Why Dems don’t understand the shift away from their health care “reform” November 22, 2009
Posted by vsap in 2008 Presidential Election, Blogroll, Financial Crisis, US Politics, Uncategorized.Tags: health care reform, public health care
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Newt Gingrich doesn’t need my help to get the message out about health care, but here it is, an excerpt from his recent email:
A Stunning 22 Point Shift Away From Government Responsibility for Health Care
Polling data released last week by Gallup show a startling shift in public opinion: President Obama and Speaker Pelosi are actually convincing the country to rethink their attitudes and move toward the right and away from government solutions in health care (the same seems to be happening on spending, taxes, and how to create jobs, but that will be a future newsletter). Gallup’s annual poll on health issues (taken every November) shows public opinion shifting against the values of the Left and in favor of the personal responsibility, limited government model which has defined America for 240 years (since the founding decade of the 1770s). Gallup reports a stunning shift of 22% of all Americans who have moved from believing government is responsible for health care to believing health care is a personal responsibility.
One Out of Every Four Americans Have Changed Their Minds on Health Care
That means nearly one out of every four Americans have changed their minds on a fundamental question of who is responsible for health care. This is one of the largest shifts of its kind in such a short period in modern history. The survey shows that even after the 2008 presidential campaign and the Obama Administration’s concerted effort to sell government health care, support for non-government responsibility is at an all time high. In fact, for the first time in the decade that Gallup has asked the question, the survey found that more Americans (50%) favor non-government responsibility than believe it is a government responsibility (47%). The high watermark for the Left’s belief in collective responsibility through government was in November 2006 when by a 69-to-28 margin Americans said health care was a government responsibility (the choice is actually worded government versus nongovernment responsibility). Thus in November 2006, partially in reaction to Republican failures and the absence of a coherent conservative message, nearly 7 out of every 10 Americans had chosen government responsibility for health care.
The Shift Away from Government Health Care was Actually Fueled By the Campaign
But November 2006 was when support for government health care peaked. The shift away from government and towards non-government responsibility was actually fueled by the presidential campaign. In the November 2008 survey Gallup found support for government responsibility had already dropped to 54% and support for non-government responsibility had risen to 41%. That meant there had been a 7% drop in support for government and a 9% increase in support for non-government responsibility in health care even during the presidential campaign – a campaign in which we were told candidate Obama was very articulate and charismatic and candidate McCain was not very effective. Yet the power of the culture seemed to be outweighing the articulateness of the candidate who was advocating the wrong position. As President, Barack Obama’s effort to articulate the case for government responsibility has seen support for government erode another 7% and support for a nongovernmental responsibility rise another 9%. At this rate, after another year of the health debate, the American people will have decisively rejected government as a system for solutions.
Why Democrats Don’t Understand the Shift
Within the Gallup data there are very important clues as to why President Obama, Speaker Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid do not understand what is happening. Whereas 22% of the country has shifted from government to non-government responsibility in health care, among Democrats support for government remains strong. Democrats’ belief in government responsibility peaked at 87% in 2007. That meant there was virtually no opposition among Democrats to government-run health care. Even today, when 22% of the American people have shifted away from government, Democrats remain firmly in favor with 74% favoring government responsibility and only 23% favoring non-government responsibility (among Republicans the numbers are now reversed at 21% government and 77% non-government). So even today three out of four Democrats would reinforce what is now a declining position among the American people.
Keep the Current System or Replace It
A similar shift in public opinion is underway on the question of whether to keep the current health system or replace it. Today a vast majority (61 to 32) favor keeping the current system rather than replacing it. The margin among the two parties again reflects this schizophrenia about policies and values.While 86% of Republicans favor maintaining the current system and only 11% favor replacing it, among Democrats the results are very different. Democrats favor replacing the current system by 56 to 35.
Losing Independents, Losing the Country, Losing the Next Election
What these data show is that the Obama Administration and the congressional Democrats are losing the argument with independents, eroding support among their own party and consolidating Republicans into a firmly anti-government position. This trend suggests that another year of debate over the Left’s values, plans and policies will consolidate the center-right majority and lead to a crushing defeat for the Democratic Congress. Two more years of debate on this pattern would make President Obama a one-term President. It will be interesting to see if anyone in the White House reads Gallup data. It will be interesting to see if anyone in the White House listens to the American people.
Americans are probably going to become even more critical of government and supportive of nongovernmental solutions
As the country learns more about government incompetence as a delivery system (read Jim Frogue’s Stop Paying the Crooks) , the H1N1 flu vaccine fiasco and other failures, people will continue to move away from reliance on government.
As Americans think through the economic crisis (10.2% unemployment and growing), the Chinese ownership of $2 trillion in United States debt, the rising state government deficit (going up from $112 billion in 2009 to $134 billion in 2010), and the reactionary unwillingness to reform many of the public employee unions, they will become even more skeptical of turning problems over to government.
