To dream the impossible dream....

"Fixing healthcare really has turned out to be the impossible dream. And it has turned out to be a very unbeatable foe."

Ain't gonna happen. This is what many have been saying for quite a while now. We are on a plane which is getting ready to crash, and the rescue plan is .... nowhere in sight. What happened yesterday with the Better Care Reconciliation Act of 2017 (Whew! What a name!) was only act one of a very long play. What kind of a play? A Greek tragedy.

Senate Leader McConnell pulled the bill from being voted on yesterday for good reason. Rather than have another kerfuffle like what happened in the House, Mitch proclaimed, "We will wait until after the 4th of July recess to vote on this." Now if I may quote one of my former managers - "Bad news does not get better with age." And this bill as it stands right now - is very bad news.

Last night on Fox, Dr. Krauthammer summed it up quite well. To paraphrase what he said, you can't open up the goody box like Obama did with health care, and then try and take some of those goodies away. The only problem is, the "goodies" are helping make ObamaCare self destruct. Many of the recipients of those goodies however, can't see it. They just keep getting the free stuff. Those who are paying the freight however, are seeing it in technicolor. 

More and more folks on the Right are now suggesting this healthcare thing is too broken to save, too broken to fix. We should wave the white flag and move on to tax reform. This healthcare thing is not worth wasting a ton of political capital on when in fact, nothing can be done. Nothing? Hey - what about single payer? Medicare for all? 

We can do that. We can go to a "Medicare for all" program like Comrade Bernie Sanders suggested during the last campaign. But the costs? What will we do with all those nasty costs? First off, if we did this, kiss tax reform good-bye. In fact, there will be an additional tax to help pay for it. And this additional tax will be skewed so the wealthy pay more (sound like ObamaCare?). But even with confiscatory taxation, that will not be enough. Any extra costs will just pile up in our ballooning national debt. And (what most experts agree on), the quality of our care will have to be less. Less choice, less options, and yes - even some rationing.

So here we are, going into the middle of a wonderful summer, with a busted healthcare system. Thank you Barack Obama, for leaving us this POS. Chucky Schumer is standing on the sidelines, ready to put cement shoes on any Republican plan and then toss it into the Potomac. This healthcare thing is worse than toxic. Any smart Republicans should stay a mile and a half away from this thing. And what about those promises to "repeal and replace"? Tell the truth - Republicans did not know how broken this thing really was until they were in the diver's seat.

To dream the impossible dream. To fight the unbeatable foe. To bear with unbearable sorrow, to run where the brave dare not to go. Those words from the Andy Williams song sum up where we are right now. Fixing healthcare really has turned out to be the impossible dream. And it has turned out to be a very unbeatable foe.

Enjoy your 4th of July folks - things are going to get real tough once it is over. 

Who is the new "Uncle Walter"?

"CBS, NBC, ABC, CNN, MSNBC, and now even FOX. News organizations? Not any more. Entertainment mostly. And much of the entertainment starts at 5 pm on the nightly news." 

Big disclosure by CNN today. Big news to us? Nope. We all knew it. In fact, the President has called them out many times for reporting "fake news". Now they have sort of admitted it with their Russia reporting. Something like they did not have "giant proof" of their reporting, whatever that means. Well, I have some news. We no longer have an "Uncle Walter" that we can depend on. Someone in the media who will give us the unvarnished truth. What do we have today? We got spit.

In fact, news today is more comic relief than anything else. Watching the "smartest woman on cable television" was at one time Megyn Kelly, but is now Rachael Maddow. Really? All Rachael does is drink the MSNBC bathwater and put a little more spin on already spun news. What comes out of her mouth is more like Pravda than Pravda is. Blah, blah, blah. And Megyn? She sold her soul to the NBC gods, and is now sinking into the pit of irrelevance. 

Did we have one news person who is close to "Uncle Walter"? I think we had one maybe even better. Why better? After Cronkite retired, we did discover he had a liberal slant. Nothing like his protege, Dan Rather however. But still, Walter lived on the left side of the street.

Bill O'Reilly, who Fox just dumped, was a close to an honest reporter as I have seen. Why Bill? He was an equal opportunity abuser. He was as tough on conservatives as he was progressives. He did not ask softball questions like, "What is you favorite color?" or "What is on your iTunes playlist?" Yes, those are questions which have been asked in the past of Clinton and Obama.

