Sunday, July 26, 2020

TO MOVE FORWARD REMEMBER THE PAST

As humans, it's eventually in our nature to accept a 'new normal.'
In many cases this can be good as in having to use seatbelts while driving or using a lavatory instead of a stream or field.
Many Americans have come to terms with the hopefully temporary 'new normal' of social distancing and wearing masks in public.
Admittedly washing ones hands often does not seem to be a terrible new way of life.
But too many other 'normals' that were new back when implemented should not have become so!
I offer the following 'normals' that have become old and need to be reexamined.


1 - Healthcare used to be affordable, although fewer and fewer people outside of government have lived long enough to remember that.
The 'new normal' is to weigh the benefit of getting or staying healthy against the reality of going broke to do so.
Too many are forced to make this 'Sophie's Choice.'

  • The first health insurance most Americans had was Blue Cross. This non-profit plan made its debut around 1930 and afforded humans an affordable way to get their healthcare without having to sell their homes or declare bankruptcy.
  • Blue Shield started around 1940 and the two merged in 1982 to form the familiar BC/BS (or BCBSA) health insurance giant.
  • There were earlier plans, such as one in Dallas Texas that allowed teachers basic healthcare in association with Baylor Hospital but it was small and localized.
  • In 1994 insurance companies were given the green light to make profits and all hell broke loose.
  • Cutting out the middleman mentality of an accountant or an actuary deciding whether your life is worth saving must end!

2A - Education in America used to be a platinum system, at least in communities that were considered worthy by government which funded K-12.
The question is, why did we stop at 12?

  • A truly great nation would want its citizens to be the best they can be and that should mean, at the very least, subsidized college, as in K-16 at the very least!
  • The 'new normal' is 'for-profit' student loan system that makes higher learning unreachable for many and harms America in the long run!
  • We have fallen so far behind other nations that it will take a generation to re-attain our status as a world leader.


3A - Programs that help law abiding Americans live healthy, fruitful and happy lives from cradle to grave are called social programs.
Many were implemented by Franklin Delano Roosevelt during the Great Depression.
Then came the error (not a typo) of Ronald Reagan and cuts to all of the awful programs such as Medicaid and the war on Social Security.
The 'new normal' is to use the word socialism as anathema.

  • Democratic President FDR's 'New Deal' and WPA saw a nationwide system of highways and other improvements come to life.
  • Jobs and self respect returned to America.
  • They eventually led to the greatest era of prosperity the country had ever known.
  • These 'socialistic' programs helped us all and are sadly now in need of round two to repair them.


4A - Taxes are needed to run the government.
But logic dictates government can get more money by taxing the middle class because there are more of them than wealthy people!
And of course the wealthy are job creators.
The 'new normal' says the wealthiest among must get tax breaks and incentives to help the working class.

  • And yet the country did it's best during the years after WWII when Republican President Eisenhower used the tax dollars garnered from his top bracket of 90% to move us into prosperity.
  • Communities were built and thrived .
  • None of the incredibly wealthy folk were hurt financially as they did their patriotic duty of 'chipping in' for a better, greater America!

And finally, one new normal that has been normalized and simply MUST be stopped is allowing a President free reign over the law and having his entire political party enable him to do so while they get rich with their criminal treasonous enterprise!


Thomas Jefferson said that a little rebellion now and then is a good thing.

In these cases the rebellion would be a great thing and for the good of the majority of Americans!!

Life is too short for us to continue accepting limits cause someone says they're so. Some things we cannot change but till we try we'll never know!*


* Thank you to Stephen Schwartz. You are not "Wicked."

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