Covid and an Election
There is a lot going on with Covid and an Election year.
The conspiracy theorists will tell you that there has been a major outbreak during every election year. I am not too sure about that, but I will say that I was better prepared after reading Porter Stansberry’s book “American Jubilee“. There is a lot of mud slinging going on. Sadly what I hear from the Biden-Harris camp is vague feel good political rhetoric with a lot af mudslinging.
Trump really doesn’t need to mudsling when cities are rioting and burning. Democratic led cities specifically in democratic states. Wouldn’t it be great if we could erase the party lines, and candidates could present real plans?
Even during “the new deal” there were “work programs” where the government put people to work until they could return to private employment. Now the right calls it a waste of money and the left calls it inhumane. Both sides hate it, while people need it.
Some thoughts to chew on this election season.
- Remove race and ethnicity from government forms. How about we all call ourselves and treat each other simply as “Americans”. Lets not only preach equality, lets start acting like it exists so it has a chance to exist. The French got this right after the revolution. Fraterity-Liberty-Equality is right on their seal.
- Free Education – Ok, I’ll agree that an education is a great way to get ahead in life. Lets start by teaching people how to ride bikes on the roads instead of on sidewalks going the wrong way at 25mph with their new electric bike.
Now as far as getting an education for free. I don’t know of a college in this country that is begging for students. None of them are lowering tuition to attract more students. That said, if you do the work, I think you should be able to go. If you can’t afford it, the Government should offer some options.
To kill two birds with one stone – Rising pensions of government employees and rising student debt – I suggest the following:
For each year of school after high school, the student owes one year of government service. At the end of the service only 3% may remain on as public servants and earn a pension. The other 97% shall return to private sector (tax paying) work. If you go to a technical or 2 year program, you owe two years.
These are paid government jobs like DMV clerk or parking patrol. If you become an MD, you can work at the VA, in the US Armed forces or other public sector health program for the years you owe. If you become an attorney, you will work for a city or county clerk, District Attorney or other related office. - Free Health Care – While this is a great dream, it is in no way a reality and that is proven throughout history. There is a solution though. Yes there should be better access to emergency health care and we should also be a lot better at limiting the things that are dangerous for us. EBT cards should not be used for fast food any more than they should be used for cigarettes. We are creating our own problems.
As long as the patient/citizen is held responsible for their end of the bargain it could work. If you only eat greasy fast foods and get heart disease, you don’t get a free heart transplant. Doctors must prescribe exercise, vitamins and other solutions and should be penalized for prescribing drugs when there are holistic options that are proven to work. The same would be true for surgeries. We don’t need another Doctor Moon.
Deductibles could be based on income. The more you make the greater your deductible. Yes it’s a tax, I get it, and I am rarely for more taxes. The biggest problem I have is the bureaucratic bloat. If private insurance still remains in place as it does now with the “exchanges” then we not only pay the profit of the insurance company, we add the expense of the state run “exchange”. Those two factors are most of what drives up the cost of health care.
You could also earn lower deductibles by staying healthy and exercising. “From those who can to those who need” is a simple statement but it is pretty clear that if you can you should, and I think when it comes to taking care of yourself, that is a requirement. I have seen vets with both legs missing take better care of themselves than most Americans. If you want universal healthcare, universal responsibility needs to be part of the package. - Voter Identification – I really don’t get why this is a hot button. Should the whole world be allowed to vote in our elections? I don’t get to vote in France or Mexico. Someone clearly is voting twice. Why an ID requirement for voting is such a hot topic tells me someone is cheating and knows it. I need an ID to buy beer, it isn’t unrealistic to need an ID to vote.
- Vote where you are taxed. If you own property in two places you should be able to vote once nationally for the president, congress and senate. You pick where. Then you also should be able to vote on local elections anywhere you are paying taxes locally, either by working there or owning property there. I think “US Citizen” should be on your drivers license or ID and that allows you to vote in the national election. The address on your ID allows you to vote in that local election. If you want to vote somewhere else, then you need a paystub showing you paid tax there or a property tax bill. If your taxes are paying for them, you should get a vote.
- Congress, the Senate and the President shall abide by all laws. Being an elected member of the federal government does not put you above the law.
- Ban Mudslinging – Facts about what a candidate said and how they voted can be published. The rest is off the table. Let’s be civilized about this. Creating anger doesn’t make this a better country.
- Ban Opinion News – Newspapers, Magazines and Public Broadcast mediums should not support or endorse any candidate or policy. They can report the facts and expert views on the potential effects of a policy or candidate. When doing so, both sides must be given equal opportunity. Why people listen to CNN or Fox baffles me.
- Let the Punishment fit the Crime – What happened to “hard labor”? Why do prisons have color TV’s and Gyms? If you make the inside nicer than the outside, what is the incentive to go straight and stay out? Prisons are a huge private sector business, and that in itself is part of the problem.
- Aw hell, that is enough for one day. If enough people flame me for this, maybe I’ll write more. My bet is less than 100 people will spend the time to read this and even think about the opportunity that we have for the future.
If you got this far, thank you for considering my opinions about Covid and Elections this election year.