The final result of the debates President Obama is sparking may be a nation which polarizes 75 to 25 in favor of nongovernmental responsibility, turning to personal, corporate, nonprofit or faith-based institutions instead of government for solutions.
This would be a grand irony. But the Gallup data show an underlying pattern that should hearten conservatives and demoralize liberals.
Couldn’t say it better myself. Thanks Newt!
Even the unions are against “reforming” health care! September 28, 2009
Posted by vsap in Blogroll, Financial Crisis, US Politics, Uncategorized.Tags: health care reform
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Two things: Let’s look at shrinking support for any health care reform plan and how local unions in Milwaukee are recoiling against it.
From Kent Hoover at Buffalo Business First, published September 25 (bold is mine):
“The patient is still in the operating room, and the prognosis is not good.
That’s where health care reform lies today, according to many business groups that hoped for a better outcome. Their view is shared by most Americans: 54 percent of U.S. adults don’t think Congress will pass health care reform this year, according to a survey conducted this month by the Deloitte Center for Health Solutions.
This is a dramatic turnaround from earlier this year, when most experts inside the Beltway thought health care reform was inevitable, and the concept had overwhelming support among the general public.
Many lobbyists for small businesses and other employers blame Congress for overreaching. It should have focused on insurance market reforms aimed at lowering premiums and ending the ability of insurers to deny or price coverage because of health status.
Instead, Congress embarked on a complete overhaul of the health care system that would give the federal government too much power and cost hundreds of billions dollars more than was necessary, they contend.
“That’s why this whole thing is blowing up,” said James Gelfand, senior manager of health policy for the 
U.S. Chamber of Commerce. “They have to start over.”
“We’re kind of disappointed that Congress has wasted so much time with overblown bills that had no hope of enactment,” said Neil Trautwein, senior vice president and employee benefits counsel for the National Retail Federation.
“I think Congress blew it, basically,” said Karen Kerrigan, president/CEO of the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Council.
Political pressures may drive Congress to pass some modest reforms just to get something to President Barack Obama’s desk, but it’s not clear whether those reforms actually would reduce the cost of health insurance for employers, Kerrigan said.”
Then there’s this from Corinne Hess at the Business Journal of Milwaukee demonstrating how “health care reform” gets down to the local level and unions don’t like it:
“When the U.S. Senate Finance Committee gave the nation a glimpse at what health care reform could look like with the release of a proposed $856 billion, 10-year bill, it alienated a key segment of reform supporters: labor unions.
The bill would call for paying for reform in part by a tax on so-called “luxury” health insurance plans exceeding $21,000 for a family and $8,000 for individuals.
The average cost of a family health insurance plan in Wisconsin is $13,800. Unions, however, typically have richer benefits exceeding the cap set in the Finance Committee bill.
“Unions have been the backbone of the health reform movement,” said Robert Kraig, program director for Citizen Action of Wisconsin, an 89,000-member coalition from across the state. “They have said all along that everyone should have access to the quality, affordable care that they are fortunate to have. To turn around and tax them is a disservice.”
The Senate Finance Committee began debating the draft health care bill Sept. 22. Finance Committee chairman Max Baucus, D-Montana, released the bill Sept. 16, and almost immediately amended portions of it after criticism from his fellow Democrats that the measure didn’t do enough to assist moderate-income Americans.
Baucus still wants to impose a tax on high-cost health plans starting in 2013, but has increased the thresholds for plans covering retirees over the age of 55 and those covering people in certain high-risk occupations like law enforcement and construction.
The increase for such plans would be raised by $750 for individual coverage and $2,000 for family coverage.
The amendment does little to help other unions, such as the Milwaukee Teachers’ Education Association (MTEA).
The 5,600 members of the union are offered health insurance worth $24,000 per year for family coverage and $10,800 for individual coverage. About 60 percent of members have family plans.
If those plans were taxed, younger, healthier teachers would likely not accept the district insurance and seek less expensive coverage, driving up rates even faster for the people remaining in the plan, said Joan Heithoff, assistant executive director of MTEA.
Teachers have long accepted pay raises well below the consumer price index in exchange for good benefits and should not be penalized now because of it, Heithoff said.
“Our benefits are pretty much in line with surrounding school districts,” she said. “We have to offer this in order to attract quality teachers and remain competitive.”
The luxury health plans targeted in the Senate Finance bill are the type of health insurance plans people in every other industrialized country have and what most Americans enjoyed before health care costs skyrocketed, said David Newby, president of the Wisconsin State AFL-CIO, a federation of more than 1,000 local unions.
