Living Frugally

As merely an ordinary member of the hoi polloi I would not have thought having a half million dollar interest free line of credit from Tiffany’s was evidence of a “frugal life style.” But the revelation does raise some interesting questions (that unfortunately for Newt I fear are not going away soon). The first question might well be, just what was Newt buying with this generous account? Perhaps he was trying to “gussy up” his third wife to make her presentable as the President’s wife (remember his rather cruel quote about his first wife, “she isn’t young enough or pretty enough to be the President’s wife.”) You have to hand it to Newt, he doesn’t mince words (just facts, truth, and reality). He obviously does not want to answer any questions about his spending on jewelry and, of course he cannot be forced to do so. He says it’s his money and he can spend it as he likes, that, of course, is quite true. I doubt this is a good enough answer to please everyone. To be uncommonly, and suspiciously curious I wonder if his wife really possesses a half million dollars worth of his jewelry, and if not, who does? You don’t think perhaps he buys occasional “baubles” for some of his other “friends?” Actually, I don’t care what he does with his money or who he spends it on, what I do find the most unsettling about this is that, considering his truly big money supporters, having to do with a mere half million account, means he actually IS living RELATIVELY frugally. He does have a creative mind (as he constantly reminds us), remember his statement that he prefers oral sex because he can then truthfully say he hasn’t been sleeping with anyone (this was, as I recall, about the same time President Clinton was involved with Monica). Newt Gingrich has distinguished himself as almost without peer the greatest hypocrite of all time, to say nothing of one of the most accomplished liars and opportunistic flip-floppers the world has ever experienced. So long Newt, we finally knew you all too well.

It has become quite apparent that Americans like Medicare. They really like it. This is to me of great interest as they don’t seem to like socialized medicine. Either they are confused about the nature of Medicare or about the nature of socialism, or both. Perhaps they just don’t think about things like that, at least not two things at the same time. It would seem to me this would be the time to push really vigorously for “Medicare for all.” At the very same time people want to cling to Medicare, and at the very same time they complain incessantly about the high cost of health insurance (other than Medicare), you might think the obvious solution to the problem would be to adopt a universal health care program, as Vermont has just done. There is no doubt this would be the least expensive form of health care possible, it works fine as does the VA Hospital program, would make health care much more affordable, and would bring the U.S. into the modern world of universal health care that now exists in all other industrialized societies. It appears we cannot benefit from such a program because Insurance companies, and their paid supporters in Congress, have enough clout to prevent it. But I would like someone to explain to me honestly what Insurance companies bring to health care, other than a lot of paper work and rationing. Insurance companies make their generous (to say the least) profits by denying treatment to those who often need it the most. They refuse to insurance the sick and the needy, insure only those who need it the least, and basically exist on the misery of the ill and dying. Republicans often say, “Do you want the government to come between you and your doctor?” I guess the answer should be, “No, I would prefer an Insurance bureaucrat whose interest is in profit rather than my health would be more appropriate.” Insurance companies come between you and your doctor for no purpose other than to profit, they are totally unnecessary when it comes to your health and have no obvious (or other) reason to be involved. By eliminating them the cost of health insurance would be immeasurably less expensive and an unbelievable amount of misery and suffering would be eliminated. There are things, mostly the most important things in life, that simply should not under any circumstances be privatized. Health care leads the list. To me this is all so obvious I cannot understand why there should have to be any further discussion. Let’s do it now.

Isn’t it remarkable how little we hear now about the Fukushima nuclear disaster. Oh, you can find information if you bother to look, but apparently the fact that this Japanese disaster is far worse than Chernobyl is not regarded as main stream news anymore. Both Japan and Germany have now vowed to have no more nuclear energy plants and go all out for renewables, but here in the U.S. our Congress is still considering massive financial aid to build more of these utter monstrosities (that won’t exist at all without massive infusions of taxpayer money). What will it take before we realize that nuclear energy should be completely banned forever from the earth? The sad fact is that our political system, our government, no longer exists to deal with the public interest. It exists only to generate profits for those who are in charge of it, corporations and the one or two percent of the wealthiest individuals on earth.

LKBIQ:
“The capitalists will sell us the rope with which we will hang them.”
Vladimir Lenin