On December 9th, 1980 this image was hastily taped to a window in a basement dorm room of Pacelli Hall at John Carroll University. It was a Tuesday. I was living in the basement of Pacelli Hall. Or supposed to be, anyway.

The evening before I spent upstairs at my parents’ house where I had been studying (or what then I thought was studying) and listening to WMMS. DJ Denny Sanders interrupted a song to share that John Lennon had been shot. It didn’t sink in. It couldn’t.

A bit later another broadcast interruption shared that John Lennon had died. DIED? As in, he’s not going to be here tomorrow? Who would want to kill John Lennon? What did he ever do to someone to deserve that?

I will never (hopefully) forget the image of that dismal day in Cleveland. It was the kind of day that you have to live here long enough to despondently appreciate the experience. Dark. Rain. Fog. Just cold enough to where rain doesn’t turn to snow.

God had brought forth the perfect ambiance for mourning. John Lennon had died. And with him another slice of our youthful innocence. December 8th is rightly remembered as a tragic day in our country’s lexicon. December 9th was the day we had to begin reconciling a shared tragedy with our own will to live.

There is an old saying that’s been around in DC for years that goes something like,

Don’t tax you
Don’t tax me
Tax that man behind the tree.

So goes the thinking in private conversations around Washington about the duplicity of elected officials wanting to reduce constituents’ tax burdens while at the same time providing valuable public services to those constituents.

The simple reality is we will – eventually (next year? next decade?) have to pay the piper in the same way Greece has. To the extent that reality causes angst it’s understandable why a Federal budget proposing to slash millions in spending would be embraced.

The issue, of course, is whether and how spending reductions should be effectuated. With today’s release of the Administration’s “proposed” budget the gauntlet has not been laid down so much as the effort has been made to call attention to the man behind the tree.

The sad reality in our country is the Federal budget could very likely be cut by a third without touching Medicaid (might even be able to expand it). But then, at least half, if not more, of current members of Congress would likely lose their seats for failing to bring home the bacon.

Knowing their potential absence probably doesn’t bother most of us should tell you all you need to know about the huge systemic challenge we face in correcting the best form of government this world has ever seen.

Cheers,
~ Sparky

http://www.healthcarefinancenews.com/news/trump-budget-cuts-600-billion-medicaid

The James Comey Oval Office conversation looks like a witch hunt to me.

Frankly, if Trump said what he is alleged to have said to Comey, I could really care less. That a sitting president should be called into question over a remark that “could” be interpreted as coercive I guess is in keeping with the 24-hour news cycle and social media landscape that now litters our country. Pragmatically, I could very well see Trump having said what he is alleged to have said without having any sense of desired influence whatsoever. 

But that’s because he is so clueless that he says whatever words he is able to muster at the time. If you listen to him enough, how could you not believe he rarely says anything with forethought – let alone malice of forethought. I listened to his commencement address to the Coast Guard Academy this morning, and it was truly sad. I think he only has three or four adjectives in his repertoire that he uses time and again.

“Really” is the big one, though technically an adjective preceeding another adjective is considered an adverb if memory serves.  Everything is really good, or really great, or really wonderful. And beyond, good, great and wonderful things fall off quickly. And of course, there’s the show stopper: “believe me.” At least George W had the presence of mind to pause and take flack for not being quick enough to get the right words out rather than just filling the void with adolescent banter.

The more you listen to Trump the more two realities become self-evident: he does not take the time or effort to gain even a basic understanding of the policy issues about which he speaks – regardless of what position he may favor on those issues. And second, he has no sense of himself outside of how he is self-actualized by his audience and the sycophants clamoring around like remoras attached to a shark. That must be why he craves those rallies so much. Without them he has no self worth nor understanding of why he ran for president.

But being obtuse and narcissistic are not impeachable offenses. Rushing to judgement on the basis of what should have been a private and confidential conversation between a president and his direct report is folly and only serves to fan the flames of political irreverence. Let’s maintain some common sense of decorum and see if we can’t still find the better angels of our nature to guide us through these troubling times.

Cheers,
   Sparky

Dear Colleagues:
This is a short reminder to those intellectual policy wonks out there who are interested in debating US Healthcare public policy that my firm, Artower Advisory Services, sponsors and underwrites the cost of a private Listserv discussion group. The group was created out of a remnant of what was once known as HEALTHRE – begun back in the mid-90s.

It is free to join, free to participate – and free to just lurk (read the posts of other contributors). Approval is required to help keep the list free of “junk,” but that is an automated process. Participants receive e-mails only from other registered participants that are discussing US healthcare public policy issues (i.e., no solicitation, no advertising, no spam). To sign up, simply click on the link below. You can unsubscribe just as easily if you determine it’s not for you.

Join the Debate!!
  ~ Sparky

Click here to sign up for the HC Policy Discussion Group