Interesting Times

Here is an interesting article by William Galston, published at Politico. A taste:

"Bill Clinton, in whose administration I served as a domestic policy adviser, spoke often of an economy that rewards Americans “who work hard and play by the rules.” Today, these Americans still work hard, but they no longer know what the rules are, and they are no longer seeing the rewards as readily. They want, but are not getting, a credible success story for the American economy in the 21st century. That is one reason why the sense of loss of control is so pervasive." 

I think that Galston captures the mood of working voters. There is a sense that Americans who refuse to work are benefiting more from the economy than those who bust their derrier. Families who don't work have their housing, food, medical care, utilities, and children's college education paid for by those who cannot afford to send their kids to college. Where is the reward in that?

I've personally seen people drop out of the work force because their employers no longer offer health insurance because they have received an "exemption". For individuals and families, the Obamacare premiums are too steep if the breadwinner has a decent job; these folks don't qualify for the subsidies. People who have manageable health conditions who could continue to work for years to come are forced onto the disability/medicaid rolls because it's the only way they can obtain the medications they require. Of course, you won't be reading about these families in the NY Times or watching their hard-luck stories on the ABC Nightly News with Brian Williams.

There is also a sense that government institutions have grown too big and corrupt. This tax season, the IRS will be confiscating the refunds (the actually overpayments of working Americans, not the income redistribution that is known in lower income/no income circles as a "tax refund") of Americans who cannot afford to pay the ACA premiums (of which a large chunk is a donation rather than an actual premium). This will not go over well. At all. 

NASA, the agency that inspired kids to dream BIG in our youth, is now a joke. The CDC, once the elite organization of health care and epidemiology, has been caught like a deer in the headlights by this Ebola business. The head of this once revered agency has no clothes. Have you seen the newest guidelines to stem the spread of this horrible hemorrhagic nightmare? Here, take a look:

The CDC released new Ebola guidelines on Monday for monitoring travelers, including healthcare workers, coming to the U.S. from West Africa.

For asymptomatic travelers at the highest level of risk (e.g., received a needle stick when caring for an Ebola patient, or cared for a patient without wearing protective equipment), the CDC is recommending voluntary at-home isolation and direct active monitoring for fever and symptoms for 21 days. Those with some risk (e.g., a returning healthcare worker) are advised to undergo daily active monitoring and, depending on the local health department, could also be restricted from boarding airplanes or public transportation or going to work, similar to the high-risk group.

Several medical groups, including the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America and the Infectious Diseases Society of America, have denounced some states requiring that all healthcare workers returning from Ebola-stricken countries undergo a mandatory 21-day quarantine.

Editorialists in the New England Journal of Medicine write: "We should be honoring, not quarantining, health care workers who put their lives at risk not only to save people suffering from Ebola virus disease in West Africa but also to help achieve source control, bringing the world closer to stopping the spread of this killer epidemic."

Does that give you confidence? Especially after the New York doctor who chose to transverse a city of 20 million people via the subway, after only being home from West Africa for a few days? Or the nurse (cringe) who has thrown a conniption fit because she was forcibly quarantined for day or two, threatening to sue because her civil rights were violated? Do these examples give you the warm, fuzzy feel of certainty that your health care professionals are placing the public health as a first priority over their own comfort?

There is also a sense that our elections are not free and fair, and that shenanigans are commonplace. We've all seen the photos of NBP goons hijacking a polling place, read the stories of voting machines that register straight-ticket democrat regardless of who the voter actually selects, heard the whispers of illegals (and dead people) voting in many jurisdictions. What's the truth? The media isn't trying to find out, that's for sure. If the Rs don't take the senate next week, as every poll says they will, how will conservative voters react? 

May we live in interesting times.

Indeed.