Senator John McCain

This morning, I allowed myself the privilege of watching, and then reading, the wonderful oration of Honorable Senator John McCain’s (R-AZ) on October 16th, when he received the well-deserved Liberty Medal Award at the National Constitution Center. I listened to, watched, and read the entire speech, not just the sound bites presented by the media.  

In doing so, I was transported back in time; back to the days of statesmen and honorable leaders, who frequently used opportunities like these to build on America’s successes and yes, to outline concerns they felt obligated to bring to the discussion.

To the talking heads and political pundits, this speech consisted of a bashing of the current administration. Perhaps they should listen to (or read, if they have the intelligence required) the entire speech. By my count, there are 17 paragraphs in this speech, and only one was a comment on his perception of the current administration.

Instead, Senator McCain used this time to speak about America’s greatness, its rightful place on the world stage, and on the ideals that have shaped our great country.

He spoke, with emotion at times not well suppressed, about service to our country-not only his, but the service of countless men and women who have fought, on the battlefield and in politics, to build America, to display the best that we have, and the better place we all hope for.  

I’d like to ask your indulgence, as I quote a paragraph from his oration:

“What a privilege it is to serve this big, boisterous, brawling, intemperate, striving, daring, beautiful, bountiful, brave, magnificent country. With all our flaws, all our mistakes, with all the frailties of human nature as much on display as our virtues, with all the rancor and anger of our politics, we are blessed.”

Senator McCain pointed out something I believe every American needs to admit. We, as a nation, are not perfect; we have made mistakes in the past. Doubtless, we will make mistakes in the future.  He enumerated some of the incredible characteristics that have served our country very well, traits that have long defined America as a leader on the world stage. The Senator pointed out that America has, historically, been the benchmark of freedom and democracy, as well as the driving force and defender of those ideals around the world.

No, America is not perfect, and yes, today we face a morass of problems, domestically and internationally. I do believe that statesmen, such as Senator John McCain, will find solutions to our problems and lead America again to firmer ground.

Thank you, Senator McCain, for a wonderful speech, and for your service to our country.

R. M. “Bob” Hartman

Your opinions and comments are welcome, as always.

Here is a link to the Senator’s speech: 

https://www.mccain.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2017/10/remarks-by-senator-john-mccain-at-2017-liberty-medal-ceremony   retrieved October 19, 2017

Contemplation

Sunday, June 18, 2017, 5:08 AM, MDT. I woke early this morning to the sound of coyotes, singing good night to the moon and good morning to the sun. A simple act, one they have repeated since time immemorial.

Living as I do in suburbia, it is an unusual alarm clock for me; one that brings a needed reminder that life does not always follow our manmade rhythms of nine-to-five. Perhaps, more importantly, it reminds me that my life form and style is only one of a multitude on this planet that we call Earth, the planet we call home.  

Putting on the coffee, I step outside and open my ears, eyes, and mind to nature. Perhaps you would call this a spiritual moment, a period of meditation; for there is no sense of myself now. I am immersed and engaged, yet invisible, in the landscape that surrounds me. There is nothing I need attend to right now, nothing that requires my action or presence. Instead, my attention is caught by the jackrabbits, nibbling on the prairie grasses as they eye the sky for airborne predators. Fortunately, not the drones that catch our attention on the 6 PM news, but eagles and hawks soaring on thermals as they also search for breakfast. Meadowlarks and a host of other birds, whose calls I do not recognize as easily, chip their wakeup calls and greetings; a lizard scamper past the fire pit, and swallows a small, evidently tasty bug. Well, at least he thinks it is tasty!

Kathleen has joined me now, and we sip our coffee, talking quietly. We discuss how the landscape to the west of us, which was so brilliantly outlined last night by the setting sun, has a palette of greens, blues, browns and reds becoming visible to the eye as the sun illuminates the landscape, a landscape defined eons ago by ice and geologic shifts. We trace where water, a resource so precious to all life-forms, is still present beneath the ground, making itself known to us by the presence of trees; pathways of life, if you will.

Howie, our yellow lab/greyhound companion, came out of the trailer with Kathleen and is now cautiously exploring these surroundings, he is an urban dog; therefore, the scents and sounds available are unusual to him. He carefully extends his exploration of our campsite, going a little further with each trek, carefully eyeing his surroundings and keeping a watchful eye on us. He is, after all, our self-appointed protector!

My tranquility is momentarily disturbed as I reflect on the current attempts, not only in Utah but in most western states, to “take back” lands owned and managed by the federal government and put them under state control. Utah, and other states west of the Mississippi river, contain large portions of land ceded to the U.S. government in our respective state constitutions. These lands are now locked in the sights of state legislators as potential revenue sources; they could, the argument goes, be “privatized” and thereby generate short-term revenues to state budgets; budgets strapped by the on-going demand for government services. Legislators feel the need to increase revenues, and, cowards that they are, remain fearful that any attempts to raise taxes on those that demand services would be detrimental to their re-election. Does this movement affect me personally? You can bet the farm on that, I am camped on BLM land at this moment.

