Uncle Kai's 2010 Midterm Election Debrief

Well, well, well. I know, I’m not a very good blogger if I only blog semi-annually. But this election certainly deserves some comment from your resident Christian-Socialist. If my complete and utter lack of frequency weren’t enough to destroy any credibility among my trickle of readers, I’d like to add that I was heavily in favor of prop 19 (decriminalizing Marijuana in California). Pot is less harmful than alcohol, and I lack so many vices (except for video games) that I’d love to have a chance to toke it up, if it were only legal (Romans 13:1)

As you know, I believe that the essence of Christ: Selflessness, directly contradicts the essence of Capitalism: Self-Interest. Thus, I believe that the Tea Party Agenda is ultimately flawed: De-Regulation enables Capitalism and thus galvanizes the richest 5% of Americans to continuously f___ (screw) the middle class.

But, the original Tea Party was all about taxation without representation. In theory, the original Tea Partiers would have been ok with a tax if they had an MP in Parliament representing them. Since we are now a free democracy, they deserve their representation and they got it. They ran, got legitimate support from a grass roots insurgency, and won the majority in Congress. I will say in plain English that the Tea Party is deluded in thinking that smaller government is the solution to the problem that it caused, but I admit their victory is substantial and I applaud them for it. My prayer is that the deluded public will figure out that they were bamboozled before re-election time for Obama.

Indeed, these next two years will be fraught for the Dems. I want to say here that the carnal part of me wants the dems to return the favor to the Republicans. I want the Minority Party to block every legislation the Republicans would try to pass: to embarrass them into a party that accomplishes nothing with Obama’s vetoing pen. BUT, my true wish is for Dems to take the high road. (It burns me up inside that this is NOT good politics, and that they won’t get the same outcome the Republicans did this year), but I do want the Dems to compromise, do the work that politicians do, and pass effective Jobs, Immigration, and (hopefully) climate change bills (yeah I know I’m dreaming on that last one). So this is my olive branch, you guys were stubborn, fillabustering curmudgeons, but for the sake of the American People, I think we ought to be loosey goosey flip floppers…. sigh.

The ray of sunlight here is that Fiorina will not win tonight and Harry Reid’s frail body arose from the grave (I could kiss that wrinkly face). I’m thankful that at least Californians and Nevadans are sane enough to see that some of the aspirations of the Republican Party, like cutting from Education before reversing tax cuts for the super rich, is nothing less than criminal (Matthew 19:14). The moderates in the U.S. still have a voice (be it a voice drowned out by the shouts of the belligerent). There is a remnant of sanity in 2010.

My lightening reactions:
Brown>Whitman: Did anyone ever doubt it?
Boxer>Fiorina: Whew, crisis averted (chaos averted, at least Whitman is competent!)
Chiang>that other guy: HELL YES, GO CHINA! Err, and, yes, he did tell the governator to go shove it during last years budget fiasco.
Cooley?Harris: wait, what? Did Cooley stick his foot in his mouth? Crossing my fingers for Harris
Newsom>Maldonado: Don’t ever call me a Pinko again, I voted for Maldonado. Any Republican who will cross party lines to get stuff done is an ally to me. Newsom will be Governor (if not President) some day so he doesn’t need my vote yet.
No on 19: 2012 babies, it’s happening
No on 21: C’mon guys, it’s just $18 dollars to keep State Parks from closing! Go visit a Park gosh dammit!!
No on 23: California remains the leader in Green Tech and stemming Climate Change. “Every time an oil company fails, an angel gets its wings!”
No on 24: I own a business and I voted yes on this. Looking after widows and orphans takes money.

“Today Nevada chose hope over fear.”
-Harry Reid

Health Care part II: Den of Robbers

Thank you all very much for reading, please do stay in touch with me and leave your thoughts here. I do read them and consider them; I just don’t have the time to respond to them all. ***And, you may notice that my language gets a little more… particular… in this blog… that is, I believe that the Republican Party has gotten us into this mess that we’re in yet they are blaming the problem on the current administration (wars, economy, unemployment, inept health care, bank bonuses, all their fault) and it’s time for us Dems to go on the offensive. I’ve been more general in my terminology as I didn’t want to kick a Republican on the ground after losing the white house and both houses of congress, but now that’s all changed. So, fiscal conservatives take your overpriced hypertension meds and hang on to your butts!

