What is Bernie Sanders smoking?
Posted by John in Uncategorized on June 29th, 2009
So I heard on the radio, and now see it confirmed at the Detroit Free Press, that the US Department of Justice is charging 53 people with a $50 million dollar medicare fraud case. That’s $50 million of OUR money that has been stolen from a federal program in one city alone.
To me, this is an indictment of the idea of a federally run health care system. Not only does the government handing out free money make our economy less efficient, it invites fraud.
But the Honorable Senator from Vermont, Independent (Socialist) Bernie Sanders, sees this as a need for, wait for it folks, MORE BIG GOVERNMENT, even when he admits that the current government system is flawed. In an article on the Huffington Post, Sanders admits that:
Health and Human Services Department investigators earlier this year found that 80 percent of insurance companies participating in the Medicare prescription drug benefit overcharged subscribers and taxpayers by an estimated $4.4 billion.
Yet he still calls for a publicly funded system. What Sen. Sanders doesn’t get is that when you hand out free money, people are going to find a way to get more than their share, which is what happened in Detroit.
I readily agree that our healthcare system is in need of reform, but a massive federal program is not the answer. I don’t know what is, perhaps a series of State run programs which allow for more diversity and make it easier to isolate fraud to one state (the fraud scheme in Detroit started in Miami,) perhaps some loosening of regulations to allow insurance companies to offer more diverse options to consumers.
Or maybe, we just need to get off our collective duffs as Americans and lose some weight. Either way, I think Sen. Sanders needs to take his single payer system and shove it where the sun don’t shine.
It’s about Ideas, Dummy
Posted by John in Uncategorized on June 3rd, 2009
Of all the things that bother me about Barack Obama, the most troubling is the cult status he has achieved. I touched on this in an earlier post and it continues to bother me as the New York Times follows the Obamas like celebrities.
I understand that the president is special and the first Black president is even more special. But Obama is not a god. Obama, by himself, is just another human being. He can’t shoot lightning bolts out of his eyes, he can’t turn anyone’s water into wine, and he can’t give everybody the comfortable middle class lifestyle that so many people think he will deliver. He’s just a guy, who temporarily has a lot of power.
Let’s talk about the ideas he has (many of which are bad,) not about whether or not he is seeing a Broadway show with his wife.
I respect the CSMonitor IMMENSELY, but in this case, they are dead wrong.
Posted by John in Uncategorized on June 2nd, 2009
Before writing the editorial opposing the legalization of marijuana, the CSMonitor.com editorial staff should have swung by the website of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, a group of cops, judges, and prosecutors who probably know a thing or two about the affects of drugs and still favor legalization.
One of the videos on the LEAP site is of Peter Christ, a former Tonowanda NY police captain, speaking at a Rotary Club meeting in 2007 or so in which he says - I’m quoting from memory here - “Legalization of Drugs is NOT the answer to our drug problem, it is the answer to our [associated] crime and violence problem.” Christ goes on to say that the most addictive drug known is Tobacco and that the United States has seen a decrease in Cigarrette use because of a change in culture that has been much more effective than law enforcement would have been.
The Monitor, who I respect imensely, is missing the whole point here. This is not about whether or not drugs are good or bad (in his talk, Christ says they are worse than most people think they are,) it is about whether or not criminalization is an effective method of dealing with a serious problem.
The Priesthood of Ideas
Posted by John in Uncategorized on May 31st, 2009
I think the Ghost is in semi-hybernation mode as both Ryan and I work summer jobs that take us away from our over plugged in lifestyles. While I am usually plugged into the blogs and all that, now my car’s radio is the primary conduit that I have for news, although I occaisionally can pick up a bit from the TV. Most of the recent news that I have heard seems to be based around the nomination of Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court.
I view the federal courts as a sort of secular priesthood. They are supposed to be impartial arbitors of the LAW, as written by the people. They are not supposed to be legislators, they are supposed to apply the law, not to make it.
When Sotomayor says she uses her experience as a woman and as a latina to judge her cases, that scares me. Imagine if John Roberts or Samuel Alito had said that? “I will use my experience as old White Guy to decide cases?” The media would have been all over them like flies on a dog turd. But somehow it is okay for Sotomayor to say that her position as a Latina makes her more qualified.
Boy am I hoping Obama’s only in there for four years.
When Government is Needed (and where Capitalism can help it out)
Posted by John in Uncategorized on May 24th, 2009
So, we spend so much time up here bashing Government that maybe we should stop and list things we DO want government to do. The list changes for me as I get exposed to new ideas and new possibilities. The list also changes as we shift from Federal to State gov’t. I won’t go through the whole list, but one place I think the government is definitely needed is in public transportation.
I grew up in New York City, where there is “by far, the highest rate of public transportation use of any American city, with 54.2% of workers commuting to work by this means in 2006.” New York City, without public transportation would grind to a screeching halt. A study by the American Public Transit Association estimates that public transit saves American Families $6200 per year.