“The whole notion of taxing health insurance points out once again the problem of thinking in terms of reforming health insurance rather than the entire health care system,” Newby said.”
Continue to fight against anything other than health insurance reform focused on reducing premiums and keeping insurers from denying coverage due to pre-existing conditions.
No public health option is worth its price September 11, 2009
Posted by vsap in Blogroll, US Politics, Uncategorized.Tags: President Obama, public health care
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The 21st Century has been a rough one for me and health care coverage. For the past three years, everything has been good. No more than the typical squabbles with insurance company customer service reps unable or unwilling to help, but all is resolved as of this moment.
Since 2000, however, I have been without health insurance a total of 2 years, exactly 24 months. I was unemployed for only 6 of those months, the rest, I didn’t have employer-provided health care (they couldn’t afford it) and, since I couldn’t afford it (taking a 20% cut in pay to get any job in the wake of 9/11), I did without. More correctly, me and my family did without.
That being the facts, you could believe I would come out swinging for a government-operated plan. You would believe wrong.
While I believe that government can and should do some things well (e.g., national defense, unemployment benefits, and some measure of social security), I do not believe this extends to “public” health care.
Case in point: my mother. Regrettably, my father wasn’t a saver so when he passed my mother didn’t have much to go on. When she could no longer care for herself at home, and neither I nor my sister had the means to buy private health care in a nursing home, she was thrown into “the public pool”. It took her less than three years to die from a combination of benign neglect and poor hygiene in a place that had a hard time caring for its paying customers much less those on the public roll. You could argue she would have died regardless of care. You may be right, but I don’t believe it.
This, and other encounters with public medicine in its present form, gives me genuine, heartfelt concern about our government’s ability to make health care better on any level.
Unfortunately, the president has decided to be “the last president” to handle this issue without any details of how he’d like to see this happen. He’s good at the rhetoric, hyperbole and pandering to his Democrat colleagues, and poor at giving answers and direction on he says is the primary issue of his presidency.
My belief is there are other paths to fixing (or beginning to fix) what is truly wrong with our health care system. The president has addressed a couple of minor points but nothing substantial.
So, what does a conservative plan look like? Here’s one from US Senator Michael Enzi (R-WY), stated on June 9, 2009:
“First, it would expand health insurance coverage so that every American has access to affordable, high-quality health insurance. Most Republicans and Democrats can agree on basic reforms that will help lower the costs of health insurance and allow patients with pre-existing conditions to be able to buy insurance. There is much data and testimony that tells us that greater affordability and increased access are not mutually exclusive. More than that, the more we learn about the costs driving up our system, the more we recognize that if done correctly, greater access can drive down costs.
Second, the bill would use private plans to deliver the benefit. I believe that most Republicans and Democrats can agree that a patient-focused health care system will provide the highest quality and lowest cost when patients are able to choose among competing private plans. When patients can vote with their feet, insurance companies will be forced to deliver better quality care.
We have heard much debate about a public plan option, and we have heard Democrats recently begin to back away from a government-run plan. I believe that many of my colleagues are beginning to see that increasing the size and scope of government’s role in health care and further squeezing a private marketplace will drive up costs and drive down quality every single time. As the public, the editorial boards, and reasonable people on both sides of the aisle continue to delve deeper into the practicality of a public option, I believe it will continue to recede further into the background.
Third, many Democrats and Republicans can agree to basic reforms that would foster an atmosphere of competition by demanding that insurers compete on price and value rather than providing the ability to pick lower-cost, lower-risk patients.
Fourth, a bipartisan bill would protect consumers by providing them with better information about quality, price, and the nature of coverage provided for in competing plans. One of the most common concerns I hear from people as I travel around my state of Wyoming is that they don’t know what they are getting for their money until after they’ve already purchased it. There is no other private marketplace that works like that, and our health care system shouldn’t either. Buying a car or a house sight and price unseen does not make any sense, so why should you be expected to pay for your health care that way?
Fifth, many Democrats and Republicans support an appropriate level of government oversight of the marketplace to protect individuals against abuses that sometimes occur in today’s market. Such a change would also have a great, positive impact on driving down costs.
Sixth, a bipartisan health reform bill would provide subsidies to low-income Americans to give them the extra help they need to purchase health insurance. Many working Americans need help to purchase health insurance, and we should give them more choices beyond simply expanding unsustainable entitlement programs like Medicaid. Otherwise, we will continue to face the cost burdens of the uninsured showing up for treatment in the emergency room when it is most risky to their health, most difficult to treat, and most costly to the system.
Finally, such a bill must be fully paid for so that we do not increase our national deficit. I have spoken at length in the Senate about America’s fiscal situation. It is my belief that our nation’s credit card has reached its limit. The federal government debt is now more than $11 trillion, and our nation’s deficit stands at $1.84 trillion. And the Obama Administration claims to be ushering in an era of responsibility.