Health care is such a mammoth issue that I’ve had trouble coming up with a way to approach the subject. I’ve also been supremely busy, but, as today is Lincoln’s birthday and my students have the day off (but everyone else has to work) I’ve found myself with an odd commodity: time! Plus, I heard in the news today that Anthem Blue Cross CA is increasing their rates nearly 40% and that just pisses me off.

I want to begin with the thought that inspired me to write about health care in the first place months ago: my own story. I own a business. I have a pre-existing condition (one that I was born with). After graduating from college there was no way in Hades I could get health insurance. I in particular need health reform. BUT, even if I wasn’t biased towards reform, even if I knew that the plan was flawed and would not lead to results right away, even if I knew it meant higher taxes (it doesn’t), shouldn’t I as a Christian willingly offer my treasure to help someone else (I don’t even know) get covered? Isn’t it my calling to put the needs of the tens of thousands of uninsured over my own? My simple answer is, yes.

Now, there is a lot of complexity in the statement I just made, not all of which I can get into but I will comment on this: First, I’ll say that my personal situation flies in the face of Republican sentiment that they are the ones advocating for small business and “Joe the Plumber.” Eff Joe the Plumber, how about “Mr kai the guitar teacher?” If I were to get sick right now, not only would my business go under, my parents would probably have to sell their house to save my ass (tangent here into those small business owners who don’t have that cushion). Republicans who are unwilling to reform Health Care, well, that’s all of them, are hypocritical in their claim to support small business. Hey Palin, you want to cut taxes for small business? “YOU LIE!!” Small business owners everywhere are paying a tax of our own blood every time we get injured, every time we get sick, we are on the brink of collapse.

Now, the pervading resistance to health care seems to be the cost: a legitimate concern, if it were only… true. Uh, our current health care plan is bankrupting our country, and Obama’s plan will save us money and reduce the deficit over the next 10 years (if any of you don’t understand why it needs to lose some money in it’s first few years please take freshman econ). So my whole sentiment of feeling willing to give up some treasure if I were an employed and insured Asian man is only a half truth, my desire for reform will not likely cost me anything and will probably save my children and grand children boat loads.

Now, lies like “death panels” seem to race like lightening through the media, but the old statistical truths are neglected. I’d like to remind you all we are bringing up the rear amongst industrialized nations on all health care data: life-expectancy, infant mortality etc. We also have the most expensive health care in the world BY FAR. Based on this data alone, all of you should be pro-reform. If you are a republican and your reasoning is “yes we need reform, just not this bill”, well, I would like a republican drafted centrist bill… but I think we all know that no one from the GOP is working on it (or even contributing to the ones dems are trying to pass).

(Defend this if you can) Republicans aren’t interested in the health of the American people or the preservation of small businesses like Tritone Music Academy, they are interested in two things: 1) Having Obama fail, and 2) preserving the status quo. Meanwhile coffers from the Health Care lobby are stocking your campaign funds with money dirtied by the blood of those denied health insurance due to pre-existing conditions. This is corruption and bribery. The simple reality is that free market capitalism has failed us, we have the most expensive mediocre health care in the world, and it’s only getting more costly. The market should correct itself, right? How do you reconcile what Anthem Blue Cross is doing? (For the LA times story click here)

I’ll conclude as I usually do with a site from scripture. I want to remind you all that although Jesus is known as the Prince of Peace and a pacifist, he was incited to violence at a single point in his life: When God was used for profit. The insurance industry is a mammoth, seething monstrosity, growing even in the midst of economic implosion. For Republicans to use socially Christian subjects to garner votes then use their power at the whim of the health insurance lobby is a crime that, in my opinion, would incite Jesus to violence and chase some senators around the capital building with a braided whip. DO NOT advocate for the unborn in the same house where you advocate for 30 million Americans to continue living without access to the resources they need to be healthy, you have made that House into a “den of robbers” (Mark 11:15-17).