Month: March 2017

VIRAL SPECULATION AS NEWS IS DISRUPTIVE

 

A dog sitting on top of a mountain looking at the valley.
Viral speculation, red wolf colludes with villagers to attack goats; or Trump campaign colludes with Russian red wolf to attack Clinton.

Presenting viral speculation as news is disruptive and a disservice to the public when presented in an authoritative manor by people who reportedly know what they are talking about, experts and pundits. Viral speculation about Russian involvement in the 2016 election has been a constant narrative in the news for months. The only fact presented thus far is that the Russians attempted to influence the election. The speculation beyond that fact is innuendo about Trump campaign collusion with the Russians to defeat Hillary Clinton. The collusion speculation is fake news. To this point in the speculation onslaught, no facts that substantiate the allegations exist. Russia speculation is only one area where speculation is treated as news. Hours of speculation by pundits masquerades as facts and fans rabid political partisanship on cable news networks and social media. This viral speculation then drives hyper partisanship in Washington, DC. Unfortunately, the viral speculation drives ratings and profit which appears to be the primary factor driving this type programming.

In my opinion, the primary function of the viral speculation news cycle is to fan hyper partisanship, promote political gridlock in Washington, DC, and promote ratings and profits. Virtually every news outlet regardless of their political orientation or size uses the speculation to promote more speculation, rebuttal by speculation, and speculation about which speculation will eventually become fact at the end of the day. Journalists rush to the guilty politician for their reaction to the latest innuendo and their speculation about the speculator. This news cycle regarding the Russian connection has lasted too long and served only to limit the news about other significant news where the facts have been established, meaningful discussion about bills that are law, and the impact of verified events occurring in the nation’s capital, other parts of the nation, and the world. Again, viral speculation as news is disruptive and a disservice to honestly informing We the People about real news and important facts.

It is time to end the viral speculation news cycle and start reporting the factual events occurring throughout the capital, the nation, and the world. There are adequate real news stories that need to be reported. Congressional committees are completing their work; Cabinet Secretary Hearings are ongoing and executive branch appointments are being approved; Cabinet initiatives are being formulated; the Middle East is on fire, and real progress is occurring regarding North Korea; and other events that impact the future of the world are occurring daily. There is more than enough real verified news to replace the viral speculation that is passed off as news in today’s news cycle. Reporting on factual events just does not bleed mentally and emotionally, create controversy, political vitriol, or hyper partisanship. Fact based reporting does not promote ratings or profits. It appears that getting the who, what, where, how, and why verified by multiple sources just is not as fun and profitable as spreading innuendo and speculation.

Is it time to report real news rather than viral speculation?

END VIRAL SPECULATION NOW!

Join the fray. All of the America’s Crossroad Posts are listed by categories in the  BLOG CONTENTS tab.  If you decide to read a few, please leave comments about your “Patriot Visions,” start or join the conversation, and share the Posts with friends and political frienimies.

THE DYSFUNCTION AND IMPOTENCY OF THE GOP

 

Two men in suits and ties standing next to each other.
The GOP must develop a procedure to unite the disparate factions of the party or fail to serve We the People. We need action.

The failure of the GOP House majority to pass the first phase of the healthcare repeal and replacement legislation demonstrates the dysfunction and impotency of the Republican Party. The failure demonstrated that Republicans have three, possibly four, political divisions not one unified party. The GOP is composed of liberal Republicans or RINOS (Republicans in name only), moderate Republicans, and various forms of conservatives including social and physical conservatives. The healthcare reform legislation failure demonstrates that the divisions within the GOP are effectively distinct political parties with distinct and, in this case irreconcilable, differences. If Republicans fail to develop a procedure to manage, control, and unite the disparate factions of the party, the GOP will continue to be dysfunctional and impotent. Consequently, Republicans will cease to be an effective political force in the United States of America. The GOP will cease to be the Grand Old Party and become the Geriatric Obsolete Party.

The GOP is dysfunctional because its leadership lacked the strategic ability to unite the party and forward a complete, cogent, understandable healthcare plan that could be supported by the majority of the party and marketed to the public. At the most, the leadership had seven years to accomplish this vital task and failed. At least, the leadership had four to six months to accomplish this task and still failed. They failed in spite of the fact that they knew that President Trump would sign the legislation when it came to his desk.

Republicans are impotent because the leadership lacked the force of will to convince House Republicans that the plan they forwarded must pass the House. This was the first part of a three part plan that would accomplish the goal of repealing and replacing Obamacare and accomplish the overall goals of the GOP for a more perfect healthcare system in the United States of America.

Hopefully, the Republican Party leadership will solve the problems revealed by the healthcare debacle. The question is, which GOP will they be?

We the People are depending on you to Make Healthcare in America Great Again!

We the People are depending on you to Make America Great Again!

Join the fray. All of the America’s Crossroad Posts are listed by categories in the  BLOG CONTENTS tab.  If you decide to read a few, please leave comments about your “Patriot Visions,” start or join the conversation, and share the Posts with friends and political frienimies.

THE INDIVIDUAL HEALTHCARE TAX CREDIT

 

Employer contributions to employee healthcare costs constitute a de facto healthcare tax credit since they are not included as taxable income for employees. The proposed individual healthcare credits simply provide “equal protection (or benefit) of the laws” according to Section 1 of the 14th Amendment to the Constitution. Both are, in reality, subsidies or entitlements.

Two hands holding a heart in front of each other.
If the individual healthcare tax credit is an entitlement then employer  healthcare contributions are entitlements.

Consequently, conservative constipation over healthcare tax credits for individual healthcare costs is hypocritical. Conservatives claim that the healthcare tax credits constitute a new entitlement. If the tax credits for individual healthcare costs constitute an entitlement, then not taxing employees for employer contributions to employee healthcare costs is also an entitlement. The issue is extremely important for the self-employed and small businesses that are too small to provide employer based healthcare insurance. Both of these groups are economically disadvantaged in comparison to those receiving employer healthcare benefits. Conservatives in both the US House of Representatives and the Senate should recognize this reality as a matter of simple fairness.

The healthcare tax credit for individual healthcare costs does not solve the healthcare issues caused by Obamacare or the issues of healthcare in the United States. This nation needs a healthcare system that effectively deals with the entire system that gives control of healthcare to patients and doctors not corporate executives and government bureaucrats.

Join the fray. All of the America’s Crossroad Posts are listed by categories in the  BLOG CONTENTS tab.  If you decide to read a few, please leave comments about your “Patriot Visions,” start or join the conversation, and share the Posts with friends and political frienimies.