Musings From The Edge
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Once again I return with observations for which I ask for guidance from my intellectual friends here at Mad Mike’s America. This time of ours is not of an ecclesiastical nature but some things are just as incomprehensible. I will address just a couple. First, there is this long drawn out problem of the Republicans and healthcare reform. Their reasoning, when put into context with some of their other stances seems somewhat out of kilter. Take, for example, they don’t want government coming between people and their doctor. While that may seem reasonable I took a look back at which party has been in the forefront of supporting the DEA and their pressure on physicians writing prescriptions for pain medications for their patients. No surprise here, it was the Republicans. Also, it was under the Bush Administration that the DEA decided to run rough shod over the California law allowing medical marijuana. Perhaps I am wrong here, but if that isn’t getting between doctors and patients then Rush Limbaugh is a screaming liberal and Glen Beck is actually in his right mind. It seems that the conservatives want the rules to apply to them in a certain way, at certain time, when they say it does.
Another issue they bring up is the cost of health care, which leads to several other issues. First, there is the issue of the cost of the so called war on drugs which has been going on for over thirty years. Not even a month into this year and the cost is up to 3 billion dollars and climbing, and almost 60, 000 people arrested on drug offenses. Considering the battles going on along the U. S. and Mexican border, primarily over the drug money, this is a quagmire roughly equivalent to a thirty year Vietnam. Still, without so much as a blink of the eye, we fight on with perhaps only a whisper here and there about the stupidity of it all. Of course, there are no large lobbying groups with huge (legal) war chests of cash to influence the congressional debates on the issues. And this brings me to my last issue, which will, most likely, be the least popular.
Over the last week we have witnessed a tragedy of almost unbelievable proportions thrust upon the people Haiti..or maybe it is believable. Haiti is indeed a poor country which was struck by a massive earthquake for which it was ill prepared. For all the years Haiti was under the control of the French and since it has been free its leaders have neglected the needs of its people. A major issue which arose during the quake was the fact that there were no building codes in place which contributed to the devastation. The amount of health care available to its people was inadequate even under the best of circumstances. There were people living in such poverty stricken areas that even the government did not know they existed. So should there be any surprise that when the quake hit it was such a tragedy. No, not really. It was closely akin to riding a bicycle down a very steep hill with no brakes. Sooner or later there was going to be a hell of a wreck. So when the wreck happened, should we have rushed in to help, absolutely. It was the humane thing to do. It is one of the things we seem to do best, and we seem to be pretty good at it. Except, of course, when we have tragedies of an ongoing nature here in the states. This is not to lessen our humane duties to others such as Haiti, but we have 47 million people in this country without health care; millions of vets who are homeless and in Appalachia lots of folks living well below the poverty line with documented cases of children going hungry..and yet, the beat goes on.
I guess it is assumed that simply because a person lives in this country they should be happy to be here regardless of circumstances. Even if they are unemployed, unemployable, too sick, or too young to work, just be happy you are here. It is confusing though, while congress is snarling at each other over the cost of health care, wall street bankers getting hundreds of millions of dollars in bonuses with ads constantly being played on television to give money to Haiti, and others wondering how to get their family’s next meal. Team, I need some help getting my head straight on this.
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Lazer (Bill), from my personal perspective, my Maya Daykeeping teacher speaks of cosmic reasons… we are entering the 5th World… a new time. As era’s usher in, great social shake ups occur, great shake downs occur. The ozone is being eaten away, the oceans fill more with acid each day from the carbon dioxide, our eco-systems are mutating and in the midst, we scramble to keep a sense of integrity as a People. As humans. We are being urged to help change things through our dissatisfaction and frustrations. That’s how I see it… though I intimately understand that it’s in the small choices I make, the way I live my life…ultimately, that makes the greatest contribution to positive change…in the whole scheme of things.
I go every week, for at least six or seven hours to the little Democrat Party office in our small town along the ‘Treasure Coast’… when I was a kid it called the Gold Coast. I try to be upbeat and look for the positive within the dismal everyone is feeling there…except the party officials who come and go. Lack luster there. We keep trying.
It’s like Mad Mad Mike said today… we are fortunate to have each other, no matter how ‘nebulous’ it may seem, through cyberspace, as friends we come to depend on… on each other. I know, like Mike, I look for you to be there when things seem dark in 3D, I come here and I find you writing your mind or heart and I find companionship that stands next to me through my confusion… as hope you that in yours for this minute before it passes or as it does, you have me and Mike, and Beach, and OSO, and Bee, and STella, and on and on and on and on… and so forth and so on…. GAD! I need a nightcap. I’m posting this anyway. I liked the honesty in your post, Lazer. I liked it more than anything I wrote today…. 🙂 Bill, we are good people doing our best everyday. We are the white hats (ah even tho mine’s black)… and we stick together. Another drink and bed.
Many thanks Gwen. That is why I come here to empty my soul because I have friends here who will listen and not judge even if they do not agree. This is my small way of being Peter Finch in “Network” sticking his head out of the window and screaming “I’m mad as hell and I am not going to take it anymore.” Of course it does my about as much good as it did him, but I feel better afterward.
One other thing Gwen, have another drink for me will ya.
Lazersedge – The questions you ask, are the questions I ask myself, you make a good point about the 10s of millions of Americans who need basic health care and basic everything, should they be just glad to be here? I say they should be glad to be here, but for god’s sake somebody give them a break. I don’t think these people want to lie back and suck on the teat of a nanny state, they want a chance to provide for themselves and their families. We have donated a chunk of the country’s treasure to bail out Wall Street, fight wars we could have avoided, 100s of millions of dollars are spent by corporations lobbying Washington for this consideration, for that tax break. When is the country going to turn it’s eyes and it’s imagination to its own neighborhoods. When is it going to be their turn? Or does it have to be on the scale of Haiti before action is taken?
Agreed, or with a little more detail,
It’s stupid politics, from stupid politicians, elected by stupid voters, Stupid.
That we can both agree on fellow stupid. 🙂
This status update is going around facebook. Some rather surprising people are posting it (the updates they usally post are about their favorite football team).
“Shame on you America: the only country where we have homeless without shelter, children going to bed without eating, elderly going without needed meds, and mentally ill without treatment – yet we have a benefit for the people of Haiti on 12 TV stations. 99% of people won’t have the guts to copy and repost this post.”
The “only” part is wrong and some people are probably just mad that their favorite show was preempted, but I was surprised by the admission of awareness of actual problems in the USA, which “99% of people on my friend list” don’t seem to have the slightest clue about.
Very interesting C.J. May a small bit of it will stick in their minds.
Is is without a doubt one of the more frustrating realities of this upside down world we live in Osori.
No, Critter, it is stupid politics, Stupid.
It’s politics, stupid.
Laser,
Like you I’m puzzled,maybe I should say I alternate between puzzlement and anger at the injustice in the world.The outright petty meanness and lying. Sometimes it just seems like there’s little hope in the future for us.
What helps me and restores my good feelings is the people who come here. People like yourself and so many others, I don’t want to leave anyone out so I won’t name any.
But there is a vast age range, economic and background range.All races come here and with the exception of the occasional troll all have a love for humanity which helps me keep my head up.
Bill, my friend, I don’t get it either. Everything confuses me these days. So many lies, manipulations, contradictions….
Lazer, I have admit, similar thoughts occurred to me a few days ago. I think you summed up some serious flaws quite well.
Thank you B.A. I am sure I missed a bunch but my little brain will only keep up with a few at a time.