You Think I’m Crazy?

It’s not a good sign when someone questions your sanity. Nor you theirs. But that is life in 2017 evidently.

My head now bleeds daily from scratching my head. No; I do not have bed bugs, eczema or psoriasis. The scratching comes without warning with an audible ‘huh?’ I bet you have such attacks ever since November 8, 2016. Somehow this seems natural.

At least I’m not alone. Huh? (scratch, scratch)!

This blog is of interest broadly across the globe, mostly in Europe. Sure, here at home in the States, too, but wow! Readership has soared in France, Germany is picking up, and countries I rarely think about are hitting on the blog as well. I guess I’m not the only one with questions about America and its sanity.

And no, rest assured I am completely sane. My marbles are all properly organized and in their rightful places. They are joggled from time to time as my disappointment and jaw dropping reflexes increase in frequency. There are times I feel so amazed at the antics in my own state legislature and US Congress that I remind myself we are living through a truly unique period of history. Whether that is American History or World History is not yet known. Maybe both in ways not one of us can imagine.

I do know that when a disaster strikes, there is a grieving period and then a time for recovery. Hope sparks to life during the recovery. We begin to see how things will get better and come back to normal eventually. That’s where my current discomfort comes into play. I don’t see a time of recovery. I only see a forest fire that continues to burn the whole forest down to the ground, and then leaps to another canyon and does the same. Or the flood that continues to wash over our land and homes and people, drowning everything in sight with nary a chance for revival.

It’s a hellish confluence of disasters playing off each other. No retirement program in the form of Social Security. No Medicare program, either. Remind yourselves here that both programs are liquid and successful and not funded by the government. Operated and managed by the government, but paid for by each and all of us insureds.

Medicaid is another matter, but then we all pay for the program in taxes; always have; always will. So what’s the problem? Why are we getting rid of all three of these programs?

And then we ask: Why eliminate the Affordable Care Act? It performs the function it was built to do. It could be better but so many politicians insisted it be this brittle and tentative. Why not fix those parts and strengthen it? Do these people truly want Americans not to have access to health insurance or health care? And why is that? Will someone insist on asking that question and recording the answer in detail?

You see, all of the above is an ideological divide between conservatives and what others label liberals. The Left and the Right. No precise definitions provided, just vague accusations and shudders of fear. No discussion of the merits of either side; no intention of examining the possibility of compromise or collaboration. Just search and destroy missions on programs with value.

At some point the question is Why? What is the gain from this destructive work? Who wins? Who loses? Why are such wins and losses even needed? What happens to those who lose? Will they certainly live lives of desperation and finally death? Why do so many people feel this is a proper way of running a country and society? Where is the compassion of generations of religions that taught them otherwise? Why are we even having this discussion?

This is not republican and democrat. It is right versus wrong.

I want an answer to that question. I want Trump to provide an answer in writing with proof he wrote it (not ghost written). I want Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell to do the same. I want to understand where they are coming from. I want to truly know that they mean no harm to 50 million poor people. I want to understand what they intend to do with and for these people when they are lying in the gutter of every neighborhood homeless, hungry and sick.

Do they really think charity and church will rush to the rescue?

I think they are delusional and evil people. Let them prove they are not. The ball is in their court. Tell us all, gentlemen, what is your design and why?

We are waiting for your words.

January 10, 2017