The fellow engineer who’s office is next to mine dropped by yesterday to talk about our government shutdown. He was animated and wanted me to know that if a shutdown like this happened in India, there would be riots in the street.

In India, the opposing political factions would get their followers to shut down the univerities, gather a crowd, and march to the center of government (town, city, etc). There would be a peaceful demonstration that would decend into a riot with looting. Each party would blame the other for the violence. Regular people would be swept into the fray. There would be arrests. The instigators would get off through their political connections. The everyday man would be held accountable.

He was wondering why there were no demonstrations, no riots here in the U.S today.

He asked when was the last politically motivated riot? There were the Watts riots, but that was not political. There were riots in the 1930’s, that were put down by the military. There were workers in mines in Colorado who were on strike for deplorable working conditions. Many were shot dead by our military. Aside from the 30’s I’d have to go back to the Civil War or Harper’s Ferry, but there were probably many other instances that I’m not aware of.

A good read in this regard is “A People’s History of the United States” by Howard Zin.

The workers were organized in the 30’s. The unions were strong and necessary to provide safe working conditions and an adequate wage. After the 70’s unions were seen as evil and largely self serving. They have been in decline since Regan broke the Air Traffic Controler’s union. I’ve not had much use for unions myself. But without an organizing body, there will be no voice for the people or channel for outrage. Today “the people” are not pro-union for the most part.

What would happen if the un-employed and under-employed showed up for a deomnstration? Would that change the discourse? What if a riot ensued? What then? I am not advocating rioting as a political tool to get noticed or to force an issue. I more support peaceful disobedience as Ghandi espoused.

I do not believe the unemployed would riot, the government is trying to extend benefits to them (the shutdown aside). The employed are too busy making a living and risk adverse. The wealthy never riot; they use the rule of law and corruption to get their way. So no riots in the U.S. Not yet at least.

http://www.nbcnews.com/video/nightly-news/53180197/#53180197

And so it goes, GOP wants to gut the Afordable Care Act and are doing everything they can to do this while trying to appear “reasonable”. The last gambit to “just” delay implementation of the ACA would have given the GOP another year to chip away at ACA funding.

The Dem’s want nothing to do with defunding or delaying the ACA. After all it is law.

What I don’t get is why the uproar? If the plan is destined to fail (as the GOP believes), why not let it crumble under its own weight? Or constructively, work to make the plan better. I believe that the party of “I’ve got mine, screw you” does not want to pay for someone else’s health care, period; be it through higher taxes (single payer plan) or higher premiums (ACA).

The most cogent argument I’ve heard in support of ACA is reduced health care costs by reducing trips to the emergency room. Not having health insurance, this is how the poor get care. By insuring virtually everyone, we all will have access to preventative care. Emergency room costs are quite high. Disease is more easily treated (prevented) in its early stages.

Then there is our social contract. We are all in this together. By promoting society’s health, we all benefit. We owe our prosperity to the social and political system within which we live. Giving back to that society through our taxes and donations is important to maintaining the “system” today and for posterity.

Another way to look at it (selfishly) is to recognize that we must provide opportunity, jobs, health, and a future to all our citizens or risk an uprising if conditions deterioriate. A healthy growing middle class and a path to prosperity for the poor is necessary.

Consider many thrid world countries with a very wealthy class, some merchants, and the very poor. The wealthy support their government and the government supports the wealthy. Merchants must navigate a corrupt business environment (I know of one example where a merchant had his property taken by the government and given to a wealthy family who just wanted his land). The poor have no chance and no advocates. This social model is the outcome of a libertarian point of view: “Everyone for themselves”. Those who have will get, everyone else watch out.

An oversimplified argument to be sure, though it does make my point.

Another issue is what is the middle class? A 3br/2ba two story home in Memphis Tn is listed for $115,000. A 3br/2ba single story ranch home in Menlo Park Ca recently sold for $2,085,000.00. A family earning $100,000 per year in Memphis could be middle class. A family earning $100,000 in Menlo Park is certainly not middle class.

