Election Primer

Issues in dispute during the current election season will be trumpeted far and wide on TV and print media. We already know much of what will be discussed. The issue is if we, the voters, understand the basis of these issues and where each candidate and political party stands. I’ll try to make it easier from time to time in this blog. For now let’s look at a few basic issues under discussion.

1. “Social Security: Did you know that the majority of the nation’s debt is owed to Social Security? Congress has borrowed heavily against the Social Security Trust Fund to pay other bills. Why do republicans want to privative the program? So they don’t have to pay you back and Wall Street can gamble with all the new money.”   ~from the Internet

I’m not sure the numbers are accurate but I know the trust fund holds over $5 trillion dollars of the national debt. Medicare’s trust fund is also holding a lot of national debt. This means combined the trust funds that guarantee the integrity of the financial operations of programs for senior citizens are being used and abused. Most people do not understand this at all. It’s part of the smoke and mirrors that congress fiddles around with. And yet they call it something else like “the programs are going broke.” No they are not. Fiscally they are sound; it is the long term future that requires some funding and benefit adjustments. By the way, the national debt is between $14 and 15 trillion.

2. Republican Position Translator:  (by ‘catch phrase’ or label)

“Family = The War on Gays

 Pro-Life = Pro-War, Pro-Death Penalty, and Pro-We Choose For You

 Religious Freedom = Freedom to Spread Christianity

 War on Religion = It’s unacceptable that our laws and culture aren’t based   

            solely on my interpretation of the bible

 Capitalism = A market economy that’s rigged towards the ‘job creators’

 Job Creators = The source of lobbying funds that keep the system rigged

 Elitist = Educated

 Liberal Bias = The facts don’t fit our narrative”  ~Facebook.com/KFV3Z

I had a roaring debate a few months ago with a neighbor who is very conservative. He ranted on endlessly insulting me and misstating my positions on various issues. Clearly he reserved the right to label everyone else but not himself. I merely told him that just because I am not as conservative as he does not mean I’m a raging liberal. In fact I am a solid middle of the roader. He would not accept that.

So the bottom line with him and many republicans and conservatives is just this: they will label everything the opposite of what most of us means it to be. Right is wrong; up is down; inside is outside. You get the drift. Try translating conservative speak using this understanding. You’ll see that it works very well!  Romney and Ryan both speak in these weird mirrored phrases. Spooky.  What is reality and what is fantasy. Apparently only they know!

3. Pulled off the Internet the other day was this gem:

“I’m from Australia. We have had FULL government health care since 1974. No death panels. We aren’t communist. We’re NOT a socialist country. We aren’t bankrupt. Our unemployment rate is half that of America. Our violent crime rate is much lower than America. Health care gets the psychos off our streets, results in less homelessness through life-threatening diseases that require punitive fees for treatment. Government health care reduces our crime rate, our homelessness rate. Ask Canadians, if you do not believe us in Australia. As for ‘anti-Christian’, did Jesus Christ ask Mrs. Lazarus for payment, or whether he had a pre-existing condition before raising her husband from the dead? How do your ‘Christian’ values of charity for the poor stand up to scrutiny when you treat health care in this disdainful manner? Tyranny? I’d rather Obama than YOUR ‘tyranny’, turning your back on fundamental ethics and your obligation to your fellow man. How do you go to church on Sundays and maintain this shit attitude?”

           

Armed with these basics you may find the campaigns a bit more clear.  Good luck!

August 16, 2012