SO HERE WE ARE AGAIN

We look back at the closure of the US government and we can safely say that not a single thing has changed. Let's look at this from a simplistic perspective:

• The affordable care act is still a troubled piece of legislation 
• The site for insurance exchanges has been a joke
• The parties are still pointing fingers without really doing a damn thing
• The medical device tax will likely bring forth a wrath of special interest battles

So, to sum it all up we got screwed as a nation for 16 days with nothing to show for it. I remember hearing a zealous conservative say it was a liberal thing while also watching liberals say it was a conservative thing. Let's face facts for a minute, liberals and conservatives are not working for anything other than their own legacies, the constituency always comes last. 

A few years ago I read a book that was written by Samuel Pettengill, who served in the US congress for 8 years during the great division. I remember his book Smoke Screen was an insider's view into Washington politics and essentially served as the counterpoint to The New Deal. If we look at the Affordable Care Act, it's really the med version of the new deal. 

It doesn't matter if you are for it or if you are against it, it's the law of the land. This law like any other law requires expenditures and said expenditures have to come from forms of taxation we as a nation may not agree with. In the end if it works or if it doesn't is going to depend on fund allocation and proper execution. The fact is that politicians could care less, they want the ability to cater to someone in order to have fall back money because the hundreds of thousands that they make every year is not enough. 

Obama was a community organizer and is now a millionaire like every other US president to come around. It doesn't matter what you think, opinions of the masses are unimportant at this point. The Affordable Care Act will likely stick around and present problems like the insurance exchanges site, for one. It's time we wake up, smell the coffee and realize that are interests are not that important to our 535 legislators. 

CAN WE REALLY CALL THEM LEADERS?

I don't care if you are a democrat or a republican because we live in a free country. I'm bound by our constitution and the freedom of speech, choice, and so on, to respect your ideals. I don't have a side but I do have an observation about both sides. If you are a republican or a democrat and feel sensitive then please stop reading now.

I turn my TV on and all I hear is republicans blaming democrats and vice versa. Every politician with high hopes is getting their name out there in hopes that either the mid term elections or 2016 will be their breakout period. Let's not talk about sides, let's treat this in a more general manner so we can better appraise what's happening.

We put our futures in the hands of men and women that, although well educated, are as flawed as we are. These men and women reach a point where their nature is to assume that they as singular beings know better than every one of their constituents. While most of the time these men and women are well educated, that doesn't mean that they are beyond our reproach or better than us. While society needs a specific order and manner of law, that law and that order needs to be established with the interests of the people in mind.

It's true that 300 million Americans cannot individually agree on anything, other than their right to disagree. I think that one thing we can agree on is the fact that our "leaders" can't step outside of their fragile egos and do what's right. The root of this battle is Obamacare, whether you are for it or against it is irrelevant, at the moment anyway.

You have elected officials hurting the economy, the country's standing, and the well being of the average citizen because " they know what's best." The truth is that whatever our founding fathers spoke of ,when they banded together against an imperialist empire, has evaporated. Today the government does not stand for the cause of its citizens, it simply stands for whatever keeps key figures in power.

Republicans want to be seen as the guardians of value, the keepers of America's coffers. To house republicans it is vital to strike out against Obama's signature law. On the flip side, Democrats want to be  seen as the merry thieves of Sherwood Forrest. What we have are a couple of groups shooting toward opposite extremes and not giving a care about how badly this is stressing the middle. The government did not need to close over this disagreement and that's an undeniable truth, regardless of political proclivity.

It doesn't matter if you agree with the healthcare law or not, this is a game of hide and seek with the economy. I'm not saying that republicans needed to cave, nor that democrats needed to cave. I am stating that both sides should have agreed to serious talks with regards to keeping the government open and not holding the population hostage. The big concern now is the debt celling and how that particular issue will be affected, truthfully that's not really as big an issue though.

I think the bigger issue is the question of how we can make our "leaders" act less like gangsters at a mob pow wow and more like leaders. Until these "leaders" can change their tune, America will continue to look like a day care full of children with discipline problems.

HILLARY

I have been hearing a lot about Hillary Clinton making a run in 2016. I am not one to really go into politics often but I will say this, I think Hillary's chances are not as great as people make them out to be. Hillary Clinton is a brilliant woman and it's clear she was not a run of the mill first lady. I admire her 1994 push for a universal healthcare plan as well as her 7 year US senate run. I think Hillary is one of the great first ladies, proving that a difference can be made in that spot, beyond a symbolic diplomatic role.

I don't think that with her history of recent health issues, and the much publicized Benghazi issue, Hillary can really make a strong showing for herself. I do believe that the right time would have been in 2008, I believe she had far more experience than Obama and was better suited to handle the economy. I think another issue that will really cripple Hillary Clinton's chances in 2016 will be her age. The last three US presidents elected have all been under 55. This country has yet to openly accept the possibility of a female president.

I do think that republicans will face an uphill climb in 2016 simply because there is no visibly strong candidate out there. I will say this for republicans, 76' did not have a darker horse than Jimmy Carter and he beat Gerald Ford, granted that Ford was weakened by his pardon of Nixon as well as the loss of Nelson Rockefeller, who chose not to run on the Ford ticket. Right now 2016 will be determined by how the economy, job market, and healthcare legislation all look.

While I do think that a female president would help the US re-establish its credibility as the world's lead power, I am almost certain that it won't be Hillary. I could be wrong, however I don't care because in the end I don't think in terms of party lines, I think in terms of what's best, and lately nothing really seems to work.

HEALTH CARE IS INCREDIBLY COMPLICATED EVERYWHERE

I can't understand why there is such a complex situation regarding healthcare not just in the US but really in the world. There is currently a bill before congress attempting to repeal "Obamacare" otherwise known as The Affordable Care Act. Let's look at healthcare in a less complicated manner for a second.

Health Care is not a privilege that should only be afforded to those that can afford it and yet it seems that it's that precise issue the one that is plaguing it. People aspire for affordable care but truthfully it gets more and more out of reach daily. I don't think the problem lies with the costs associated so much as it does with the fact that insurance determines whether or not to pay a physician. I am familiar with this because my father was a physician and he constantly struggled with insurance companies and often they did not comply.

Insurance is the middle man that is supposed to facilitate care and it fails to do it in a regal manner. Now I ask: Is socialized medical care an answer? The answer is a big no. Let's look at the European Union for a quick second. if you look at the rankings of the World Health Organization most countries in the EU fund over 75% of their medical care publicly. Years ago that idea was brought before congress by Hillary Clinton during her husband's administration and it failed miserably.

The problem with socialized medicine is that the system is not executed in a manner that benefits the patient. I know that in the Netherlands which has a WHO ranking of 17 and a European ranking of 14 and  there are big deficiencies. Prescriptions are given and not properly monitored while specialist visits are rarely recommended by primary care physicians. While I respect a PCP I don't understand why one would decide that he or she could do the job of a Neurologist, Gynecologist, or for that matter Cardiologist.

We can avoid the issues plaguing care in the US if we regulate insurance and learn to police their practices as opposed to serving their interests. I also think that the EU system would work far more effectively if a number of specialist visits and proper monitoring of medication was put more effeciently into play. While socialized medicine works through a system of taxation it does not really mean it's effective in nature and practice.

If Obamacare is repealed, which I doubt, we go back to scrambling for a solution to a problem that's spent nearly a half century on the congressional floor. I think that in order to solve the problem people need to educate themselves and understand the definitions of words such as socialism, and terms such necessary taxation medical care.

Let's move on our own behalf because democracy says we can.