We conservatives believe that the Obama budget has ushered in an era of taxing too much, borrowing too much, and spending too much. The President’s budget sets aside $630 billion over ten years, which, according to the Administration, is “not sufficient to fully fund” health care but is the “first crucial step.” For reform to go anywhere, it is imperative that this step be paid for in full.
So far, the Administration has floated the idea of reducing the amount of tax deduction allowable for charitable giving in the top marginal tax rate. This policy has been roundly criticized by Members on both sides of the aisle and by charities across the country as misguided, ill-timed, and simply a nonstarter. And others have talked about an idea that must clearly be taken off the table in order to reach a bipartisan agreement on health reform. That is, we will not pay for health reform by enacting an onerous cap-and-tax on energy costs for the American people.”
Now, let’s hear the presidential response. The silence will be deafening, I’m sure.
When Newt is right, give him the kudos August 31, 2009
Posted by vsap in 2008 Presidential Election, Blogroll, Financial Crisis, US Politics, Uncategorized.Tags: Democrats, health care reform, Newt Gingrich, public health care
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Newt Gingrich sent this along the other day. He doesn’t need my blog to help, but it is well-said. Here it is:
Facta, non verba.
For those of you who have forgotten your Latin, it means “deeds, not words.”
There’s been a lot of overheated rhetoric about health care reform, but this saying is one that all Americans should return to when considering plans for a government-dominated health system.
In other words, we should judge government, not by its words, but by its deeds.
With this simple principle in mind, what follows are three examples why government can’t – and shouldn’t – run our health care system (at least not any health care system you or I would want to be dependent on).
Every family knows about making a budget and living within its means. Government, to put it bluntly, does not.
What if your husband had come home last Friday night and announced that he had racked up almost 30 percent more debt on the family credit card – including the mortgage and car loans – than he had told you about just a month ago?
Would you trust him to go out and start spending money to remodel the kitchen? And do you think he could get a loan to do it?
But that’s exactly what the Obama Administration did with their weekend news dump. They announced late Friday that the amount of money they don’t have but are nonetheless planning on spending over the next ten years isn’t the astonishing $7 trillion they estimated in May but is instead an astounding $9 trillion.
Add this to the fact that, after the administration sold its health care reform proposal on the grounds that it will reduce costs to the Treasury, the independent Congressional Budget Office determined that the House plan will actually cost an astounding $1 trillion-$1.5 trillion in the next ten years, which will be added directly to the federal debt. The director of the CBO testified before Congress last month that “[i]n the legislation that has been reported we do not see the sort of fundamental changes that would be necessary to reduce the trajectory of federal health spending by a significant amount. And on the contrary, the legislation significantly expands the federal responsibility for health care costs.”
Which do you have more faith in, the government’s happy talk of “bending the cost curve” or its record of out-of-control spending?
Deeds, not words.
As the inimitable Andy McCarthy of National Review put it, “Compared to the infinite complexity of healthcare and health-insurance, cash-for-clunkers is kindergarten stuff. You trade in your old car for a new one that gets (slightly) better mileage and the government gives you money – between $3,500 and $4,500. How hard is that?”
Too hard for government bureaucrats, it turns out.
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has boasted that the cash-for-clunkers program provided “a lifeline to the automobile industry, jump starting a major sector of the economy and putting people back to work.”
But look at the deeds, not the words.
Last week, cash-for-clunkers ended in a bureaucratic morass of red tape, failed promises and unanticipated costs.
Only a government bureaucracy could mess up a program designed to give away free money.
The government wizards who set up cash-for-clunkers initially budgeted to sell 250,000 cars in three months.
The program sold that many in four days.
And because the central planners who think they can provide government “competition” to the private health insurance market failed to accurately estimate how many government workers it would take to administer cash-for-clunkers, they had to take employees from the FAA – air traffic controllers, no less – to help manage the demand.
And what about the car dealerships the program was supposed to help in the first place? Even though the rebates were supposed to be paid within 10 days, only 7 percent of federal promises under cash-for-clunkers have been paid so far, leaving dealers with millions of dollars in unfunded government promises.
But there’s more to the cautionary tale of cash-for-clunkers than just bureaucratic incompetence.
This is a case study in what happens when politicians get involved in the marketplace.
Despite all the rhetoric of jump starting the auto industry, politicians’ priorities are to give free goodies to their constituents. So as far as they’re concerned, cash-for-clunkers has been a resounding success.
Forget the fact that they’re spending money they don’t have, or that car dealerships are left holding millions of dollars in empty government promises. They’re not concerned with the long-term, just the next election.
So tell us again why should we think bureaucrats and politicians will perform any better with our health care?
