Happy Birthday to me!

Today marks a significant milestone in my life.  On this day, I celebrate my 80th birthday! 

This is a remarkable accomplishment since statistically I should probably be dead.  On March 12, 2012, I was diagnosed with esophageal cancer.  According to the American Cancer Society I had only a 40 per cent chance of living five years so if I can live a couple more weeks, I shall have beaten the odds.

I cannot think of a better way to celebrate my four score years than lambasting the Republicans for their absurd position on health care.  Let’s get something straight, the Republicans do not want all Americans to have universal health care.  Period.

Why?  Because the only way to give all Americans universal health care is to get private insurers out of the game—completely. Health care in America is a for-profit industry and private insurers, drug companies, cancer clinics et al are only interested in making money.  They could care less about your health.

For Republicans reading this, I will try to explain in terms even they can understand. Health CARE and health INSURANCE are two different things.  When Republicans say the government wants to control your health CARE, they are lying.  The government actually wants to protect you from being screwed by private corporations.  Private insurers are pulling out of the   ACA or raising premiums simply because they are not making enough money.

With Medicare and the ACA, the government provides health INSURANCE so you can pay for your health CARE.  Medicare works because private insurance companies’ involvement is kept to a minimum—the so-called Advantage plans and medigap policies.

Now the Republicans are tossing around things like “privatizing” Medicare (and Social Security)—a dreadful idea—“vouchers” you can use to buy, what? Private insurance and “patient centered care.”  That last one is really stupid.  ALL health care is patient centered. Who do you think is getting the care?   Of course, Republicans claim this is to get the government out of “dictating your health care.”  That is pure bull.  The government does not "dictate" nor get involved with your health CARE.  As you can imagine, I have had a rather intimate relationship with the American health care system for the last five years and the government has had absolutely nothing to do with choosing my doctors, what kind of treatment I would get and where I would get it.  I have not been turned down for anything and I am quite happy with government managed Medicare, thank you, and if it were not for that government program I would be bankrupt, dead or both in that order.

As stated in a previous blog, I am afraid.  I am afraid of the Republicans.  But since this is my birthday I have decided to adopt a positive attitude.  I am optimistic that, fortunately, I will be dead before the Republicans succeed in destroying Social Security, Medicare and the American Democracy I have known and believed in all my life.

From the Observation Deck:  Where do I begin…?

Having just watched The Trump’s performance at CPAC full of sound and fury praising and exalting himself, it’s hard to pick out what to comment upon first.  So, for starters I chose his attack on the “anonymous sources” in the “false press.”  (Note: “false press” means those that criticize him.)  This is a topic I know a great deal about and one about which The Trump knows nothing. For nine years in the 60s and 70s I was a full time correspondent for Fairchild Publications, a New York publisher of business newspapers, three dailies and seven weeklies as well as Men’s Wear Magazine.  We had bureaus all over Europe and in Tokyo.  When correspondent in Paris, NATO was part of my beat and when Bureau Chief for Italy in Milan I covered trade with America.  I had many sources inside NATO and in the Italian equivalent of the Department of Commerce.  Any serious journalist (and despite The Trump’s anti-press rantings, there are still a great many serious journalists) cultivates inside sources.  They are a journalist’s life blood.   Journalists need to get accurate information, that is their job and protecting the sources identity is part the agreement—you give me good information I will not reveal your identity.  Anything, anything that appeared questionable was challenged by my editors in New York.  They would query me on the validity of my source and I told them so they editor and publisher knew but my source was protected. It happened to me 60 years ago and I know it happens today.  So don’t believe The Trump on “anonymous sources”—he has no idea what he’s talking about.  As a final note, The Trump attacking “anonymous sources” is totally hypocritical.  Just recall how many times The Trump cites, “Lots of people agree with me…”   “Everybody knows I’m right…”  “I have a friend who told me…”

This is for those of you who like journalism lore:  When sending stories to New York, by cable (no Internet then) I sometimes would send in “takes” that is, one page at a time.  At the bottom of each take I would type  “-more-” meaning there was more to come. 

   -more-  

The Observation Deck:  Judge to financial advisors, “thou shalt not lie to clients”

With all the attention given to the President’s slamming Nordstrom’s for discontinuing his daughter’s fashion line, and his telling the whole world we have a lousy judicial system, you may have missed the Trump regime’s attempt to make it legal for financial advisers to give their clients bad advice.  The “fiduciary rule” established by the Obama administration requires financial advisors to put their clients’ interests first when giving advice on investments and retirement accounts.  Seems reasonable right?  Well, spearheaded by The Trump’s top economic advisor Gary Cohn, erstwhile president of Goldman Sachs, a law suit was filed to overturn the “fiduciary rule” and basically allow financial advisers to make money by lying to their clients and giving them bad advice.  Fortunately, a federal judge in Texas upheld the rule.  It looks like another “so-called judge” is prepared to stick up for what is right, constitutional and honest and willing to face the wrath of our so-called president.

Observation Deck:  Sunday morning comin’ down

It’s always fun to watch the Sunday morning news talk shows.  It’s amazing the way The Trump’s apologists twist and squirm to explain that he really didn’t say the things he actually said or, the stupid press just did not understand what he said, or—the now classic rebuttal— they offer “alternative facts.”  Oh, remember the other Trumpist rationalization, we shouldn’t take what he says literally.

From a philosophical perspective, the apologists are often dealing with the fallacy known as “the loaded question.”  The classic example is, “When did you stop beating your wife?” Any answer is equally incriminating

. 

Take The Trump’s declaration that all of the nearly 3,000,000 popular votes that went to Hillary were cast by illegals and were therefore all fraudulent.   Now if you ask Trumpists if they believe that, they are faced with a dilemma.  If they say “no,” they are admitting their leader is a liar.  If they say “yes,” considering the overwhelming evidence against it, they know they will be considered exceedingly gullible and will believe anything and everything The Trump says without question.

This morning’s shows all featured Mike Pence who has assumed the role of apologizer-in-chief.  All three shows—Meet the Press, George Stephanopoulos, and Face the Nation—directly questioned Pence about The Trump’s attack on “so-called” judge James Robart.  Of course he deftly evaded giving a direct answer.  Rather than elaborate here (you can check the video clips) I’ll just quote what Meet the Press panelist Tavis Smiley said about Pence:  “He was twisting like a pretzel.”   Perhaps we should now refer to our “so-called” President.

The Observation Deck:  The more things change…

All ten Democrats on the committee boycotted the hearing to confirm Scott Pruitt as EPA Director.  One Republican commented this was “unprecedented obstructionism.”  A conservative friend--yes I do have some conservative friends I discuss things with--was outraged and declared to me, “The Republicans have never done that!”  Well, yes they did in 2013 when they boycotted Gina McCarthy’s EPA Director nomination hearings.  All eight Republicans refused to participate causing the White House to declare this was a “historic level of obstructionism.”  So now we not only have “alternate facts” we also have “ignorable facts.”