Two millennia ago, so the story goes, a Roman official asked a prisoner who stood before him, "What is truth?" But the prisoner did not reply although up to that point he had been talking quite a bit about truth. The story does not give any explanation for the prisoner's silence at this crucial moment. Is it because he had no answer after all?
Now that the wolf hunt has been approved in Michigan, it has come out that some of the folks who were pushing for it were--shall we say--a little creative when stating their case to the public. It has come out that some of the wolf-people interactions either did not happen or were greatly exaggerated. These folks admit that they lied. But that's ok, because they got their way. And that's what counts.
And now the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) is the law of the land. Quite frankly I do not know what to think about it. The CEO of my company told us all that we did not have to worry because we have good insurance and won't be affected. That is not what I am hearing on the street. Apart from the website nightmare (which I am very glad that I didn't have to deal with), there has been talk at other workplaces of hours cut back and layoffs, all using the Affordable Care Act as an excuse. I am not sure what to believe here. I have also heard that this is only Phase I, and that next year (2014) Phase II will take place, which requires EMPLOYERS to sign up (apparently this first phase concerns only individuals). So that what I am seeing and hearing about at other places is only the beginning. And of course, it will be the most vulnerable among us that will feel the brunt.
I am also afraid that the anti-Obamacare folks have made a very serious mistake when they shut down the government earlier this year. It is less than a year to the next Presidential election, and while I haven't heard who are the most likely contenders, what I am hearing from people regardless of party affiliation, is that if Hillary Clinton runs, they will vote for her. If she does run and win, I think she would make a very good President. Ms. Clinton is no fool. Even her opponents recognize that. They don't speak of her the way Michelle Bachman and Sarah Palin are spoken of.
By going out on strike, so to speak, but still insisting that We The People still pay their salaries, those members of Congress blew it. They should have just kept their mouths shut and waited for the inevitable fiasco with the website and then used it to their advantage in the 2014 election. Now all they have done is make people mad at them. They forget that acts can be overturned, even amendments to the Constitution. Look at the Volstead Act (Prohibition). During the Depression, Franklin Delano Roosevelt faced opposition to his New Deal, even having parts of it ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court. So it can be done. However, the more time that goes by, the less likely it is that an act will be repealed. And it won't be by a Democratic president. On the contrary, I expect that if Clinton gets in, she will find ways to expand and strengthen the Affordable Care Act. As I said, she is no fool.
Meanwhile, we would all very much like to know, as did the Roman, "What is truth?"
Now that the wolf hunt has been approved in Michigan, it has come out that some of the folks who were pushing for it were--shall we say--a little creative when stating their case to the public. It has come out that some of the wolf-people interactions either did not happen or were greatly exaggerated. These folks admit that they lied. But that's ok, because they got their way. And that's what counts.
And now the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) is the law of the land. Quite frankly I do not know what to think about it. The CEO of my company told us all that we did not have to worry because we have good insurance and won't be affected. That is not what I am hearing on the street. Apart from the website nightmare (which I am very glad that I didn't have to deal with), there has been talk at other workplaces of hours cut back and layoffs, all using the Affordable Care Act as an excuse. I am not sure what to believe here. I have also heard that this is only Phase I, and that next year (2014) Phase II will take place, which requires EMPLOYERS to sign up (apparently this first phase concerns only individuals). So that what I am seeing and hearing about at other places is only the beginning. And of course, it will be the most vulnerable among us that will feel the brunt.
I am also afraid that the anti-Obamacare folks have made a very serious mistake when they shut down the government earlier this year. It is less than a year to the next Presidential election, and while I haven't heard who are the most likely contenders, what I am hearing from people regardless of party affiliation, is that if Hillary Clinton runs, they will vote for her. If she does run and win, I think she would make a very good President. Ms. Clinton is no fool. Even her opponents recognize that. They don't speak of her the way Michelle Bachman and Sarah Palin are spoken of.
By going out on strike, so to speak, but still insisting that We The People still pay their salaries, those members of Congress blew it. They should have just kept their mouths shut and waited for the inevitable fiasco with the website and then used it to their advantage in the 2014 election. Now all they have done is make people mad at them. They forget that acts can be overturned, even amendments to the Constitution. Look at the Volstead Act (Prohibition). During the Depression, Franklin Delano Roosevelt faced opposition to his New Deal, even having parts of it ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court. So it can be done. However, the more time that goes by, the less likely it is that an act will be repealed. And it won't be by a Democratic president. On the contrary, I expect that if Clinton gets in, she will find ways to expand and strengthen the Affordable Care Act. As I said, she is no fool.
Meanwhile, we would all very much like to know, as did the Roman, "What is truth?"
