Here’s To 4 More Years
I try to avoid politics not related to healthcare here, as I tried writing about politics in a previous blog, and it didn’t get me anywhere. But I’m not sure how to react to the election, really.
If I just look at everything from my own perspective, I’ll be just fine. I’ll be able to continue medical school, I’ll get a residency. Sure, some things may change, but I’ll have a job, I’ll have health care, I’ll be able to put food on my table. (No marriage in Ohio, Mississippi, or 8 other states, but I wasn’t planning on relocating there anyway.)
I can’t conclude so optimistically for many other people in the country, however. The number of uninsured will go up, not down. Abortion will go back to being a state issue. The environment’s done. The international community will start to bypass us. We’ll continue to lose jobs. US soldiers and Iraqi civilians will continue to die in Iraq. Ashcroft will take even bigger bites out of civil liberties. In California, no employer-mandated health care, no fixing of the 3-strikes law for non-violent offenders, no emergency services funding, but yes for government collection of your DNA. Mental health services and stem cell both passed, so that’s good.
I’m conflicted here. On one hand, I’m so ready to say “Good going, America. You voted, you spoke, so whatever happens in the next 4 years, we deserve what we get. I wash my hands of this.” Screw you guys, I’m going home. I give up, you win. We’ll see what a mess we’re in for in the next four years. It’s Nader’s philosophy: we’ll only change when things get really, really bad. Maybe I’ll just join Trent and become a libertarian convert. Or move to Europe. Or become a libertarian in Europe. Yeah.
But the other side of me can’t give up so easily. Even if America spoke when it voted, it spoke wrong. People were co-opted by the right’s social issue scare tactics (see What’s The Matter With Kansas); they were misled. And even if they weren’t, there will still be people that need help. There will be even more people that need help. I’m priveleged by my place in society; it’s my responsibility to speak up for those who can’t. I guess I’m just conflicted. How do I maximize my ability to make a difference? Keep spinning my wheels here, or go work where there’s an even greater need? On one on hand, I remind myself that Martin Luther King didn’t give up when the times were tough. But on the other, am I just wasting my precious time? It seems fairly pointless to begin work on another single-payer animation right now.
I just hope things don’t go as poorly as I expect them to for the rest of the country. I don’t worry about myself, I worry about everyone else.
We’re doing the pelvis this week in anatomy, and yesterday our professor talked about “back in the old days, when abortion was illegal, septic abortions using coathangers and knitting needles punctured into the pouch of Douglas.” The students cringed and gasped, now that they understand uterine and rectal anatomy. I guess it’s a good thing we’re still mentioning the point in class, we may start seeing peritonitis like that again.
Okay…first things first…calm down. I love that you’re idealistic…but you’re also a bit over the edge here. Sure…soldiers in Iraq will continue to die…but did you expect Kerry to magically fix that? We’re doing something good in that country, and we’ll see it through. We will not continue to lose jobs and the international community is not going to pass us by. I hate that you doubt the power of the American spirit so much…but it is apparent that you do. We invent. We create. Our economy will be fine and so will our jobs. And America is not the killer of the environment…go talk to China and India–they’re well on their way to creating more problems than us.
Second…don’t look to your government to be the helper of all people in all ways. It was designed that way and it should not exist that way. I see that you mention employer-mandated healthcare. I’m assuming that didn’t pass? It shouldn’t have. The government has no place forcing companies to provide healthcare to its employees.
Libertarian in Europe? HA! Too funny man. Hard to be a libertarian in the land of socialism.
If you want to help people–you become a doctor. You’re on your way to that. You join a charity group that helps others in the community. You treat who comes into your office and go out in the community when you can. And cheer up man…you’ll live longer.
Now go study path. And cheer up…this country is the greatest on earth and it will continue to be–no matter who the president is. That I can guarantee.
Great post graham,
You articulated many things I have been thinking all day. I have been thinking about what the next 4 years will hold for our nation. It was hard in 2000 to imagine that we would be in a quagmire by 2004. Many who were apprehensive about the war and had specific problems about its implementation were vindicated. When you think things through, you can see what is going to happen with this nation over the next 4 years. Bush is pretty blatant with his agenda for the nation. He now has a mandate and a legislative superhighway to make laws.
1. Medical Skills Draft – most important to us med students, but a real possibility by 2008, already discussed in your previous posts. Public opinion could be easily molded to allow this “those doctors make too much $$ anyway, if the troops need the service we should give it to them, you should go and be proud to serve”
2. Defunding of the government through “privitization” of social security & more tax cuts. “Starve the beast” will be in its middle stages, huge deficits will be explained away and blamed on social entitlement programs.
3. The economy will continue to stagnate. Rural areas still losing any good paying jobs, middle class will shrink, people drop below poverty line.
4. Iraq. Any fair election would result in an extremist muslim, taliban like leader. Its hard to imagine a fully backed leader coming out of an election, at least one that is not seen as a puppet.
Graham, keep thinking things out rationally and you can see what will happen. Bush may be in a faith based reality creating policy, but you are in the reality-based community and can follow the policy to its logical conclusion. I’m interested in your thoughts.
ps to Jeremy, you strike me as someone who thought, and still thinks Saddam was a threat to the USA. You strike me as someone that thinks our economy will pick up on its own, and all health care problems will be solved by tort reform. You strike me as someone
Quote from Bush’s victory speech:
“Because we have done the hard work, we are entering a season of hope. We will continue our economic progress. We’ll reform our outdated tax code. We’ll strengthen the Social Security for the next generation. We will make public schools all they can be, and we will uphold our deepest values of family and faith. We will help the emerging democracies of Iraq and Afghanistan so they can grow in strength and defend their freedom. And then our servicemen and women will come home with the honor they have earned. With good allies at our side, we will fight this war on terror with every resource of our national power so our children can live in freedom and in peace.”