I rode Public Transit to school for five years. It was safe, efficient, and cheap (NYC offers free bus/train passes for Students.) Some may argue that it would be better for the services to be provided by the private sector. There is no doubt in my mind that a public transit system might be cleaner, smell better, and have fewer labor costs if run by a private company, but it would be more expensive as well. Most public transportation systems lose money by themselves but provide overall financial benefits to the regions that they serve.
I realize that to some of my hardcore Libertarian friends, the idea of a government supported anything turns them cold. I am prepared to compromise and so is the MTA. An element of capitalism that is already injected into the system is the use of ads on subway cars and trains. The MTA is an advertisers paradise, with ads on the all railcars and busses as well as at bus shelters and inside subway stations.
I have an idea to take this one step further. Let’s have companies sponsor subway stations, we could have the “KMART 79th Street Station” and the “Home Depot Times Square Station.” Companies that sponsored these stations would be able to advertise on the walls of the station (already happens, but the sponsoring companies would have exclusive rights,) be allowed to paint stations in their company’s colors, and have the stations named after them. In return, the sponsoring companies would be responsible for maintaining the stations, and perhaps be required to pay for security at the stations.
The system itself, however, would remain in public hands.
I don’t think urban public transit can be fully privatized, but by changing the relationship between the MTA and the advertisers, it can certainly be improved.
Adios Grandma, This one’s for you.
Posted by John in Uncategorized on May 16th, 2009
It is with great sadness that I announce the passing of my Grandmother, Jacklyn Taylor Bort. I lived with her from February of 2001 until August of 2005, and again from August of 2008 until the current time. Without
My Grandmother was keenly interested in politics, and most nights were a rush to get dinner on the table so we could sit down in time to watch the NewsHour with Jim Lehrer. Often there were discussions of the consequences of a politicians’ approach. Her inside knowledge of the political process (my grandfather was a Berkeley City Councilmen and an Alameda County Supervisor,) was invaluable in helping me analyze the news of the day. Grandma Jackie, there would be no Ghost.
Grandma had principles which she used to approach life, and which I have tried to use in my analysis of the political process here. They are:
1. Government is necessary but should be as small as possible
2. Washington DC rarely has the right answer
3. The media is just as dumb
4. Rules are necessary and must be enforced
5. Sometimes, ignore rule #4
6. Cut the politicians a little slack, they are working as hard as they can.
7. Keep the politicians paws’ off of my health care
8. The people at the top would do themselves a favor if they talked to the people they manage to find out how things really get done
9. People are free to worship God as the please, but not free to ignore God’s laws
10. Respect the environment
11. Respect the guys and gals who defend all of the above.
I have my own take on all these, of course. I apply them in a different way than she did because the circumstances I live in are different. Nonetheless, they are the principles she taught me and I will try to live by them.
The Party of Ol’ Massah
Posted by John in Uncategorized on May 7th, 2009
One thing that I think the GOP struggles with is that we are the party of racism. For some reason, it does not matter that Abraham Lincoln freed the slaves, while Robert Byrd, a former KKK member, is still a respected member of the Democratic Party, we’re still the party of racism.
Whether or not it is fair (and I certainly think it is not) it is incumbent on us to combat this image and Jeff Sessions is not helping us at all.
It’s about Bigness.
Posted by John in Uncategorized on May 6th, 2009
For a brief period this spring, I worked for AC Squared Communications. AC Squared was a subcontractor for Comcast and we were in charge of installing digital boxes for the conversion to digital cable. For about a week after completing my training, I was kept in limbo, I had no idea what days they wanted me to work, I would call in every night and be told not to show up for work. Sometimes I would be told to report for work, and then I would be turned around at work and told that I was not needed - but that I would be paid $40 for my trouble anyway. This went on for about a week and a half and finally I was let go.
Now, from AC Squared’s perspective, I suppose that this made some semblance of sense. But to me, it was just a waste of their money and my time for me to show up on a continuous basis and get paid the $40 an hour (I confess I needed the money, so I still showed up.)
This experience taught me a lesson - I have often been critical of big government for being bureaucratic and slow. But here we see a private corporation being just as stupid. Is thie because Comcast has a monopoly on cable service in our area? or is it because a large organization is bureaucratic, regardless of whether it is public or private?
King George, King Barack
Posted by John in Uncategorized on April 30th, 2009
In most democracies around the world, the power of the executive branch of government, be it a governor, president, prime minister, or in some cases a constitutional monarch, is balanced against a legislature, made up of anywhere from 435 members in the US House of Representatives, to 20 people in the Alaska State Senate. At one end of the government teetertotter is a large deliberative body, at the other end, an executive that is equally powerful but in terms of people, is quite a bit smaller.
