If It Were Up to Me

    What a way to start a dialog! How many times in the course of a conversation between groups of people, of any number, have you heard someone say that? Perhaps that someone who uttered the query was you yourself.  In keeping with that, right now, it is my turn and my targets are topics that are political in nature.  I suppose the recent bipartisan road trip of two congressmen this past week has inspired me and I'd suggest that you blame them should I post something you don't like or take offense to, but I won't do that; these thoughts and meanderings are of my own making, here goes.

    Student Loans:  If the people who owe money on student loans are without work, through no fault of their own or because of extenuating circumstances and this has happened at least one other time in the previous 5 years, let the borrower apply to have them completely forgiven.  The national debt isn't going to be affected that much. And to those who say it will, if deed it is, then we'll recover. But why saddle on the backs of folks who are already burdened most likely with profound financial circumstances this extra weight? Should they work it off? Ok, how about if they volunteer for 10hrs a week for 6 -12 months in exchange for that payoff? Volunteer with the VA, with after school tutoring programs, or similar; needed and necessary work gets done and the burden of debt is removed.

     Healthcare:  Ok, here's one for you - I think that the healthcare of our population should not be a part of the health budget but rather I think it should be considered part of national defense.  Remember the talks of biological warfare?  How about the noncombatant chatter of "superbugs"?  If another country tried to point weapons against us or invade our military would be all over them.  Why wouldn't it be the same for biological issues?  How do we know where they are coming from? How and who they will affect?  Ok, so now that the idea of putting it in the budget of national defense is out here in conversation, what all should be covered, well person care, regardless of age, aka preventative care?  How about palliative care?  What if the basics were covered.. 2 MD visits a year, 3 if you've a chronic condition. You'd be allowed one ER visit a year, up to 72 hrs as in inpatient, and of course prenatal and maternity; all of them paid, as well as requisite medications necessary for one's health. THEN, let employers, insurance marketplaces etc.. battle it out, market all to heck additional coverages.  This way you can at least keep a slight handle on the basics and perhaps head off anything catastrophic. Furthermore regarding prescriptions, what the medications are and what they are for should not fall into any particular  category - they're simply prescribed medications. To categorize them or denote any special quality to what they are or for whom would violate privacy and HIPAA laws anyway, so take anything of the table that would give that denotation.  It's no one's business what an individual takes or for what. Conditions that require medication that might designate disability or workability would require tweaking, but again, I am talking basics here.  Additionally, if prescribed and necessary medications can dispensed relatively cheaply in foreign lands, they can be equally dispensed in the same way here. 

   Let's turn these monstrously for profit industries into true service industries and adjust pay accordingly. Then, we can sit back and watch minimum wages rise. :)

    Let's have a dialog.
    

Sojourn of Difference

  It is not unusual, too much, for areas of our country to get inundated with snows in March; often times at least area of the country gets whollopped with climactic events of seemingly monstrous proportions.  The really nice aspect of these potentially treacherous events s that they can often times bring out great ingenuity in folks.  This most recent one was no different and the actions of two drew the attentions of thousands.

  Congressman Will Hurd and Congressman Beto O'Rourke, both representatives of the great state of Texas, were in their home state when a blizzard hit the east coast and our nation's capitol affecting their ability to return to Congress where their presence was needed to cast votes on key issues. 

   With airline flights being cancelled by the hundreds to locations from Maine to south of Washington DC, the two of them decided to join together, rent a car, and drive back to work. They knew it'd be a very long drive but while they drove they could discuss their differences, debate as necessary, and show that a democrat and a republican could work together to accomplish a goal; in the current climate of political polarization the importance of the latter becomes heightened. To highlight and ramp up that significance, they decided to livestream their sixteen hundred mile sojourn through social media and accomplish other goals as well. They would show that they could disagree without being disagreeable - the ultimate in bipartisanship. Yet, they didn't stop there. they utilized this very same social media in accepting questions, suggestions, and ideas on topics to discuss and even where to eat or what music to listen to, all done while traversing the highways and byways on their trip; it was followed and tracked by thousands. They created a mobile town hall bringing the Congress to the people. Genius!    And it was in bringing together anyone and everyone into their journey that they accomplished this historic feat. Moreover, their amity in working together and compromising in resolving problems - not only provided an example but  spawned a burgeoning desire for all of us especially both houses of Congress to emulate the example they displayed. These gentlemen, whether they are fully aware or not, taught a very valuable lesson, even from a donut shop at 11 o'clock at night.

   There are people who want to be heard by someone in authority, and without having to hand overt oodles of cash (that they may not have at their disposal) for dinners that will might garner them 5 -10 minutes of time. Folks, who are seemingly inconsequential unless it's election time or people who may feel as if no one listens to them, which oftentimes, is sadly true. Do these folks need resolution? Sometimes, yes they do, but what is more important is that they are heard or that points that they feel need to be made, are addressed and that someone who is in an effecting position gives them that opportunity. These congressmen, by their actions accomplished just that.  They made everyone, on your sojourn, part of their constituency. They didn't talk down to anyone. They didn't seek to flex governmental muscle or show importance with high profile name dropping. They weren't there for show. They were there because it was enroute to a much needed goal and why not use what initially may have been viewed as an imposition of time, to accomplish something meaningful.

   Like my fellow citizens, let's have a dialog.