There’s been a lot of worrying about the inevitability of government rationing health care under the Democratic reform bills in Congress.
Economists have known about this inevitability for a long time. Well, Americans can stop worrying. Government is rationing care already – and doing it in a particularly stupid way.
Studies have shown that early use of home health care after hospitalization – allowing patients to go home and be visited by a nurse to manage their care – saves Medicare billions of dollars.
So here is a case where an innovative government program actually saves the government money. Home health care is both more compassionate and more efficient. It reduces the likelihood a patient will be readmitted to a hospital by allowing her to heal in a more familiar setting.
So naturally bureaucrats at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services cut $34 billion from this compassionate, efficient program last week.
And if the House health care reform bill becomes law, an additional $56.8 billion will be cut from the program – an amount equal to almost the entire federal budget for home health care services in 2007.
What makes rationing care to the homebound all the more immoral is the fact that there is a much bigger pot of savings available to Washington if it only had the political will to look.
As a new book by the Center for Health Transformation’s Jim Frogue details, criminals rip off the taxpayers to the tune of $80 billion to $120 billion each year in the current Medicare and Medicaid programs.
We’re not talking about inadvertent bill errors but outright fraud. Government health programs are currently paying men maternity benefits, giving taxpayer dollars to pizza parlors that are supposed to be HIV transfusion centers, and even paying dead patients federal health care benefits.
If ever there was a reason not to turn our entire health care system over to government it is this: Government can’t run the health care programs it already has. It would rather ration compassionate, effective programs than do the hard work of rooting out and punishing the crooks who are stealing our taxpayer dollars.
Americans have already heard a lot of rhetoric about health care reform, and we can expect to hear a lot more.
But as Ronald Reagan used to say, facts are stubborn things. And the facts of government’s track record in managing our money and delivering on its promises speak louder than any televised presidential speech or stage-managed town hall ever could.
So as the summer winds down and the debate rages on, let this be our mantra:
Facta, non verba.
Make a bumper sticker out of it.
Put it on a tee-shirt and wear it to a town hall.
And when someone asked you what it means, tell them that before we hand over more of our lives to government, we should consider how they’ve treated us so far.
Can I get an amen for Newt? Amen!
The Pack Mule: SFO, January 1999 August 28, 2009
Posted by vsap in Blogroll, Uncategorized.Tags: Airline Travel, Delta Airlines, National Car Rental, SFO
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San Francisco’s airport parking and rental car facilities are undergoing a major facelift. I’m certain it will be a marvel to behold when completed. However, in January 1999, it is a living, breathing Y2K bug waiting to devour unsuspecting visitors.
As it happens, I’m in town for an extended stay. I have left what Libby so aptly called the “blizzardous hell” of Chicago for a more temperate climate. Thus, I have with me the most luggage I’ve taken on any trip to date. My three companions include a full suitcase (so big, it’s the kind you only use as a last resort); a garment bag (for suits and shoes); and, a bulging carry-on containing my laptop and other implements of my chosen profession (not to mention a CD player, 6 CDs, and 4 novels). I fancy myself as being reasonably fit, but lugging We Three Kings from the baggage claim and up an escalator seemed like the maximum challenge I desired to endure after a long flight on a Saturday evening. Unfortunately, I was just beginning my exercise.
Delta Airline’s position at SFO is inconveniently distant from the rental car shuttle bus stop. It looked more like a mile away and running further every second. I figured about 500 yards times 100 pounds of extra weight equaled too much. I did not walk briskly. I was barely dragging My Three Sons when I noticed there was a bus waiting. I counted my blessing and picked up the pace as best I could. I was within 10 yards of the bus when it abruptly closed its doors and sped off like it was a fugitive from the cast of “Speed”. I slowed again, despondent, and resumed dragging The Three Amigos to the bus stop.
My trip having originated in Chicago, I have my parka, good to –150 degrees Fahrenheit. As I’m standing now at this bus stop at SFO, its 58 degrees and I’ve been wearing the parka just so I don’t have to carry it. Given all that has transpired since I left the baggage carousel, I’ve begun to smell like the pack mule I’ve actually been describing from the outset.
Luckily, the next bus is empty. After all, it’s a Saturday in January. The heat of battle has abated at the security gates and customer service desks. There is a calm and quiet on this usually bustling platform. I clumsily board the bus only to meet an odd driver: Rudolf Hiss (or a cousin of his). I will say up front that some of the best people I know and some of my least acquaintances are of German extraction. I believe I can say with some authority that there’s little worse than an edgy German who doesn’t like his job and has to work it on Saturday night. Generally, I like to exchange some pleasantries to judge the attitude of the driver. And, generally, they are a friendly and helpful sort.
“Hi, I’m going to National,” I say, of course referring to my rental company, in a bouncing way that even surprised me.
