Lots to talk about ...
With a trip out of town and family visiting, I've been out of the loop for the last couple weeks and just now have the time to try and catch up. And wow, is there a lot to catch up on.
There's the Supreme Court decisions on Gay Marriage and the ACA. There's the terrorist acts in France, Tunisia and Kuwait. New GOP presidential candidates announcements. Taking down the Confederate flag everywhere. Problems with Greece and the EU. These stories are just in the forefront of the news. I'm sure there are countless others along with events happening as I write, that have yet to be reported by mainstream media or even cable, internet news sites or blogs.
No doubt it's going to take time to digest much of what's been happening. But here are my initial thoughts and reactions.
The Supreme Court voting to sustain the Affordable Care Act or ObamaCare was not a surprise. Whether I think it was the right thing to do or not, doesn't matter at this point. 'OZ' has spoken and I doubt there's any turning back. Just like there wasn't with Roe vs Wade. It's a done deal and a decision that will affect us for years down the road, for better or worse. However, I do have mixed thoughts on the topic and here they are.
On the one hand, something had to be done about health care. I know people who work hard but can't afford medical insurance. Way too expensive. They earn just enough money to pay their bills, eat and if they're lucky go to a movie once in a while or out for a pizza. For those in this category, ObamaCare is a godsend. Now they have health coverage and can take care of standing issues. That's a good thing.
On the other hand, I'm strongly against the government taking control of our health care regardless of good intentions. I see the ACA leading us down that path where eventually healthcare, pharmaceutical companies and the medical industry in general will lose independence and control and falter under increasing demands and regulations. Eventually this could lead to Canadian or European style socialized medicine. I would prefer that we in the U.S. don't go down this road. But make no mistake, this is where we are headed if changes aren't made...
In regards to the Supreme's ruling that gay marriage is now legal in all states... I have no problems with gay marriage. None. Zero. Zip. However, I think the decision should have been left up to individual states, especially where people have already voted via referendums one way or the other. I feel the Supreme Court legislated from the bench. But again, as I said above re: ACA, it's a done deal and we can't turn back the hands of time and have a do over. I just hope churches are not required to marry gays if it goes against their teachings. My guess is that this will be the next move ie to force churches to 'abide by the law'. Can't say I know enough about the legalities of the ruling to know if this will happen or not. I'm just hoping it doesn't.
Onto the recent terrorist acts. ISIS and various other related factions are becoming more emboldened by the day with acts of terrorism and also expanding where these acts take place. Why? Because no one is taking a stand. Don't need to be a rocket scientist to figure this out! How sad. This reminds me of what happened before Churchill stepped up to the plate in Europe. Everyone was hiding their heads in the sand while Hitler, Stalin and Mussolini gradually took on more and more power. That's where we are now. With no one in charge to challenge ISIS seriously, what's to stop them? My fear is that it'll take a major hit, in a major city, with thousands dying before the U.S. or anyone else for that matter will take a stand.
From what I understand, as of today, the Republicans now have 14 candidates running for president. 14!!! Wow. For now I'm not going to say much, except that I'm sure with the first debate coming up in August, the strong will emerge and the weak will fade away. And that's how it should be. But I will say I am highly disappointed with Rubio for his support of TPP and encouraged with Cruz's no vote. This is a topic for another blog.
Nikki Haley's decision to remove the Confederate flag from public display is just another sign of the incredibly PC times we live in. It was said that it was too much of a painful reminder of what once was. Maybe that's right. Time will tell.
Last but not least is the possible demise of Greece, its' banks and possibly other countries to follow. If I remember correctly, I wrote about this subject back in 2010 or 11... Anyway, the EU has supported and propped up their currency for a long time. They cannot continue to sustain this support regardless of how many cries for help. In my ever so humble opinion, I am not a fan of the European Union which was created in the 90s, along with the Monetary Union instituted in full in 2002. Initially it was supposed to smooth travel between countries along with currency issues between members. And it has to a certain extent. But once you tie all the members together, each country loses it's sovereignty and is affected by the other members decisions. So therein lies the conflict that is now happening with Greece. They want help. Other members are tired of baling them out. So what's to be done? And how much will Greece's issues affect the other members and their own economies?
In conclusion, here I sit, in total amazement of all that's happened in so short a period of time. So many life altering events happening at once for so many. But what's even more stunning is that we the people, for the most part have had almost no say in any of these changes or events. They are happening to us, rather than by any decisions we've directly made. Makes me feel that things are spiraling out of control and there isn't a whole lot we can do about it until the next election ...
