RINO For Revolution

I clearly got my medium wrong.  Instead of writing a blog on Google, I should have developed a Twitter following with the handle "Rino's For Revolution".

What would be the Revolution?  A government that operates in the middle with both sides listening to each other and working on policies that meet the needs of the people.  Instead we have a government that was elected by a minority of the people pursuing extreme policies that that the majority do not support.  Why the GOP was able to get a majority of the electoral votes is a complex subject that I have tried to address in other blogs but I am disgusted by the abandonment of principles illustrated the current representatives of the GOP.

I have been very busy getting ready to do tax preparation for the elderly and working poor and with my new part-time job working as bookkeeper for a non-profit, I read the newspaper, get disgusted but don't have time to rant here.

So here comes some quick comments on a variety of stuff that has been in the news.

ObamaCare

The Kaiser Foundation did a survey of Trump supporters and asked them what they wanted out of changes to the Health Insurance construct.  It turns out that this small group of people were almost unanimous in wanting a system where they get to keep their Doctors and don't have to shop for health insurance every year.  And they want the Health Insurance to be affordable.  That is not the Heritage Foundation/RomneyCare/ObamaCare construct.  It is a Single Payer Plan or Medicare for all.

So my recommendation for the Democrats is to protect Medicare, figure out how to make it sustainable financially, and run like hell on that platform.  If the Republicans want to gut ObamaCare in the short run, work to protect the uninsured in the replacement part and let the GOP hang out with whatever they actually propose. It may well take us closer to a public option for those who do not have employer paid health insurance.

I have decided that a public option would not cause massive layoffs in the private health insurance system all at one time because most people will still get their health insurance through their employers and many like the Medicare Advantage Plans which are run by the private health insurance companies.

Russian Hacking

It has been amazing to me that Trump is so wrapped up in himself.  Not that I didn't know that, but he has been elected President by a surplus of 100,000 votes spread across the key electoral states of PA, Ohio, Wisconsin and Michigan plus a few more in Florida.  I think those swing voters were motivated by his impractical economic message more than anything in the hacked emails but his reaction to the hacking news has been very defensive and show that he is very insecure in his ego.  Thus, his focus on always looking for boosts to that ego. He is one mean vindictive individual and we will see how he manages the challenges of running a government.  Does he delegate or want to be a King where everything runs through himself?

The one thing I want to worry about but cannot rationally is this ego maniac having his thumb on the nuclear trigger.  1st, he cares mostly about his wealth and there will be no wealth for him if there is a nuclear war.  2nd, his cozying up to Putin means they will be on the same page and not firing nuclear weapons at each other.

Of course the key question is when does Trump's affection for Putin start the impeachment proceedings against Trump.  It won't result in better policy because Pence is as conservative as any House Republican, but it would mean the end of this infatuation with Putin in the Administration.

Joe Biden Should Have Run

I saw an interview with Joe Biden.  I know why he didn't run but I think he would have had a message for those rural working class democrats who abandoned Hillary.  Of course, I am not sure how the primary's would have gone as Hillary had many Biden supporters locked up already.

I am Watching TV News.

Even though I know the papers tell me everything I really need to know, being a news junkie is a hard habit to quit.  I need more hobby's, but also need my 7 to 8 hours of sleep.

Happy New Year, it is going to be a rocky one.  The ironic thing is most of the people who will be hurt by GOP policies are the working poor in GOP governed states.  We will see if these people vote in the future after they are hurt by these GOP policies.