Our once highly valued Fourth Estate, our free press, has devolved into nothing more than a shill for the Loony Left. Sorry, but it is true. In journalism today, they obviously forget to teach the difference between fiction and non-fiction. Or, the difference between fact based reporting and opinion. Journalists today have less credibility than a used car salesman dressed in a sharkskin suit. 

One of the smartest media people I have met is a local fellow name Bob Davis. Bob Davis of Bob Davis Podcast is a true truth finder. He eschews most all media, as it is too corrupt for him to use as a basis of this reporting. He uses a wide variety of sources, including on the spot reporting. In short, Bob has known for a lot longer than many of us (myself included), that not only does "Uncle Walter" no longer exist, but neither does a shred of an honest media. I have told Bob more than once that every time I listen to him, I learn. I get informed. Is that not what an honest media is supposed to do?

CBS, NBC, ABC, CNN, MSNBC, and now even FOX. News organizations? Not any more. Entertainment mostly. And much of the entertainment starts at 5 pm on the nightly news. 

What the what, over?

"In this vast and troubled world,

We sometimes lose our way..."

I got Rhythm

The Happenings

My grandparents on my mother's side, lived their entire lives in Minneapolis. Mr grandpa worked right in town. They lived a good portion of their lives in South Minneapolis. My mother grew up in South Minneapolis and went to South High. My grandparents didn't to South High - they both (as was common for that generation) only had an 8th grade education. In their "golden years" they lived within spitting distance of Powderhorn Park. I have great memories as a young boy, spending some time with grandma and grandpa and going to the park, and then walking down to Bloomington Avenue and sitting at a soda counter in a store.

I grew up on the border of Minneapolis. When I got into Jr. High, my mother worked downtown at Dayton's (part time). During the summertime, I would often walk to the bus stop, and hop on the old "5C". It would travel through a respectable North Minneapolis and then into downtown. How was it back then? Although not perfect, it was pretty close to living in a Norman Rockwell painting.

So what in the world has happened to the once safe, sane and fun downtown Minneapolis? For starters, the 60's. The anti-war movement, the protests, and in July of 1967, the Plymouth Avenue race riot. All of a sudden, Minneapolis started to change. Not the homogeneous city of the 1950's - it was starting to fracture. The "prairie populist" leftist politics started to take over. Gentrification started, poverty became entrenched, and all of a sudden, kids having kids was no longer uncommon nor shameful.

I often wonder what my grandparents would think if they were alive today. Would they look at the changes in Minneapolis as an evolution or a devolution? Would they feel happy and safe living by Powderhorn Park, or not? Would they even what to live in or visit Minneapolis?

When I was discharged from the Navy in January 1973, I was anxious to get home. Stationed up in the wilds of Maine for my last duty station, I thought a healthy dose of enjoying the nightlife in downtown Minneapolis would be the right ticket. It took me about a week, and I could not believe how Minneapolis had changed. My dreams of spending a lot of time downtown, soon went right out the window. 

Some like what Minneapolis has changed into. And that is fine - to each their own. I do not - not a bit. When I think of what Minneapolis has become, I think of lyrics from the song I got Rhythm by The Happenings:

In this vast and troubled world,

We sometimes lose our way...

Yes Minneapolis, I think you have lost your way. Not just a little bit, but a lot. Good luck in the future going forward - you will need it. That is my opinion, and I am sticking with it.

   

Life beyond trains....

"No more traffic jams, no more DUI arrests, no more texting while driving issues, just the comfort of a car taking you where ever you need to go. The future belongs to the prepared Met Council. And your Thrive 2040 is not in sync with a rapidly approaching future."

I have been doing quite a bit of mulling as of late. I have been reading different tech blogs. And I have listened to an interesting podcast. On what? On the future. Specifically the future of transportation. One of the things I have learned is that our beloved Met Council, who is mysteriously in charge of our transportation needs in the Twin Cities, might have it all wrong.

Maybe in the their short time remaining until we elect a true conservative Governor, the Met Council should add one more position - a futurist. Why do I say that? He (or she) could tell this bunch of bureaucrats they are barking up the wrong tree with their choo-choo trains. That is not our future. Sorry folks - it is not the cars we are driving either. The future will belong to the "driver-less" auto-cars being developed by Google and other tech giants.

One article I read said that humans are very lousy drivers compared to the robot technology which will be guiding these small, yet comfortable auto-cars. If you are going to work, you will have it programmed with the auto-car company you are dealing with that an auto-car will pick you up at your house at (as an example) 7:01 am. Your drive to work will always take the same amount of time (unless we are getting a foot of snow at the time), the the auto-car will drop you off at the front door of where you work - and then leave.