He nodded and frowned and said, half under his breath in a heavy accent, “All the same.” He then waves me in to sit as if I wasn’t moving fast enough, and I might be blocking others behind me. I stowed my bags and tumbled to my seat only to discover there was no one behind me. I was it. The door shut and at this point I’m convinced he forgot he had any passengers on board. Because he proceeded to drive more like Jeff Gordon than Captain Kangaroo, whom he closely resembles. I know Jeff Gordon wouldn’t have recommended this type of vehicle for the NASCAR circuit. However, he might have been proud of how it responded so well to tight curves, speed bumps and, finally, a monster U-turn to finish the course. After a bone-jarring stop, I loosened the grip of my sweaty hands from the nearest chrome bar. The inside of my parka was like a rain forest with my heartbeat visible as I looked down to check to see if all my parts were intact. It’s been forty-five minutes since I walked off the plane and still no rental car in sight.
“Have a nice stay,” he muttered. “All cars, that way,” he directed, pointing at a sign.
“Rat bastard,” I muttered.
“Sir?” he replied.
“Bad caster,” I piped up clearly, pointing to my largest suitcase as I attempted to wheel it off.
“Have a nice stay,” he said again in that barely discernible accent, as if he was stuck to a script and couldn’t ad lib.
It was about a half-mile or so to make it into the rental check-in area. The last thing I wanted was a chatty counter clerk. I dragged myself and Winkin’, Blinkin’ and Nod to the reservation desk. I was the only customer standing in front of a young slender man who was examining some papers on the opposite side. I set my stuff down with a thud and seized the moment to remove my parka. That must have been a signal. From my right, out popped another clerk, a stout female, with frizzy red hair, and bright blue eyes. The slender man disappeared, never to be seen again. She is extremely pleasant and after I give my name she asks for my driver’s license, because she must.
“In from Chicago?” she asked with more than the usual excitement warranted for this type of discovery. “Aren’t you glad to be here? I’m from Minneapolis and we had more than ten feet of snow when I left.” Ah, an upper Midwest kinship. How delightful, I thought. She was waiting for a response so I came up with the most trite one in my head in hopes of moving the process along.
“So, what’s a nice girl like you doing in a place like this?” I inquired. She took me seriously, “Oh, I’m part of a team that’s here to install a new computer system. Isn’t this a great facility?” I nodded skeptically as I looked around in mock admiration. To her credit she did keep things moving and finally she asked where I was staying. Again, this is a question frequently asked of someone renting a car for an extended period. So I had no problem replying, “The Clarion, down the road.”
“That’s where we’re staying!” she exclaimed. Does it get any better than this? I’m thinking, I can’t seem to say anything wrong to this clerk. “Let me give you a hint,” she draws closer to me as if to pass on a state secret in a crowded room, “Ask for a remodeled room.”
“Ya?” I reply in a half whisper as if I was in that crowded room and about to get some bonus information.
“Yes, they’re doing a major renovation. Some of us got stuck with the old rooms and they’re, you know, kind of yucky.”
Oh my! I tried to well up some compassionate understanding as I kept eye contact.
“But the remodeled rooms are great, but don’t get one on the first floor, you know,” and with that she straightened herself and moved her right hand in a wavy motion, smiled and nodded in rhythm with her hand.
Some things are better left unspoken. This, of course, was the Midwesterner’s way of saying, “You don’t want to be on the first floor in case there’s an unbelievably powerful and totally unexpected shifting of the subterranean mantels that San Francisco is known for.” Those gestures, in this context, made sense to two strangers in a strange land. I nodded, in rhythm with her hand, and thanked her for the tip.
“Now, you’re all set. All you have to do is go down to that escalator, go to Level 3, and you’re car is waiting. Pick out any mid-size you like and have a nice stay,” she smiled warmly and I turned in the direction she pointed and to my horror I realized I would have to nearly retrace my steps from the previous half-mile or so to reach the escalator. I have been in San Francisco one hour and fifteen minutes and no rental car in sight, just another escalator. And, I still had the presence of mind to know when she said “Level 3”, it would not just be the escalator barely in view, but at least two others. Dutifully, I put my parka on and gathered up the Three Stooges and trudged toward the escalator, went up, turned, and went up the final time.
I made the turn into the hallway marked “National” and a young man was seated there, anticipating my arrival. He probably heard me puffing and cussing all the way up.
“Hello!” he said with glee, as if I was the first human he had seen on his shift. “This is a new facility so I’m here to help you!” I’m thinking, Buddy, if you ain’t got a cold Old Style and a hot steak dinner in your back pocket, you’re no damn help at all. But, I wanted the car so I was willing to be helped. He looked at my receipt and said, “Okay, let me take you out here and show you where you can find your car.” I walked behind him tentatively, stopped in the middle of the lane next to him, dropping my pair of Queens and a Jack in a heap around me.
