, before my own self interest. I have put my country first throughout my entire life. I owe America more than she has ever owed me.” His actions with his checkbook indicate his understanding that he is a steward of what he has been given, and the steward owes back to the master a share of the proceeds.”
If McCain loses, I know his charitable giving will remain consistent. If Obama loses, will his?
Rumors are flying that McCain has chosen his running mate, and it’s not anyone we’ve been watching. The rumor is that it’s Meg Whitman, former President and CEO of ebay.
Whoever it is, they will be presented to supporters on Friday in Dayton Ohio, at Wright State’s Nutter Center, next to Wright Patterson Air Force Base. Having a woman would capture disaffected Clinton supporters. Choosing a tech business person would capture those who wanted Romney’s business skills. Also, she was finance chair on Romney’s Presidential exploratory committee.
She has a Bachelor of Economics from Princeton and an MBA from Harvard Business School. She worked 8 years at Boston’s premier management consulting firm Bain and Company, leaving as Vice President. She oversaw global management and marketing for Hasbro’s Mr Potato Head and Playskool. She was President of FTD florists.
Meg Whitman is only 52, just a few years older than Obama, and younger than Hillary Clinton. She is a baby boomer with tech credentials, a manager with skills to put the country back on solid financial footing. She’s even more an outsider for change than Obama, just as McCain is a more respected and active Senator than Joe Biden.
I don’t know if this is a true rumor any more than you do, but it’s an interesting choice.
This week, a lot of people got upset because Senator Obama’s pastor got riled up once and said what he shouldn’t have. I understand Rev Wright. I don’t agree with him, but I don’t agree with everything my own pastor says.
Mike Huckabee must also understand, probably better than me. Here’s what he said.
And one other thing I think we’ve gotta remember. As easy as it is for those of us who are white, to look back and say “That’s a terrible statement!”…I grew up in a very segregated south. And I think that you have to cut some slack — and I’m gonna be probably the only Conservative in America who’s gonna say something like this, but I’m just tellin’ you — we’ve gotta cut some slack to people who grew up being called names, being told “you have to sit in the balcony when you go to the movie. You have to go to the back door to go into the restaurant. And you can’t sit out there with everyone else. There’s a separate waiting room in the doctor’s office. Here’s where you sit on the bus…” And you know what? Sometimes people do have a chip on their shoulder and resentment. And you have to just say, I probably would too. I probably would too. In fact, I may have had more of a chip on my shoulder had it been me.
I’m just a little younger than Mike Huckabee, and grew up Baptist in a neighboring state. I remember those days. I remember the race riots of the late 60s. I grew up in that segregated society.I remember when Black history was a new concept. I’ve watched state after state and public group and company “apologize” to this race or that for the actions of forebearers for actions I had no part of.
I also remember the resentment of my friends over Affirmitive Action. I have know the exclusion of being the “wrong race” when all of my Black collegues have an event.
(I was once called a “nigger” by a black kid I was teaching in Vacation Bible School. It was a sign he accepted me to be “just like him”, but not a term I could use on anyone else.)
Usually I’m race-colorblind. I don’t notice much any more. I worked with one fellow more than a year before someting caused me to take mental note that he was Black.
Churches tend to be segregated places, still. My primary place of worship is integrated, but only a little (maybe 10%, maybe less) But the afternoon church renting space in the building where I too am sponsoring a congregation is ALL Black, and they look at me when I walk by, or when I started to enter. I was out of place and they helped me see it.
Senator Obama was right. It’s time to get past the old stereotypes. Time for all of us to become “race-colorblind”.
As one of our founding fathers said, we must all hang together, or we shall each hang separately.
A couple of weeks ago, I reported Ken Blackwell’s excellent suggestion that Mike Huckabee would become a great Chairman of the Republican Party.
That suggestion makes even more sense now, since the current treasurer has run off with $1M!)
It would let us influence state and Congressional elections to turn the national legislative agenda to the values that drew us all to Mike in the first place.
It was a gutsy move. Gov Huckabee appeared on Saturday Night Live’s Weekend Update, and made fun of himself. The segment mentioned his “when it’s time to go, I’ll leave gracefully.” And then he wouldn’t leave the set. At the end of the skit, Seth Myers remarked about his “great sense of humor.”
They said it was all over. McCain was crowned President by the media. Romney had already cut his losses. Why shouldn’t Huckabee give up, too? Even the American Conservative Union took him off the published agenda. (All other candidates were on the agenda, but Huckabee was only listed as “speaker.”)
Because the people want change. Americans are tired of business as usual. That’s why Obama continues on, even though the establishment says Hillary is the “only logical choice.”
Today, Feb 9, the media was quiet. Huckabee won 60% of the Kansas vote – and all the delegates, even though their Governor (Sam Brownback) endorsed McCain. Governor Huckabee outproduced McCain 2-1. He had similar results in Louisiana and Washington. Exit polls suggest most who would have voted for Romney gave their support to Huckabee.
According to AP staff writers Mike Mokrzycki and Janet McConnaughey, American voters say ‘the most important candidate quality is that he “says what he believes.” One in five voters said that was the top quality and Huckabee won half of them.’
The media continues to ignore Governor Huckabee. I won’t. You shouldn’t either.
I read that Senator McCain is picking up endorsements all over the place. Gov. Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota is endorsing Senator McCain, even though most (all) of the endorsement speeches are happening outside Minnesota.
What’s going on? I believe it’s old-style back-room politics. Pawlenty is seen as running for Vice President. Others are looking to be part of the momentum. McCain’s win in Florida is seen as taking him ahead of the pack. He’s got the media believing it’s almost over. And eveyone is trying to get their political favors in early.
This is the style of politics Pres Bush warned against in the State of the Union. “I’ll support your pork barrel project if you’ll support mine.”
This kind of politics is killing the US economy. It’s draining billions from the federal budget, instead of spending those dollars on necessary infrastructure, or keeping it in the taxpayers’ pockets.
This is another indication that the political system is broken, and we need a different style of leader. Obama might do it. He talks in the language of hope, and people are abandoning the Democratic heir apparent (Ms Clinton) in droves.
Governor Huckabee is the other fresh voice. Senator Paul is offering “interesting” ideas, but I don’t think his brand of isolationist libertarianism is practical in the current world. The only Republican voice offering rational solutions and fresh ideas is Governor Mike Huckabee.
If it came to a contest between Huckabee and Obama, it will be an interesting election, filled with thoughtful debates and great ideas.
Or we can settle for McCain, and lose the war of ideas.
Posted by OldGuy 
Posted by OldGuy 
Posted by OldGuy 