There's the Supreme Court decisions on Gay Marriage and the ACA. There's the terrorist acts in France, Tunisia and Kuwait. New GOP presidential candidates announcements. Taking down the Confederate flag everywhere. Problems with Greece and the EU. These stories are just in the forefront of the news. I'm sure there are countless others along with events happening as I write, that have yet to be reported by mainstream media or even cable, internet news sites or blogs.
No doubt it's going to take time to digest much of what's been happening. But here are my initial thoughts and reactions.
The Supreme Court voting to sustain the Affordable Care Act or ObamaCare was not a surprise. Whether I think it was the right thing to do or not, doesn't matter at this point. 'OZ' has spoken and I doubt there's any turning back. Just like there wasn't with Roe vs Wade. It's a done deal and a decision that will affect us for years down the road, for better or worse. However, I do have mixed thoughts on the topic and here they are.
On the one hand, something had to be done about health care. I know people who work hard but can't afford medical insurance. Way too expensive. They earn just enough money to pay their bills, eat and if they're lucky go to a movie once in a while or out for a pizza. For those in this category, ObamaCare is a godsend. Now they have health coverage and can take care of standing issues. That's a good thing.
On the other hand, I'm strongly against the government taking control of our health care regardless of good intentions. I see the ACA leading us down that path where eventually healthcare, pharmaceutical companies and the medical industry in general will lose independence and control and falter under increasing demands and regulations. Eventually this could lead to Canadian or European style socialized medicine. I would prefer that we in the U.S. don't go down this road. But make no mistake, this is where we are headed if changes aren't made...
In regards to the Supreme's ruling that gay marriage is now legal in all states... I have no problems with gay marriage. None. Zero. Zip. However, I think the decision should have been left up to individual states, especially where people have already voted via referendums one way or the other. I feel the Supreme Court legislated from the bench. But again, as I said above re: ACA, it's a done deal and we can't turn back the hands of time and have a do over. I just hope churches are not required to marry gays if it goes against their teachings. My guess is that this will be the next move ie to force churches to 'abide by the law'. Can't say I know enough about the legalities of the ruling to know if this will happen or not. I'm just hoping it doesn't.
Onto the recent terrorist acts. ISIS and various other related factions are becoming more emboldened by the day with acts of terrorism and also expanding where these acts take place. Why? Because no one is taking a stand. Don't need to be a rocket scientist to figure this out! How sad. This reminds me of what happened before Churchill stepped up to the plate in Europe. Everyone was hiding their heads in the sand while Hitler, Stalin and Mussolini gradually took on more and more power. That's where we are now. With no one in charge to challenge ISIS seriously, what's to stop them? My fear is that it'll take a major hit, in a major city, with thousands dying before the U.S. or anyone else for that matter will take a stand.
From what I understand, as of today, the Republicans now have 14 candidates running for president. 14!!! Wow. For now I'm not going to say much, except that I'm sure with the first debate coming up in August, the strong will emerge and the weak will fade away. And that's how it should be. But I will say I am highly disappointed with Rubio for his support of TPP and encouraged with Cruz's no vote. This is a topic for another blog.
Nikki Haley's decision to remove the Confederate flag from public display is just another sign of the incredibly PC times we live in. It was said that it was too much of a painful reminder of what once was. Maybe that's right. Time will tell.
Last but not least is the possible demise of Greece, its' banks and possibly other countries to follow. If I remember correctly, I wrote about this subject back in 2010 or 11... Anyway, the EU has supported and propped up their currency for a long time. They cannot continue to sustain this support regardless of how many cries for help. In my ever so humble opinion, I am not a fan of the European Union which was created in the 90s, along with the Monetary Union instituted in full in 2002. Initially it was supposed to smooth travel between countries along with currency issues between members. And it has to a certain extent. But once you tie all the members together, each country loses it's sovereignty and is affected by the other members decisions. So therein lies the conflict that is now happening with Greece. They want help. Other members are tired of baling them out. So what's to be done? And how much will Greece's issues affect the other members and their own economies?
In conclusion, here I sit, in total amazement of all that's happened in so short a period of time. So many life altering events happening at once for so many. But what's even more stunning is that we the people, for the most part have had almost no say in any of these changes or events. They are happening to us, rather than by any decisions we've directly made. Makes me feel that things are spiraling out of control and there isn't a whole lot we can do about it until the next election ...
posted by Candle in the Wind at
2:18 PM
2 Comments
