ARGUMENTS I DON'T GET TO HAVE - THANKFULLY

I have imaginary arguments with someone that I know really wants to call and get down and nasty on some of the latest political issues. I have severed that relationship because I have lost faith, trust, respect and confidence in that person. But nevertheless, I miss proving him with facts when he provides me with Hannity, O’Reilly and other Fox misinformation generated by these guys and others. So, to compensate I have these imaginary arguments. These, believe it or not, are quite satisfying.

Here is what I mean: I imagine the call with the question, “So, what do you think of Obamacare and the sign ups so far? Not doing what they expected. It is a failure! ”My reply: “according to whom?”

Just the other day (April 16, 2014) the Gallup Poll says that there are several million people insured that were not insured just a year ago. Eight million have signed since last October. Having proper health coverage was brought home to the populous as a result of all the publicity, good and bad.

“It is a jobs killer.”  Hmmm. Just a couple of years ago Paul Ryan was saying the not getting health care that you can take with you is “job lock.” The AHCA will expand the job market, actually placing better qualified people where they are needed and making better money!

The rates are going up as we predicted.  Not really, according to OMB premiums are actually going down. “People lost their health programs. They were cancelled.” Right. The policies that were cancelled were sub-standard. That means any coverage that might have been provide was minimal and out of pocket would have also put the insured into bankruptcy for a major medical problem. Obama lied. Not really, he said if you like your policy you can keep it. He made the assumption that people understood the policy they had and would not like it. So, they wouldn’t keep it. And many didn’t keep because they saw that the insurers screwed them. Who lied, Obama or the insurers? The insurance companies didn’t like those policies. By the way these policies were sold after the AHCA went into effect. So, the insured were sold a bill of goods and this was a problem waiting to happen that was caused by the insurance companies hoping that it would create a real back lash. Not so much.

For the record, the AHCA (Obamacare) went into law in 2011. The insurance portion of the law went into effect in 2013.

Here is the argument I would have expected from my ex-friend with regard to the Ukrainian crisis. Obama is weak. He can’t stand up to Putin. Obama needs to be a stronger leader. That is this week. Before the right wing radio and TV (from which my ex-friend gets his opinions) was saying that Obama is a dictator, he is strong arming the U.S. with his policies. They try to have it both ways.

I have a simple question: Which of your two sons are you willing to lose in a war that you are so vehemently pushing for? That is what boots on the ground means.  WAR! Remember Benghazi! That was a failure of leadership or a stupid trip by a diplomat that was warned against going. That is the truth. The cover up never happened. Even Issa has stopped looking into it. “They haven’t shown us everything.” That is the cry. It must be a conspiracy of Clinton, Obama and Soros.  The Right always manages to get George Soros in the equation.

According to Newt Gingrich, a man of dubious character, we need to get government out of our lives. I agree that there may be too much government in some cases, like vaginal probes for women as the right wants, before a woman can exercise her right to control her own body.

“Food stamps are being abused by everyone who has them.”  I have seen the lady in the Congress show you a bottle of Vodka and caviar she claims were bought with EBT cards. They actually had one guy of questionable repute talk about how he abused the system – one guy, just one. That is right, just one!

I have been in line at the market and watch as the cashier as she pulled some items off the belt after they were rung up because the EBT card would not cover them. The customer either paid cash or didn’t buy the items at all. The cashier has no decision making to do, the bar codes on the product and the program in the system insures that abuse is minimalized. The SNAP (Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program) helps people feed their families. Beats dumpster diving! Just look at who is against the program, people that spend more on a lunch in D.C. that a family gets for a month with SNAP.

The argument to deter Voter Fraud is also a pet issue on the right. What we have learned, and people have gone to prison for it, is that there is little voter fraud, but immense Election Fraud. Ask the guy in Ohio that is still in lock up. Obama won by more than five million votes. Even if three million were based in fraud, he still wins. If we had three million fraudulent votes, that would stick out like a black man on a Darrell Issa committee.

So, my ex-friend I am waiting. But please don’t call; there is no point in it. You have access to the internet and access to news reports. Read them. Think about them and allow Sean Hannity escape from your brain.  Take some aspirin for you GlenBeckanaitis, use some Max Factor not O’Reilly Factor to cover up your inability to rationally think.

An educated opinion is always welcome. Believe it or not, I have changed my opinion when presented with facts. Vitriol does not influence my thinking. There will be and always will be someone that does not agree with me. That is OK. I had lunch with someone like that recently. We discuss other things that we can either agree on or require no agreement.

You see, I have these imaginary arguments with my ex-friend and if he still gets his misinformation from the “Fox and Friends” group, it will remain as is: no friend and still not informed. The good thing about having this one sided argument is that I get to win – every time. Believe it or not, I would rather that record for winning be for poker.

That is my take – you decide!