Posts

Showing posts with the label Republicans

If the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Has to Have a Nickname, Why Not Obamneycare?

Image
Obamneycare __________ Okay. I get why “ACA” might be a boring name for the Affordable Care Act; it doesn’t quite resonate and inspire. But why “Obamacare”? It seems to me that this nickname for such an important change in our healthcare system is too incendiary and polarizing, pitting Republican against Democrat, even among average citizens, cultivating an “Us versus Them” mentality when we should be working together to ensure that this change works for the benefit of all. I blame the media. Yes, you heard right: THE MEDIA. I expect Republicans to embrace the “Obamacare” term because it fits their narrative of “no” and negativity. No surprise there. But I don’t understand why the media (and even some Democrats) have jumped on “Obamacare” as the accepted lexicon for such an important and far-reaching change in healthcare, given that the ACA is actually a bipartisan idea, first carried out in Massachusetts as “Romneycare.” At the time, the term “Romneycare” made ...

Summer, the 20-Minute Rule, and Republicans

Image
One swallow alone does not make the summer . --Cervantes, Don Quixote It's hot today, thunderstorms expected later. Summer is not my favorite season, and this summer seems particularly brutal. Global warming? I don't know, though I wouldn't rule it out... This, too, will soon pass. I'm back on my program, after a rather long lapse. I'm not sure what has happened--I suppose my head has been in the wrong place. Certainly, my fork and spoon have been dipping in the wrong places. I am trying something a bit different: waiting 20 minutes after dinner before eating desert, and waiting at least 20 minutes after a snack before reaching for another one, even an on-points snack. It's very simple to do, and I figure I can wait 20 minutes easily enough ("I can do anything I want after 20 minutes"). I simply set the oven timer and go off to do something else. Sometimes I forget (so, no, I'm not hungry), and sometimes I wait impatiently for that ...

A Sad Day for the U.S.--Execution of Troy Davis

Image
Each murder is one too many . --Jurgen Habermas Let me say upfront: I don't know if Troy Davis was guilty or not guilty. What I do know: there was reasonable doubt, seven of nine witnesses recanting their previous testimony. And a man was executed, despite lingering doubts. In my opinion, this is unacceptable and does not reflect the actions of a civilized country. My heart goes out to the MacPhail family, but how would you feel if you later discovered that Troy Davis had been innocent? I can't imagine how I would feel if the person I watched being executed had not murdered my loved one. There can be no do-over. Yes, murder is a heinous act, but executing convicted people is in itself a barbaric act, making the executioners no better than the executed. The state of Georgia, its governor, and board of appeals should hang their heads in shame. The Supreme Court should hang its collective head in shame, all nine judges who denied Davis's appeal. A person's life ought to tr...

Memoir Madness: Driven to Involuntary Commitment