You program from your smart phone what time you need to get picked up from work. Another auto-car will be at the door waiting to pick you up and take you home. While the auto-car is driving, you may read, talk on the phone, do social media, or nap. Once you arrive home, the auto-car is off to another task with another customer. 

Why are these auto-cars better than trains? For starters, cost. No tracks needed, no upkeep, no right of way traffic jams. Whereas trains travel on a fixed route based with a set schedule, auto-cars are anywhere, at any time. They will be battery powered, and very "green". Every month, the auto-car company you deal with will send you a bill for how much you used the auto-car service that month. All maintenance, upkeep, storage, and insurance will be paid for by the auto-car company.

What I found interesting about the research I was doing, is the timing. This is not 100 years in the future - it is  maybe 15 - 25 years away. The prototype auto-car exists right now, but is not ready for prime time. But they will be. Thrive 2040, the bible of the Met Council mentions NOTHING about the auto-car - only choo-choo trains. And us poor taxpayers will continue to spend untold billions to build these choo-choo trains (and infrastructure) which very few will ever ride.

The future is coming, and coming fast. And do you know what the future is going to tell us? Trains are so yesterday! They were not efficient nor flexible, so they became part of the dust bin of history. Plus trains were expensive as all get out. 

I think going forward will be a very exciting leap forward for humanity. No more traffic jams, no more DUI arrests, no more texting while driving issues, just the comfort of a car taking you where ever you need to go.

The future belongs to the prepared Met Council. And your Thrive 2040 is not in sync with a rapidly approaching future.

Our Secular, Machiavellian, Truculent Party of Intolerance

"But - for the sake of a civilized society, please, please, clean up your act. Your threats, your potty talk, your coarse humor is doing nobody any good - especially yourselves." 

What is the world is wrong with the good people on the Left these days? It is as if they have come completely unhinged. The language (yes, the Perez "F-Bomb") is becoming as common and annoying as Minnesota mosquitoes in June. But of all the nasty and evil things said about the President, of all the nasty and evil things said about Republicans, what was said yesterday took the cake. 

Phil Montag, a technology chair for the Nebraska Democrats was caught on tape saying the following (I need to edit it a bit, so I don't get thrown in Blogger jail): "I hate this motherf****r. I am glad he got shot." Wow! There is that Perez "F-Bomb" again! Montag goes on, "I wish he was f*****g dead." Of course he was talking about Steve Scalise. Once the chair of the Nebraska Democrats found out about this, he fired Montag. But the damage had already been done.

All that seemed to happen just hours after Johnny Depp, the "has been" Jack Sparrow actor, said something about assassinating the President. Depp later apologized and said it was a joke in bad taste. Ha ha - that was so funny I forgot to laugh. That ranked right up there with Kathy whats her name holding up a severed head which was supposed to look like the President. Or Snoop Dog shooting the President with a fake gun. Or the Broadway Show, Shakespeare in the Park, where the President is killed.

Here is a big difference between conservatives and the progressive Democrats, which have become a secular, Machiavellian, truculent party of intolerance. For eight years, when Obama rode roughshod on our Constitution,  many on the right disagreed with his policies. Yet, (true story) I never heard one person wish him or his family harm. Not one. In fact many on the Right prayed for Obama. Why? We did not want him harmed nor killed. Even though we disagreed with him, he was our President.

I am sorry if this offends some on the Left. But people, you need to clean up your party - and soon. Tom Perez is a disgrace. He really is. He should be let go. To use language like he uses out in the open that children can hear (remember - you guys are supposed to be the party which protects kids) is coarse and crude.

Next, you need to divorce your self from the Hollywood left. They have not only slid towards Gomorrah, they have already passed it and are their way to the next stop. To say Hollywood is vile these days, is a gross understatement.

I am not trying to give you folks on the Left advice which will help you win. Trust me, I like the trajectory the Right has been on since 2010 (thank you Barack Obama!). But - for the sake of a civilized society, please, please, clean up your act. Your threats, your potty talk, your coarse humor is doing nobody any good - especially yourselves. America deserves better. 





   

The future of the future

"Why mention this on a Friday afternoon, right on the doorstep of a well deserved weekend? A reminder. At any time, at any place, our future might not have a future. So to quote a famous line from a pretty good movie - Carpe Diem (seize the day)!" 