“See that blue car down there?” he asked.
“What blue car down where?” I squinted.
“Under the sign that says Intermediate? Those are mid-size cars. Choose any one you like and have a nice stay.” He handed the receipt back to me.
The only thing merciful about his directions was that I was absolutely certain that this would be the last time I would have to walk the distance of this building, the same half-mile or so only this time on Level 3, again tonight.
I nodded and just stood there as he departed to my left, back to the comfort of his chair. A moment later, to my right, came the tapping of a horn. Someone else, eager to get out of this place, met with objects in his way: the Kingston Trio and me. I waved him off, picked everything up and made my final march. I took the first car I saw, stripped off the parka and threw it and the triplets in the trunk.
One hour and a half from disembarking the flight to finally placing key into ignition.
I got to the hotel and asked for a remodeled room, which I got, on the first floor. What else could I do when I fell in but sprawl out on the bed and ask God for an earthquake?
Based on incidents that occurred on January 9, 1999.
A Little Lower Than Angels: Flying Across America (pre-9/11) August 28, 2009
Posted by vsap in Blogroll, Uncategorized.Tags: Airline Travel, ORD, United Airlines
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It was a dark and stormy night. For however ridiculous and contrived it seems it’s the sort of night that tries the soul of the traveler. On this particular evening, I am standing in line at United Airlines’ Red Carpet executive class hideaway in O’Hare (or ORD as we insiders know it). This is a place where people have paid for the privilege of escaping from the huddled masses yearning to be free. Not on this night. A fierce thunderstorm has all but locked down the airport’s prisoners. There is revolution brewing on the B Concourse and I’m afraid it has found its way into this refuge.
A tall, smartly dressed blonde woman stands at the far right of the counter. She is adorned in a beautifully tailored blue business suit and accenting her white blouse is a scarf of muted burgundy and hunter green. If Snow White lived in the 90s, this could be her stunt double. At first, she appeared poised. She spoke clearly, yet with an unmistakable stress in her voice, to the clerk who she no doubt believed held her fate in his computer. The clerk was a middle-aged black man, dressed in company colors with those little half glasses that could just as well been purchased at Wal-Mart as they could have been prescription. If he seemed bored by her story, he probably was since he had heard some form of it at least a few dozen times for the last four hours and prospects weren’t good that he’d hear a good joke.
“I’m booked on the 8:30 to Albany and it’s been cancelled,” she said firmly to the clerk, “I must get there tonight. I must. It’s critical.” She handed the clerk her ticket as she spoke. He investigated it thoroughly as if he might miss something. It was almost as if he was studying the sports page agate. Combing it for the latest statistics on his favorite baseball player.
“Well?” she more or less demanded.
“Well, let’s take a look here,” he responded like a doctor checking a x-ray. After a few taps on the keyboard, which I believed was more for show than for anything else, he responded, “Miss, it doesn’t look like we’ll be able to get you to Albany tonight, but…”
He didn’t get a chance to finish his sentence. Her body language changed. Her face contorted and her body quaked and she became momentarily unstable on her patent leather heels. This Snow White transformed into no less than the Incredible Hulk(ette), color change and all. Or, for the cartoon buffs, she was like Yosemite Sam before he explodes into “Ooooo, Ima gonna git yowho varment!” Her voice elevated and thickened.
“What? What? I have been standing in this line for 45 minutes. I had my flight postponed four times since 6:30 only to have it cancelled at 9. I can’t believe it. I can’t believe it!” She stomped her pumps and pumped her fist on the counter. (I have modified the expletives in the next segment in the event small children or teenagers get their eyes on this story.) This mother huggin’ airline is the absolute friggin’ worst I’ve ever flown on in my friggin’ life. You cancel the gull dern plane and I’ve got to take that load of crap? Well I friggin’ well don’t! I’ll fly friggin’ American next time, friggin’ A, you bet!”
Now, due to the din of the place, this volcano blew mostly all over itself. I think that only the gentlemen next to her on her left at the counter and me were the only witnesses to the horror. But the gentleman on the left took less than a nanosecond to check it out, being too busy arranging new schedules to exotic places like Minot, North Dakota, and Shreveport/Bossier City, Louisiana. The two gentlemen immediately in front of me, and next in line, were deeply engrossed in some business discussion about layoffs and budget cuts. The older gentleman and his wife behind me traded stories of their various ailments suffered through two days of attempting to reach Grand Rapids, Michigan, from Helena, Montana. I expected everything to stop and everyone to look, however briefly and silently, to acknowledge the verbalization of the feelings all of us shared, if not on this night, one recently past. I realized I was the only real witness to this devastation. Of course I was, until I left my revelry and remembered the clerk. During the torrent he never lifted his eyes or moved his head.