Its very easy to translate. The hard work part means that he feels he has a strong mandate for his agenda, one he fought hard to earn. He lays out the groundwork for privatizing social security, “reforming” the tax code, further blurring the lines between church and state, and plans on working with the “good allies”. Doesnt sound like reaching out and governing from the middle. Also includes lines about continuing to grow our economy (can we take 4 more years of his economic “growth”?) and spread freedom in our occupied territories (hows that been going, by the way?).
Sorry Jeremy but you are naive to think that Bush will not fundamentally damage the USA budget, economy, and standing in the world.
MJ–The AMA believes that some of the problem can be fixed with tort reform. But insurance companies are to blame as well. But at this point I’m not a fan of the gov’t jumping in wholesale just yet. Large beauracracies have an amazing ability to foul things up.
Saddam was not a major threat to the U.S.–that’s clear now–but that doesn’t change his evil nature and his need for removal (I wish the same fate on several leaders in that region). Why do you assume any fair election would result in an extremist leader? The people of Iraq are not extremists. The nutcases in Fallujah might be–but not the majority of that country.
As for that draft thing…only way this happens is if this country is attacked–on our soil–with some sort of bio/chem/nuclear disaster. So everyone please calm down.
Privatizing social security is where we disagree I’m sure. Let me keep my money. You keep yours. Difference of philosophy.
In your post, however, you imply that I’m not in the “reality-based community”. I don’t even know what to say to that. So I won’t say anything.
At any rate…the point of the first post was for everyone (especially on the democratic side) to calm down and relax for a bit. Organize your thoughts and don’t worry about worst case scenarios just yet. This country is to great to be ruined by a single president. Period.
I’m totally calm, but I don’t think at all over the edge. I think Kerry at least wants us out of Iraq.
I don’t at all doubt the American spirit, I just doubt the leadership and policy of the Bush administration. Fiscally irresponsible, the only president in a long time to preside over a net loss of jobs.
China and India may be worse, but it’s much easier to do things in our own land. But we’re not doing them. The Clean Skies act makes polluting *worse*.
I don’t always look to my government to be the helper of all people in all ways. But it was design to promote the general welfare, and when health care is linked to employment in this country, and some of the largest employers in the country don’t offer health insurance, guess who pays for their employees’ care? You and I, through government programs.
I’m not so sure about the “greatest country” bit. I think the US has had its day in the sun.
Graham,
The job loss thing is a matter of semantics at this point. One group says we’ve created 1.7 million household jobs…the other says we’ve lost 600k-800k payroll jobs. That’s just spin from both sides. So I won’t go there. I tend to agree with tax cuts for certain businesses/upper class and middle class. I’ve read it put like this: “when was the last time you got offered a job by a poor person”? But I’m not an economist–I’m a biochemist. ;-)
As for the environment–I actually agree with Thomas Friedman on some of this–we probably jumped out of the Kyoto agreement too early–even though it sucked. It would have built some international support for us had we at least discussed it. I also think that post-9/11 could have been our chance to rid ourselves of Arabic oil dependence–the Pres could have expressed a desire for a “space race” type effort. He didn’t. But I don’t know how many Dems or Repubs would have.
There is a flaw in that healthcare proposal (I don’ know the proposal outright)–but if you force a company to provide health insurance for all employees, then even the rich employees will take it. Why wouldn’t they? It’s damn near free. Now you’re forcing a company to pay for health insurance for a rich person that it wouldn’t have had to pay for initially. Now…it’s forced to pay for the health insurance of rich VP AND lowly dispensible janitor–but can’t afford both. Who does the company fire? Poor guy. Force other janitors to work harder. Like I said, though, I don’t know everything about this plan.
And Graham…that last line is the most telling about your current attitude. If you really think that America’s day in the sun is over…then I can’t help you.
It might be somewhat surprising to you but the Spanish speaking blogging community is also moody about Bush being reelected. The whole world was crossing their fingers on this but it didn’t come. My general impression is that most people outside of the US make a distinction with the US government and their citizens, and most reactions where along the lines of
“What the hell is wrong with americans? Do they support what their government is doing or what?”
It’s somewhat funny, the whole world was watching because your government has enormous influence over what happens on a global scale.
On an unrelated note: great information design for Single Payer. I come from the other side: I study information design and I have an interest in medicine. I’ve worked with some med students and all seem to be lacking in explaning things clearly with a visual language. You get your point across very clearly and concisely, and I’m glad to see someone prove my wrong about my stereotype with doctors ;-)
Best wishes from Mexico
“There is a flaw in that healthcare proposal (I don’ know the proposal outright)-but if you force a company to provide health insurance for all employees, then even the rich employees will take it.”
Who said anything about forcing companies to insure their employees? If everyone has to buy insurance from the single payer, companies shouldn’t have to insure their employees at all. Or am I getting this completely wrong?
Aaron,
Not a flaw in the “single payer model” but the California plan that was going to force California employers to pay for their employees insurance. Two different plans. Or am I wrong? lol