When I first started working, there was a man in the office next to my department who was getting ready to retire. He was rapidly approaching 65 and was not a happy camper. Congress had just authorized by a certain date, people could work until 70 if they wanted to - and he wanted to. Unfortunately, his birthday came at the wrong time and his 65th birthday would be his last day at the company. 

There was a retirement get together with the usual cake and coffee. He figured now that he had to retire, he would get this nasty cough looked at by the doctor. A heavy smoker, the cough was getting his way of enjoying a good smoke. Once reconciled that he was not going to be working any more, he had plans for the future. Big plans. Unfortunately, the nagging cough was more than just a little something. By the time he was 65 1/2, he was dead of advanced lung cancer. His future had no future.

We do all of us, think about the future - our future. We plan for it. We sometimes put things off in our lives until a later date - a date in the future. But what if the future never comes? I just delivered a meal to my next door neighbor who is trying to fight his way back from a second round of chemo. He has stage 4 lung cancer, and right now the cancer is winning the day. 

My neighbor is just a couple years older than I, and he has many plans for his future. Hunting with his long time deer hunting team, fishing, playing with grand kids, even cutting his vast lawn with his John Deere. Talking to his wife just a bit ago as I was delivering the meal, she told me his future might not have a future. His body might not be able to stand any more chemo. 

In the faith, we are taught to live for today. Tomorrow might never come. Amen to that! I had a conversation a few years ago with a good friend of mine about death. I told my friend it is my belief that many who die suddenly do not have a clue when they get out of bed it be their last day on Earth. In fact, dying is the last thing on most people's minds. It is not in the script. And yet a car accident, a plane crash, a bad fall, a madman, a terrorist, a heart attack, a stroke, whatever - can change everything in an instant. 

Why mention this on a Friday afternoon, right on the doorstep of a well deserved weekend? A reminder. At any time, at any place, our future might not have a future. So to quote a famous line from a pretty good movie - Carpe Diem (seize the day)! 

The Humpty Dumpty Program

Humpty Dumpty said on the wall,

Humpty Dumpty had a great fall;

And all the Kings horses and all the King's men,

Couldn't put Humpty together again... 

Mother Goose

Nursery Rhyme

Really Bird? Has this week come to this? A nursery rhyme by Mother Goose for crying out loud? Actually, it has. I could not think of a better way to describe what is going on with our nation's health care. And not give a spoiler for the rest of the article, I believe our health care system is broken, just like Humpty, and beyond repair. And what will eventually come out of this mess, will look more like a scrambled egg than poor old Humpty.

I am going to try and put this together without too much bashing of our former President and former Democratic Speaker of the House. But it was they who pushed Humpty off the wall. Yes, our perfectly good health care system, which did need a tune up and tweaking, was instead thrown out with the bath water. What replaced it? A ticking time bomb. A system so flawed, it was bound to fail within a decade. And what would happen after that? Who cares? The architects of this mess would all be long gone.

Let us first look at some immutable facts. Our country is aging. Our country is getting more immigrants in from poorer nations. Why is that important? The 600 lb gorilla in the corner continues to be who is going to pay for Medicaid. Under ObamaCare, 90% of Medicaid is issued back to the states via block grants. And this $240B (and growing) program is a belly buster to our national debt. So the House and Senate bills both want to reduce down the block granting from 90% to something less. And many states (including Minnesota) are screaming bloody murder.

Another huge problem with ObamaCare (yes Dr. Gruber you really did pull as fast one on us) is the exodus of insurance companies. Living in a free market economy coupled with a socialized form of healthcare is an oil and water issue. ObamaCare does not fit in well with the business model of many of the insurance companies . Translation: they are tired of getting hosed and pulling out. Aetna is the latest to do so. With that, 1/3 of all counties within the country are left with only one insurer.

Where does all this leave us (as a country) right now? In "no man's land". ObamaCare is in hospice and the House and Senate bills have about as much chance of becoming law as the Twins winning the World Series this year. Wait a minute? Something will need to happen. We can't keep going on this way, with this much uncertainty, can we? Well, can we?

The barbarian which lives inside me would like to do something which would at least be cathartic. I would like to put Jonathan Gruber, Zeke Emmanuel, Nancy Pelosi and yes, even our former President in pillories in the town square. They deserve some kind of public scorn (or worse) for leaving us this mess.

When ObamaCare was passed in 2009, many said it would change (or destroy) the country. Many who said those words were looked upon as panic merchants. Today, they are looked upon as wise soothsayers. Especially you, Twila Brase.