View Full Version : Neither side seems to work for me.....
gimmethesimplelife
6-14-14, 9:57am
I think I have come to a place where neither side seems to work for me politically any more. I have posted this before but very recently this has hit me like a ton of bricks.
I am so disillusioned with the VA scandal and I have just read online that the goverment is going to allow vets to seek private health care options now under the VA system - this strikes me as an admission that the government based system is not working. Though I am grateful for Medicaid paying for my recent long stay in the hospital and for my surgery, I also see a country drowning in debt with seemingly no plan to reverse this.
On the other side of the aisle, I see a political party that is very much out of touch with how everyday people are suffering. I see a party that doesn't seem to care about the small people and wants to cut, cut, cut spending. I see a party that is not inclusive to gays or lesbians, one that doesn't care if people have access to health care or not, and one that does not care that buying power is shrinking for millions.
It dawned on me while I was having a convo with someone I used to work with who really disliked me for my views - someone who was in the military and very pro-American and Republican who now agrees with me due to what's happened with the VA. This person has some money saved and is now living in Ecuador, to stretch the money and out of disgust with the US. Amazing as I never would have thought this man capable of such. Funny thing is I'm disillusioned with both sides of the aisle - this person was assuming I'm all pro-Democrat.
Anybody else out there just not feeling as if government really represents them at all any more? Rob
You think this is something new. I remember my grandfather back in 1968 telling me that politicians are all crooks. He never expected anything from them and took care of himself and his family. Now its not even expected of them to tell the truth. Its just politics, another way to say its ok to lie. Don't rely on the nanny state to take care of you, its just about power to them. Take care of yourself. I believe you said your 47 years old, Isn't it about time?
gimmethesimplelife
6-14-14, 11:33am
You think this is something new. I remember my grandfather back in 1968 telling me that politicians are all crooks. He never expected anything from them and took care of himself and his family. Now its not even expected of them to tell the truth. Its just politics, another way to say its ok to lie. Don't rely on the nanny state to take care of you, its just about power to them. Take care of yourself. I believe you said your 47 years old, Isn't it about time?I have thought over your post and I think you have a point here. You mention the year 1968 - I'm thinking of 1969 specifically, a bit before my time but during the Vietnam War. Talk about a time with disillusionment with politics - people fleeing to Canada to save their lives from a crazy war and being judged for that - and then vets returning to no warmth or appreciation whatsoever. Disillusionment within the young and I'd imagine with parents of draftable aged adults. That really was a time of disillusionment and very little faith in the system overall. So yeah, I guess this one isn't new. Rob
iris lilies
6-14-14, 11:43am
Rob, in the overview, you or anyone else are not going to find a political party that you are 100% in sync with. No one does.
If I could just find a party that says: small government small government small government and remains silent on social issues that do not require taxpayer funding, I'd be really happy with them. While that is kinda/sorta libertarian stance which kinda/sorta/sometimes is "tea party" politicians, all too often the "tea party" candidates have to take a stand on social junk. I would like to tell them: just STFU about that stuff, brave a silence and do not make planks in your platform on social issues unless it is one broad sweep as in: I have no plank on social issues because you the citizen gets to decide about that.
In the specific: so you are disillusioned about Nanny G's ability to "care" for you and others as evidence in the VA problem, please get over the idea that bureaucracy "cares" or even gives 1 shit about anything, that's the realm of humans, not processes and procedures.
About your military friend: the conventional wisdom is that libertarians have strong support amoung military because libertarians are pro-defense, and therefore pro strong military, but anti-involvement in world policing activities. So the fact that your military friend isn't happy with America politics doesn't surprise me--it's hard to spot a libertarian in D.C.
I've begun thinking that the people who run for political office have a certain personality..........which isn't always the best kind. And the people who don't want to run for office, would probably do a better job.
Seems like most of them are snake oil salesmen. There's always ulterior motives. Nothing is as it seems. In this country, there are just so many variables going on everywhere.......so many different wants and needs. So many groups wanting different things, and so many people not able to compromise.
iris lilies
6-14-14, 11:51am
While all politicians make deals and more deals to benefit them (and their party and constituents) there really have been some that I think truly and sincerely want to do good for the community or area they represent.