The balance seems to be very wise. A large deliberative body represents many viewpoints and can check itself, preventing any one person from gaining undue influence over the deliberative process. Yet, large deliberative bodies often act with deliberate slowness. Sometimes they do not act at all. Compromise takes time, which is why it is also important to have a single figure to act in an emergency. The balance of one to many seems to be a good system. When there is an emergency, its a good idea to have a single person in charge, think Rudy Giuliani on 9/11. He was in charge, he called the shots, he didn’t have to fight anyone for control. This clear line of authority is vital in situations where lives are on the line.
But it has one fatal flaw. If too much hope is placed in one person, that person runs the risk of gaining too much power. This is my concern with Obama, it was my concern with Bush, and I think it would have been my concern even if Giuliani, or McCain, my first and second choice for president, had been elected. All of the above are figures with very strong, potent personalities. It is very easy to follow people like that. I have fallen for the trap myself. I don’t like Obama very much. But I think Giuliani or McCain are among the greatest people we have as leaders in this country. So I have to caution myself, would I have slobbered all over Giuliani or McCain the way I think everyone else is slobbering over Obama? I probably would have. I am not proud of that. Ryan touched on this a while ago.
The desire for a strong leader is, I think, part of human nature. The story of Samuel in the Bible is a good illustration of this. Samuel was a judge, part of a Federalist system which Moses had set up to run the Tribes of Israel. Moses’ system wasn’t exactly democratic, but by using division of labor, he diffused power among several parties, forming the basis of a balanced, republican (small r,) system. But the people of Israel wanted a king, like everybody else. They were unhappy with the new judges (I Samuel 8:1-4)
Samuel warned the Children of Israel that a king would require their sons to serve as soldiers and their daughters to serve as concubines to the king. But the people demanded a king anyway, so Samuel gave them one, and problems ensued because a succession of kings, Saul, David (think Bathsheba), and Solomon, let the power go to their head.
In our own time, we have seen power get to the head of some of our elected leaders. George W. Bush may be the best example. By promoting the unitary executive theory of government, Dubya took more power for the executive branch. While the Unitary Executive branch was concieved under Ronald Reagan as a way to control government spending, it obviously hasn’t worked. Instead, we have a frightening amount of power concentrated in the hands of the executive branch of government and very little to stop it.
The contempt that Obama seems to have shown for the Tea Parties - and mind you, I have my criticisms of them as well - as well as the high expectations that others have shown for him, (look at Speaker Pelosi’s eyes when she talks about him) makes him into some sort of a moral force, to the point where those who oppose him are somehow disloyal, maybe racist? This is a little bit frightening. Now, to be fair, Bush pulled the same crap. Plenty of knuckleheads on the right portrayed him as godlike, some inspired messiah who was supposed to lead us against the (Muslim?) terrorists, the white knight of justice, wrapped in the mantle of Christian Evangelical Fundamentalism. This is not meant to be an attack on Obama or Bush but on the system itself.
The answer to the problem, it seems to me, is a resurge
nce in the power of Congress. What we need is a Congress that jealously guards its own territory and polices the executive branch. Part of the problem is that Bush strengthened the presidency so much that Congress, especially when it was controlled by the GOP, rolled over and played good little dog instead of actually standing up to him and checking his power. We now have the same problem with a Democratic Congress and a Democratic President. Are we approaching the point where Congress just becomes a rubber stamp body and the president becomes basically an elected dictator?
Can Community Foster Individualism?
Posted by John in John's Major Posts on April 25th, 2009
This morning I attended a meeting of my local chapter of Citizens of Oakland Responding to Emergencies. CORE is a program that is sponsored by the City of Oakland to help citizens protect themselves without the immediate assistance of traditional first responders (police, fire, national guard, etc.) who might be tied up elsewhere in the City. It was great because I think community is very important and this was the first time I had met a lot of the people in my neighborhood
The subject of community is one that I struggle with quite a bit. What is the role of community in a society where we place so much emphasis on individuality? How do we strike a balance between the individual rights and public responsibility?
These are questions that quite frankly drive me crazy. I see individuality and community as dependent upon each other and at the same time potential threats to each other.
The community must be made up of individuals. If the community is so eager to be a community that it tramples on individuality, it will fail. (This is my concern with some of Obama’s Policies.) At the same time, human beings need each other to survive. We are, after all, social animals.
I have struggled to strike this balance for myself, and for how I think it should be struck in society but this mornings’ activities shed a new light on the whole question because it presented a community that was based around self reliance.
Here we were, as a community, freeing ourselves from needing the government. In fact, the Oakland Fire Department showed up (this was a citywide event) and told us that when shit went down, we were on our own because they were going to have other things to worry about.
In this case, then, I see this community activity as actually encouraging individualism, because we are, as a group, relying on ourselves and encouraging others to rely on themselves.
![[RSS]](http://www.goldwatersghost.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/rssfeed.jpg "[RSS]")
![[FOLLOW US]](http://www.goldwatersghost.com/follow-us.png "[RSS]")
![[Join The Party!]](http://www.goldwatersghost.com/teaparty.jpg "[RSS]")
