Weekend Musings from a Restless Mind


 

Weekend Musings from a Restless Mind

  • States resisting Medicaid expansion is just the latest chapter of “stopping federal government taking over”.  Many private hospitals refused to submit to integration in the 1960’s.  Baptist Hospital of New Orleans, later known as Memorial Medical Center (yes the site of Five Days at Memorial) issued this statement in 1966 “It is our conviction that we can serve all of the people better if we remain free of government entanglements that would dictate the terms and conditions under which this hospital shall be operated.”  Yes because the federal government mandating equality is a bad thing.
  • Privatizing the United States Postal Services is not a new Republican scam.  It’s been in the works for years.  The Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act of 2006 mandated that USPS must prefund its pension benefits for 75 years through a $5.5Billion annual payment.  The Republican controlled Congress and Republican President Bush levied this burden on the USPS and to this day, it is the only government agency with such a financial mandate. This burden has prevented the necessary investment in management information system solutions and thus the service remains horribly obsolete.  New streams of revenue are required such as Senator Warren’s banking services proposals and Congress needs to eliminate the ridiculous 75 year mandate.
  • I was outspoken against U.S. entanglement in Syria primarily because I couldn’t see the mission or a measurable, realistic, and timely goal.  However, after seeing what has happened to the people of Aleppo and other cities, villages, and towns, I believe the international community should feel shame.  The PBS Frontline documentary The Children of Aleppo was heart wrenching and an indictment on inaction.  These innocents are caught between Assad loyalists and ISIS and no amount of humanitarian aid will solve this situation.  And while parties talk in Geneva and athletes compete in Sochi, the citizens of Aleppo are terrorized by hourly barrel bombing from regime helicopters and kidnappings by ISIS.
  • If the Miami Dolphins’ locker room is indicative of the rest of the NFL then the league is truly diseased.  And while Don’t Ask Don’t Tell is no longer the rule in the military, it is clearly still prevalent in the NFL.  I wish Michael Sam the best in his NFL career and hope that decency and leadership prevail over ignorance and mob mentality.  I don’t care how violent professional football may be, there is no excuse for a multibillion dollar industry to ignore player safety and respect for the individual.
  • Marsha Blackburn has a BS in Home Economics from Mississippi State and is Vice Chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, therefore she is expertly qualified to debate climate science on Meet The Press.  I am not sure what is more disturbing: the thought that she can debate science or the ill-conceived concept that science should be debated on a political talk show.  What’s next, Louis Gohmert to debate evolution with an anthropologist?
     

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