However, I push those thoughts out of my mind for now; Kathleen and I came here to enjoy ourselves; I can deal with this nasty subject at a later date and time.

This trip has been a weekend-long period of meditation for me, a period of reflection. I have experienced many changes and upheavals in my life over the past several weeks, and needed time to think and talk about these changes and how they have affected me, and those people near and dear to me. These changes were inevitable, and in retrospect, necessary for my continuance as a person; change, however, is often painful and difficult. Some of you are aware of these changes, and for your love and support, I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

In particular, I cannot find the words to thank you enough, Kathleen. You are my life-long companion, and even through these events of late, you have supported and loved me, as difficult as these events and changes been for both of us. I am eagerly anticipating our new adventures and escapades as life continues to unfold.  (Poorly worded, but it’s the best I can do!)

Thank you for reading; your comments, as always, are appreciated.

 R.M. “Bob Hartman

And we have a Winner!

It’s great, folks, really great! The House Republicans have passed, and sent to the Senate, the American Health Care Act. This bill will reduce health-care related costs and taxes by $5640 annually for those Americans who make $200,000 or more each year. Companies that employ 50 or more full time workers will no longer be forced to offer health insurance to the employees. This will definitely help make America great again.

Now, if you have winners this big, you naturally are going to have some losers. But who are they? The losers are you and I, the American people. Here are a few facts for your consideration.

If you make $10,000 annually, your health costs will rise by $1400 yearly. Those fine Americans that make $50,000-$72,000 will only see health costs increase by $60 annually, unless you get pregnant or have a pre-existing condition.

We are going to get rid of some of those pesky regulations that Obama put in the ACA. We are going to start by allowing insurance companies to charge you more, or deny you coverage entirely if you have any pre-existing conditions, such as being a victim of rape or domestic violence, pregnancy, cancer, or heart conditions, to name a few.

Insurance companies are corporations, and corporations are people, too. They don’t want to be forced to cover pregnancy, mental health care, or cancer screenings as essential services. The American NoHealth Care Act gives them the choice of covering them or not. I’m no expert, but I really don’t expect the insurance companies to willingly cover them any more as essential services.

If your insurance lapses for 63 days or more, say when you are unemployed, insurance companies can charge you higher premiums for pre-existing conditions than before.

Medicaid, including CHIP, is a health program that provides basic services for low income Americans. This program will be capped under the American NoHealth Care Act, which will force people close to the poverty line out of the program. They will then have the option of paying more than they can afford for health insurance, or just get sick and go to the emergency room. Now, that is what is known as freedom of choice? NOT!

These are just a few of the facts relating to the American NoHealth Care Act. Here’s a couple more, and they might hit home with you. This bill was passed without any Democratic votes, and in fact 20 Republicans voted against the bill. Are you represented in the House by a Republican? (Sadly, I am, and I am not happy about her vote. I voted for her opponent in the election.)

Did you vote for that Republican?

Think about it.

As always, thanks for reading. Please feel free to post comments or thoughts.

R.M. "Bob" Hartman 

Unusual Weather

It is raining today in the Salt Lake Valley; this is unusual because, in March, we usually have snow, not rain.

But the unusual weather today in Utah is not as bad as the weather inside Congress in Washington. Today, the representatives in “the people’s house” will vote on the American Health Care Act, a bill that is publicized as the beginning of the repeal and replacement of the Affordable Care Act; the same Affordable Care Act that then-presidential candidate Donald Trump said he would repeal on Day 1 of his term in office. Well, he didn’t get to repeal the ACA on Day 1, and right now (8:11 AM MDT), it looks like he won’t get the AHCA passed by Congress today, either.

For this piece of legislation to pass in the House, the Republican party can afford only 21 no votes from its members. As of Wednesday night, 24 Republicans have publicly stated they will vote no. No Democrats have indicated they will vote yes. Right now, there is strong opposition to this bill from the health care sector and insurance companies, both groups that are normally strong supporters of, and donors to, republican politicians and the republican party.

It is also opposed by the AARP and the March of Dimes, because it would raise insurance rates on older Americans and drastically cut funding for Medicaid and health insurance subsidies, subsidies that have allowed millions of Americans to afford health insurance. CHIP, the Children’s Health Insurance Program, is also a part of Medicaid. What about the children? Oh, yes, they don’t vote. But, their parents and grandparents do.

