McCain, Baby Charlie Gard and Government Healthcare

A FB friend posted the following article on his wall:

http://washingtonjournal.com/2017/07/20/christian-pastor-just-said-democrats-pc-say-mccain-trumpcare/

The problem with this article is that it completely misses a huge point: Sen McCain and the rest of Congress exempted themselves from the ACA (aka Obamacare) because they, as elitists, have given themselves a "Cadillac" healthcare plan, the likes of which no other American will ever get. If Congress, Dems and Reps, are so dead set on government run healthcare, they and their families should first be forced to give up their special super-duper healthcare and get their care at the VA. Then that mess will get cleaned up and if they can't do that, then maybe they will rethink their approach to healthcare reform. Neither Obamacare nor Trumpcare are going to deliver anything remotely close to the level of care Sen McCain will get. Further, because the prognosis is so poor, it is likely that most govt run healthcare or single payer plans would just provide palliative care because the cost to benefit ratio is so high for treatment. You can call that by any name you like but the bottom line effect is a "death panel". This is the same situation going on currently in the UK with baby Charlie Gard. His care plan is "death with dignity".

Trump Administrative Chaos

The reports of chaos in the Trump Administration by the Democrats, the mainstream media, and "Never Trump" Republicans reminds me of a cartoon I saw when I was a kid. A mischievous boy drops a cat into a dog show and you can imagine what happens. As the cat darts to and fro trying to achieve its goal - getting the heck outta there - chaos erupts as the dogs react to the cat in their midst.

The Trump Administration is like that cat. It isn't the one in chaos. It is its surroundings that are in chaos. Like the cat, Trump is doing what he needs to do. It is the others around him - the establishment i.e. "the dogs" - who are in complete disarray because they don't know what to do with an opponent that doesn't play by their rules.

Who is the boy in this example you might ask? The boys is the voters who sent Trump to Washington to shake things up. It's all a matter of perspective and point of view.

Thanks for Nothin' Lindsey!

On Thursday, Sen. Lindsey Graham announced he was supporting and fundraising for Sen. Ted Cruz for the Republican nomination for president but admitted he preferred Marco Rubio who suspended his campaign following his disappointing performance in Tuesday's primaries. Well thanks for nothing Lindsey! Not only is this a half-hearted endorsement for Cruz but it is quite ironic since it was his influence over Rubio that helped sidetrack if not completely derail Marco's political future. As a junior Senator, Rubio joined Graham as a member of the comprehensive immigration reform (CIR) group that has come to be known as the Gang of Eight. This group also included Arizona Sen. John  McCain (R) and ultra liberal senators Durbin (D-IL) and Schumer (D-NY). Rubio's membership in this group infuriated his supporter who back him in large part because he campaigned for his senate seat on a strong anti-illegal immigration stance not a "path to citizenship" position proposed by the Gang of Eight. This change of position plagued Rubio's bid for the Republican presidential nomination to the point that his campaign was never able to gain any traction.

The decision to flip on his stance on immigration was Rubio's responsibility alone but as a senior senator, Graham could have been a better mentor to the young, impressionable and perhaps naïve Marco. Maybe then Lindsey wouldn't have to make his apparently unpalatable decision to back Cruz and the rest of us might still have another good choice for the Republican nomination.

Again, Thanks for nothing Lindsey!