I'M DREAMING OF A WHITE

Here’s a miscellaneous compilation of shorter takes on various aspects of the continuing crisis. 

THIS LAND WAS MADE FOR YOU AND ME.  Over the weekend, Iowa Congressman Steve King (Republican, naturally) tweeted a complaint about American civilization being threatened by “somebody else’s babies.”  CNN offered him a chance to “clarify” his remarks, so that he could look a little less like a racist dick.  Instead, King doubled down, telling CNN, "I'd like to see an America that's just so homogenous that we look a lot the same."  Former KKK Grand Wizard David Duke and the neo-Nazi Daily Stormer gave him a standing ovation.  The largest town in King’s congressional district is Sioux City, which must bug the hell out of him.  They should change its name to Aryanburg or Angloville.

I COME FROM DOWN IN THE VALLEY, WHERE MISTER WHEN YOU’RE YOUNG, THEY BRING YOU UP TO DO LIKE YOUR DADDY DONE.  I listened to an interesting podcast conversation (link below) with Rick Wilson, a Republican ad man who loathes Donald Trump.  He mentioned a focus group in one of the Rust Belt states, where a man was literally in tears because the factory where he, his father and grandfather once worked had closed, and he couldn’t imagine a future apart from that factory. 

Donald Trump knows one way to get the support of the displaced white working class – he lies to them.  Maybe that’s what they want.  Do folks in Appalachia and the Rust Belt really believe that Trump will bring back mining and factory jobs?  When it doesn’t happen, will they get mad?  Will they blame Trump for lying?  Or will they look for a minority group to scapegoat?  I’d really love to hear Wilson’s ideas about how to have an honest conversation with the economic casualties of the 21st century. 

Things change, Kundun.  You can demand that the federal government keep your factory or mine open by taxing other Americans to subsidize your job.  But you can’t do that and then turn around and complain about taxes and welfare queens and similar Republican talking points.     

HOW CAN WE HELP YOU, UTAH?  HOW CAN WE MAKE YOU GREAT?  Paul Ryan is the reigning heavyweight champion of congressional hypocrisy, but a new challenger is moving up fast.  Utah Congressman Jason Chaffetz (Republican, of course) is the chair of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.  The word “oversight” has two rather opposite meanings: monitoring and ignoring.  Historically, the committee’s job was monitoring, but Chaffetz prefers ignoring.  He aggressively ignores Trump’s malfeasance, although he is eager to investigate Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. 

Chaffetz is now dodging his own constitutents by refusing to schedule more town halls.  He’s resurrected a phrase used by southern racists back in the civil rights era, calling his town hall critics “outside agitators.” paid by George Soros to come to Utah and be mean to him.  History has not been kind to those who have relied on that phrase.

His latest headlines came when he scolded low-income Americans for complaining about having to pay more for less coverage under Ryan’s health care plan. “Maybe rather than getting that new iPhone that they just love and they want to go spend hundreds of dollars on that, maybe they should invest in their own health care,” said the compassionate Utahan. 

Let’s crunch some numbers.  A top of the line iPhone (7 Plus, 256GB) lists for $969.  In 2013, the most recent year for which I could find data, a day in the hospital would have cost you between $1791 (in a for-profit facility) and $2289 (in a private hospital).  If you were in the habit of buying two iPhones every day, you could save enough to pay your hospital bills.  Otherwise, you’re pretty much screwed. 

The truth is, poor people don’t choose between health care and iPhones.  When disaster strikes, their choice is often between health care and food or rent. 

FREEDOM’S JUST ANOTHER WORD FOR NOTHING LEFT TO LOSE.   The Congressional Budget Office estimates that Paul Ryan’s Trumpcare proposal would deprive 24 million people of health insurance in the next decade, while increasing the cost of premiums significantly for the next few years.  Ryan calls that freedom.  The good news, if you’re Paul Ryan, is that by about 2020, the cost of the premiums will begin to come down– because old geezers like me won’t be able to afford Trumpcare and will drop out of the risk pool, thus lowering coverage costs for the young and healthy. 

I have always relied on the kindness of strangers, so if you see someone who looks like me panhandling at a busy intersection in 2020, please give generously.

Here’s the link to the podcast I mentioned earlier:  https://play.google.com/music/listen#/ps/Iv27632tkzhgs67kjvtmvtdtwbu