Those states that accepted ACA money to expand Medicaid to previously uninsured residents would see that money disappear, which would put state governments in a lose-lose scenario. The states would either raise taxes, to replace the lost federal money, or cut recipients off the Medicaid roles. Neither of these choices would be good in the next election for the existing state politicians. To understand the value of federal funding for Medicaid, consider this fact:

Fourteen states receive the minimum of federal Medicaid money ($1 from the Federal government for every $1 of state money; while the remaining 37 (including DC) receive 50.1% to 73.1% of their Medicaid moneys from the federal government. Eleven states (ID, UT, AZ, NM, AR, MS, AL, SC, KY, WV, DC), all of which are nominally “red” states, receive between 67% and 73% of their Medicaid money from the federal government. (source: The Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured)

Can the Republican members of Congress from those states vote yes on this bill, and then look their constitutes in the eyes in the 

next election cycle?

There is a tsunami approaching Washington DC right now.

Your comments, as always, are welcome.

RMH

http://kff.org/medicaid/issue-brief/medicaid-financing-how-does-it-work-and-what-are-the-implications/  retrieved March 23, 2017 at 9:05 AM MDT

Spring, hopefully.

The sun has risen, shining through the light broken clouds surrounding the mountain tops that make up my beloved Wasatch Front. Birds are singing outside my window, and I have a cup of hot coffee and a pipe. Everything is well in my world. Spring, I believe, is finally trying to arrive in the Salt Lake Valley.

It seems to have been a long time arriving, this spring. The winter, while not rough in the valley, has been good to the mountains; we experienced a very good snowfall, with lots of moisture content. Given the past several years of below-average moisture, this is a good sign of things to come!


It has also been a long time since I have felt the desire to write here. The whirlwind that pretended to be the election cycle has severely shaken my faith in our electoral process with the constant tweets, interruptions and unfounded allegations rapidly, and repeatedly, overtaking substance and fact. The rude, crude, obnoxious, and insulting behavior of the field of candidates left me with the feeling of being in a bad dream. Unlike a dream, however, it continued past dawn, and even continues to this day.


Not since the days of “yellow journalism” (mid to late 1800’s) have the people of our country been exposed to such inane behavior and rude attacks by the candidates on each other. But this was not a matter of difference in policies, or a debate of the kind that causes serious reflection on the part of the electorate; rather this was nothing more than a cheap, shoddy effort to rally the base (whatever that may be) while demonizing the opponent.


Personally, I was ashamed of the behavior and demeanor of our candidates. “The whole dern lot of them”, as grandmother would have said.  No one seemed willing, even for a moment, to step above the fray.


Was this what the American public wanted, or more to the point, was it what we needed? Was it what the American voters deserved? Sadly, we have become a nation that is fixated on 30 second sound bites, 24 hour or less news cycles, and reality TV. (Which, frankly, is not reality.) You can pick any discussion point, pick a side, and find a talk radio or a TV commentator willing to bolster your opinion. Easy, isn’t it? No thinking required.


No thinking required. The same held true of the rallies each candidate held. There was little or no discussion about “this is what I want to do, and this is how I will achieve it.” Rather, we sat through month after tedious month of “the other side said this” “the other side wants to take your _________ away.” Scare tactics, creating fear of the boogieman, seemed to be the best the politicians could achieve. If fear was what the politicians wanted to achieve, they succeeded, all too well. Fear of the angry, disenchanted white males; of the liberal eastern elitists, the mainstream (or lamestream) media, the tree-huggers, big business, real or imaginary terrorists, people of other races or origins, other faiths. Plenty of fear to go around. And little or no uplifting messages, no spirit of “can do”, the type of spirit that propelled us to victory in WWII, and put an American on the moon in a decade.


But, who is to blame for this? Certainly, blame can be laid on the politicians and pollsters, the pundits, the media. But more to the fact, I am afraid, the blame is on us. You and me. The voting (I hope) public. We allowed the powers behind the politicians to tell us what they wanted us to hear. In the main, we refused to exercise our duty to say, “hold on, this is not what we signed up for.” We-you and I-refused to hold our politicians accountable to us, the American people.


Fortunately, we are allowed a do-over. Elections for the House are held every two years, and the Senate and President, every four. We can, and should, start now to hold our elected officials responsible for their behavior and actions. We have voices; we have email, petitions, and letters to our officials, as well as potential, untried politicians waiting to enter public service and help us overcome the morass we have created. We do not have to settle for the status quo, we do not have to re-elect the incumbents.


Read, follow, and study your elected officials. Let them know what you think, and don’t be shy about it. Support those who are working to make America a better place, a more civilized society, and work to replace those who spread hate and fear.


I am remembering the words attributed to Colin Powell: “You break it, you own it.” Well, in my opinion, we broke it, now let’s fix it. We, the United States of America, are better than this.


As always, your comments of agreement or opposition are appreciated.


Thanks for reading,

RMH