The Incomprehensible (and reprehensible) Health Care Bill

President Obama said in an interview this week that he is frustrated at the fearmongering and "blatant lies" that are effecting how American's view this bill. President Obama, you are so full of it, as are the rest of the people in Congress (both dems and repubs). Lesson number one, and only lesson number one: the reason that fearmongering and lies are bouncing back and forth is because Congress, through purposeful intent, wrote incomprehensible bills.

The language of both the house and senate bills is pathetic. I actually tried to read the bills, and in the house version (I am not sure its the latest version, as closed door negotiations have caused changes on an hourly basis), there is a provision that states that the bill must be in plain english. that requirement alone was almost half a page of incomprehensible and highly ambiguous legalese, and i am a lawyer. God forbid someone without legal training tried to read this mess. our firm has a saying, "using complicated legal language is a sign of laziness and fear, it is the crutch upon which lawyers who either wish that their clients do not understand the contract or have not taken time to understand the law lean on."

i have no doubt that congress purposefully writes in this manner because they do not wish the average American to understand the bills. It makes it easier for them to avoid accountability, provides them wiggle room to either assert or deny fearmongering, and provides ample opportunity to insert favors in exchange for bribes.

The American people expect better.

The Absurdity of It All

Do you know why a can of soda loaded with sugar is so cheap while healthy fruits and vegetables are so relatively expensive? Its because of farm subsidies. While subsidizing sugar farmers, the government is increasing the availability of sugar in our food stream, increasing obesity. Yet, this is the same government that says it is now going to solve our health care system.

What Happened to Our Government

It seems as I look at our elected officials in washington and at the state level more and more, not with disgust (although that happens quite frequently), but with disappointment. Why? Because they are acting more and more like children. When was the last time we heard a civil discourse? When was the last time we went a week without our elected officials calling each other names?

I am disappointed because other countries have historically looked to America as a shining example of what to do. If we go back to our early days, yes there were insults, but people looked down upon others that refused to remain civil. We have stories of presidents and former presidents going at each other's throats in debate and yet maintaining a level of respect and dignity that the office demanded.

I am even more disappointed because the loss of respect and dignity is merely an indicator of our society. We no longer respect each other's opinions. We no longer appreciate differences. It seems as though we must be a plain jane country in order for us to get along. You know what, that is an awful awful place to be. The ability to work within our differences is what made America great. The respect and admiration of our differences is what made America America.

Yet, with the greed of power and money and our own inflated opinions of ourselves, we have lost that, and it shows in DC, in our state and at our local governments.

This is why I refuse to be a part of either of the two major parties. I like hearing people's differences. I apprecite the value system underlying the differences and I know the importance of taking differences into account.

I am a free thinker. I am an independent. I am a moderate. I am a Whig.

Prove It!!

America will come back from this economic downturn, but one thing is clear, both Republicans and Democrats are going to claim victory. The Democrats, and especially Obama in 2010, will claim that the stimulus bill was the key factor in keeping this great nation from going under. The Republicans will claim that the stimulus did nothing other than to delay recovery and add to our deficit. The simple fact of the matter is that, we have no idea what really happened. And that is how these parties operate.

Both Republicans and Democrats refuse, absolutely refuse, to put in real, measurable metrics to determine the effectiveness of spending bills, and for good reason. They both want to confuse and confound the unwary public of their alleged success or alleged failures. In other words, both sides refuse to hold themselves accountable.

But, while refusing to hold themselves accountable is clearly and issue, and one that needs to be corrected, this goes back to another issue that is not talked about, and that is the competency of Congress. Most in Congress have little to no business experience. Obama's administration has less than 10% of people with any experience other than academic experience. Yet, somehow, because of a misplaced belief in their own capabilities, Congress believes that it knows whats best. And that is simply wrong.

Now, take the issue of the refusal to hold themselves accountable. We know that it is a power play, but it also shows a complete and utter lack of fundamental business principles. Taxes are an investment by the public in its goverment. The government takes that investment and performs functions. Sounds like a non-profit business. Well, what non-profit business refuses to hold themselves accountable to their investors? What non-profit refuses to track and measure the money being spent? While a non-profit in the real world would surely be sued not only by its investors but also but the government if it acted this way, for some reason, the government itself does not hold itself to the same laws.

And that is pathetic.

Gay Rights

If you have read this blog, you probably already know that I have an issue with current state of affairs with regards to gay rights. But, you would also know that my issue is not due to any moral or religious belief (I do not want/need my government to enforce my religion), but due to a sheer Constitutional error.

Okay, in simple terms, according to our Constitution and to what we try to endeavor to be as a society, the rights granted to a man are the same as or equivalent to the rights granted to a woman. In other words, under our Constitution, Man = Woman.

Now, currently, under Federal law, a marriage is a man and a woman, e.g. Man + Woman = Marriage.

But, if we are true to ourselves and our belief in the Constitution, each component is substitutable because each are equivalent. In other words:

Man + Woman = Marriage
Man = Woman, therefore

Man + Man = Marriage or
Woman + Woman = Marriage.

So, those that oppose right given to gay people, do you oppose equal rights among the sexes or do you oppose marriage?

Modern Whig: Florida Whig Party has left the MWP

As some of you may know, the FWP has left the Modern Whig Party. The FWP left, according to their website, because of an unfulfilled request for information from the leadership of the MWP. Although there have been disagreements between the FWP and the MWP, this temporary separation is actually a good thing for both entities. First, it gives the MWP time to determine whether or not the FWP is a centrist, moderate organization with the same goals tenants of the MWP. Second, it gives the FWP the necessary separation to fully focus on their candidates. They are currently running three candidates for national office, which takes a lot of time and money. And finally, it allows for a cooling off period.

When you get people that are this passionate about changing things, oftentimes you end up with disagreements and hurt feelings. Passion is a great motivator but can sometimes be harmful if things get out of hand. What the FWP did was exactly what they should have done. All of us involved with the Whig movement are passionate and emotional about this. We do not get paid but spend a lot of our off time trying to do something that has not been done before, and that is, build a viable, moderate national party. We get emotionally vested, deeply vested, in the party.

It will be interesting to see if the FWP remains separate and a MWP chapter is established there or if they come back to the MWP. But, regardless, their success as a third party can only help the MWP movement, and thus, I wish them the best of luck.

Modern Whig: Expected Attacks

There has been an anonymous blogger that has decided to take it upon himself or herself to try to discredit the founders and leaders of the Modern Whig Party. They are attacking the record, integrity and patriotism of veterans and other leaders, and that is unacceptable. I ended up being part of this attack, and they tried to use my name to accomplish their goals. About a week ago, I sent an internal letter to the leadership of the MWP notifying them that I will be stepping down as chair of Georgia. The vicechairman will be taking my role. I felt it was best for Georgia as the vicechairman has a unique vision that will help Georgia, and I wanted to make sure he had all the resources he could to bring that to fruition. Well, the blogger at "The Truth About the Modern Whigs..." found out and decided to turn a letter in which I praised the organization and the people and misquoted me. It is unfortunate, but I am now consulting with other attorneys and am considering legal action against this blogger. But, there is a lesson here, in that what has been done is typical of what is going on now in politics. When our politicians disagree with each other, instead of being agreeable, they attack each other, often ending in personal attacks. Despite what you hear, most of the people that are elected are good people.

Here is a screencap of a posting about my transfer. the blogger took it down, but I had already saved the misquoted posting.