Oddly it is the mid-west and the south where the cost of living is lowest that many are crying loudest about paying for social programs. In most cases, these states are receiving more money in government programs per capita than the states on either coast. (Disclaimer: this is my opinion, and needs further research)

I live in California. The state was hard hit by the dot-com crash and then by the housing crash, but we are coming out of it. There is growth in the state. Yes the employment figures are bad, but not growing worse.

I used the web to find a health care plan for myself this morning. The quote was high, but not as bad as I expected. I will not be eligible for a government subsidy under the ACA, but that’s ok by me. It will be interesting to see if the insurance company actually provides coverage at the rate their website quoted.

I support the Democrats in not giving in to the whiners who want to scuttle the ACA. It was passed as law, approved by the Supreme Court, and will be implemented. “It’s a Mess” Yes, we’ll hear that often in the next few months. There will be many people enrolling for health care for the first time and there will be lots of confusion, bad choices, and “re-do”s. All that aside, health care for all should be a societal goal we all can get behind.

As is education for all. Another hot topic for a later blog entry.

Ron

He compared California’s success to that of the red states. Shows the GOP fear of socialism as the nonsense it is. As a fellow posted on nbcnews, “The game is up for the whacked out righties and now, hopefully, we can move on”.

Cruz is grandstanding to get recognition. He’ll do very well with funding and his career after he loses the GOP primary in 2014. He’s not about the truth; he’s about self promotion with lots of media attention.

Remember the Minute Men of the 50’s, or the John Birch Society? The Tea Party are the same guys in different clothes. Could as well be the KKK (well almost). I’ve heard denial that hate or racism is at the core of this stand-off. Probably for our congressmen and senators this is not true, but for their constituents it is most definitely true for many. Ever notice how much of the tea party is from the south? Consider how the confederate flag is still an issue in the south. Today we have an African American president, who does not have a birth certificate and is clearly a Muslim (GOP polls show this is a common belief among them)

So we argue about rational decision making: shut down the government or not. These are not rational people. They are running on emotion, self delusion, self importance, perhaps even hate. Let’s hope rational minds prevail. To default on our debt will cost us real dollars and not just the government. Each of us individually will be paying for our congress’ mistake in real dollars.

The John Birch Society was considered the loony right wing in the 50’s. Now they’re main stream? Not for me.

And watch what Obama Care actually does to reduce medical costs and thus the deficit. Most who don’t want Obama Care, do not really understand it.

rant: over and out.

Way back in the 1960s a back to nature movement spawned an awareness that all foods are not the same, that sugar may be bad for you, that pesticides may be bad for you. The organic food movement was started.

For me this makes sense, less pesticide in my food is probably good for me. Less sugar is also good for me. Vegetables are good for me. Less meat is good. All is good.

However the “all natural” movement in food has also led to a belief that “that which is not natural must not be good.” It is not a long leap to the belief that because vaccines are not natural, they must be bad.

I can understand the paranoid anti-government folks shunning a government program to vaccinate children. These folks are whacko in my opinion. Nothing they do would surprise me.

I can understand the Bible Thumpers, who believe GOD will take care of them and that it is GOD’s will if they get a disease and die. Whacko? Yes, but understandable.

This may be a gross overstatement, but for the most part the above two groups are relatively uninformed and under-educated (perhaps home educated).

What is most interesting and/or disturbing to me are the well educated people who by choice expose their children to Whooping Cough, measles, or other “eradicated” diseases. I can only figure they don’t believe the diseases are serious or they do not trust that the vaccines are safe (well they’re sure not “natural”).

There is a whooping cough epidemic starting in Texas and a number of cases in Marin County California. I don’t know about Texas, but Marin County is a very affluent well educated region of the San Francisco Bay Area. These people are neither anti-government nor buble thumpers for the most part and that makes the Whooping Cough outbreak here more tragic.

I guess where education butts up against belief, belief will always win out.

Ron

Bil Moyers’ recent interview with Economist Richard Wolf is a “must see”.

I highly recommend taking an hour out of your day and viewing this video:

http://billmoyers.com/episode/encore-taming-capitalism-run-wild-2/

The extremely wealthy have forgotten their social contract and have run amok. Bill’s video interview is very compelling and does not bode well for the future of our country if significant change is not made.

Ron