We have a family of politicians in Missouri, the Carnahans. The father Carnahan was a well respected Democrat who served his middle of the road constituency pretty well and I liked him. While he was running for governor his plane crashed and he died, along with one of this sons. Since then a couple of his children had high profile political offices including US Congress. But now they are all out of politics. I liked the kids, they seemed sincere and hard working. We had a couple of them around our neighborhood for a while. And now that they are out of politics, that's rather a tribute to their sincerity. Career politicians get old and stale and too much in the deal making phase.
I have thought over your post and I think you have a point here. You mention the year 1968 - I'm thinking of 1969 specifically, a bit before my time but during the Vietnam War. Talk about a time with disillusionment with politics - people fleeing to Canada to save their lives from a crazy war and being judged for that - and then vets returning to no warmth or appreciation whatsoever. Disillusionment within the young and I'd imagine with parents of draftable aged adults. That really was a time of disillusionment and very little faith in the system overall. So yeah, I guess this one isn't new. Rob
With my grandfather I think it had more to do with living through the depression. My father was out of the service at that time, but my uncle was in the air force and served in Vietnam at the time. So it actually goes back farther than that.
If your still not happy here, maybe you can get a ride back from whoever are dropping all those kids at the border. I'm actually pretty impressed at the effort that they have gone to to get here, and there just kids.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDm3qr3Zlu0
And now you understand why I buy separate private health insurance instead of just relying on the VA Rob - or why I wouldn't want to rely on Medicaid either. But I don't blame the government itself, and certainly not politics, on the VA debacle, that falls in the hands of the VA Administrators and staff at the VA hospitals. But I do think the VA System is an indicator of some of the pit-falls that could happen to any government run hospital or healthcare system.
And now you understand why I buy separate private health insurance instead of just relying on the VA Rob - or why I wouldn't want to rely on Medicaid either. But I don't blame the government itself, and certainly not politics, on the VA debacle, that falls in the hands of the VA Administrators and staff at the VA hospitals. But I do think the VA System is an indicator of some of the pit-falls that could happen to any government run hospital or healthcare system.
Spartana, did you happen to see The Daily Show's bit on the VA backlog? Turns out that one of the administrators testified to Congress that their appointment system is the same one as they were running in 1985! Like Jon Stewart said, how can we have drone technology but not use any updated technology on the administrative side?
Another administrator testified they had delivered 18(!) reports to Congress detailing this situation over the last 9 years or so, and apparently all were ignored. So Stewart put up an animation of the old Pong game - batting the ball back and forth between the VA administration and Congress as to who is to blame for this mess.
Spartana, did you happen to see The Daily Show's bit on the VA backlog? Turns out that one of the administrators testified to Congress that their appointment system is the same one as they were running in 1985! Like Jon Stewart said, how can we have drone technology but not use any updated technology on the administrative side?
Another administrator testified they had delivered 18(!) reports to Congress detailing this situation over the last 9 years or so, and apparently all were ignored. So Stewart put up an animation of the old Pong game - batting the ball back and forth between the VA administration and Congress as to who is to blame for this mess.No I didn't see that - no cable so no John Steward :-(. I did hear that what they were doing was logging in an early appointment date, and then just not seeing the personfor over a year in some cases but using that date to say "see, we are super efficient and see everyone asap!" And apparently the supervisors were enforcing that policy with the appointment setters so that the supervisors could get their bonuses. From what I've seen, they seem pretty organized and everything is computerized but you may be right, the programs might be old. The only reason I wonder about that is us Vets who use the VA can view all our records and Dr comments, lab test, etc... online via a special VA website and it seems pretty modern so, since it's info that is inputted directly from the Dr.s at the VA, I can't imagine their systems being really old. Although I do like the "Pong" analogy :-)! I personally haven't really had any bad experiences at the vA, but I haven't had anything big. And I hadn't heard anything about Congress actually knowing what was going on but if John Steward says it's so, then it must be so :-)! I am curious to learn more about the VA outsources some of it's medical care though. They have done that with me several times and sent me to a private Doctor for testing/treatment of a service-connected disability I have so they do that already in certain circumstances.
I think I have come to a place where neither side seems to work for me politically any more. I have posted this before but very recently this has hit me like a ton of bricks.
Anybody else out there just not feeling as if government really represents them at all any more? Rob
+1!
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