The clerk was the sort of middle-aged man who I was certain did not choose this kind of work as a career. My mind bounced frantically between picturing him as a laid off hod carrier or postal worker on disability. In any event, I knew public relations weren’t his strong suit. Now that Snow White had become Cinderella’s most ill-tempered step sister, it was unclear if he would become equally ill-tempered or quietly attempt to assist her in the face of incredible, if not unexpected, verbal abuse.
“Miss,” he looked up over his half-glasses with the sublime glee of a cat that caught his canary, “If you’ll allow me to finish I’ll tell you we can get you to LaGaurdia where we have a flight to Albany about an hour after you arrive. Now, you will be late, but you will get there. Shall I book it for you?”
At that point the guys in front of me stopped cold and chimed in unison to themselves, “What a witch (sanitized, again)!” They sniggered, shrugged and then continued their conversation as if nothing had happened. The older gentleman behind me tapped me on the shoulder and offered, “How’d you like to be married to that? I hate people who make a bad situation worse, don’t you?” He laughed heartily and then turned to his wife as if to explain the whole situation I was sure he had ignored.
Meanwhile, I had almost forgotten that Snow White hadn’t responded to the clerk. What possible shred of dignity could she salvage? She had three options, I thought: humbly accept his gift and maybe even apologize in some small way; quip back sharply “I don’t understand why people have to get mad before you can get things done”; or, “Great! It took long enough but I knew you could figure it out.” As it happens in these things, emotion overrides reason and my experience has proven people will say some pretty amazing things. She had stood there motionless, like a marionette waiting for its master’s pull. Now she jerked, straightened her blouse and jacket and said with a snarl, “You people not only make things difficult, you make them impossible. I’m takin’ your friggin’ ticket. Yah, book it, damn it anyway, but I’m marching across to American and if they get me out even a half hour earlier, (he is now handing her the new ticket) I’m coming back here to shred this ticket in your face.”
Of course, there wouldn’t be a client or co-worker in the place who had seen even a portion of this that would have reported him if he got up, reached across and popped her a good one so her next stop would be the dentist instead of another airline. But to his credit, this ex-postal worker/hod carrier, leaned back and said peacefully, “Thank you ma’am, (sigh) it’s been a pleasure to serve you. I hope we have the opportunity to serve you again soon. Next!”
Snow White turned a dozen shades of red, picked up her things walked briskly toward the door, tousling the hair of those she passed and even jarring the hat from a child’s head. My guess is that if there is any justice in the world, she’s not yet arrived in Albany to this day.
Based on a true incident on the evening of August 27, 1998.
Much of what you need to know about our situation today is found in the Book of Jude August 26, 2009
Posted by vsap in Blogroll, Uncategorized.Tags: Bible relevance, False Teachers, Gnosticism, Jude, New Testament, Old Testament
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Jude is 25 verses and it is the book just before Revelation in the New Testament. You can go along with this study as you read Jude or read it first and refer back to this study. It says much about our situation today proving, once again, Biblical relevance in the present age.
1. Context
Who is Jude? Jude and James were two of the four brothers of Jesus (Mark 6:3). Jude does not say that he was a brother of Jesus. He speaks of himself only as a servant of Jesus, who was now his Master. Jude was also humble enough to mention his well-known brother, James. James became a leader of the Christian church in Jerusalem (Galatians 1:19; 2:9). It is said that Jude did not believe Jesus was the Son of God until after His resurrection which is another reason why he doesn’t say Jesus is his brother, but that he is merely a servant of Jesus Christ.
What was the situation at the time (what prompted the writing)? Jude wrote the letter to warn his readers against false teachers. These teachers claimed to be Christians. But they were being a great danger to the faith. It appears Jude was fighting Gnosticism. This doctrine teaches that the sins of the body do not affect the purity of the soul, thus, allow people to engage in immoral perversions and evil. Christians have the responsibility to keep this faith without change. They must be careful that people do not take important facts away from the faith. Neither must they add false ideas. The Greek word for ‘defend’ means that it will be a great struggle. Christians must be ready at any time to meet a sudden test of their trust in Jesus. To teach wicked ideas and actions will certainly bring God’s severe punishment on people like that.
2. Style: Jude writes in “3s”
Three Old Testament Judgments: Fallen angels – Sodom & Gomorrah – Dispute over Moses’ body.
Verse 6 Because of their pride, some angels refused to obey God (Revelation 12:7-9). They left heaven to marry women on earth (Genesis 6:1-2). The false teachers in their pride and desire for women were like the bad angels. Those angels did not ‘keep’ their proper position. So God ‘kept’ them in chains and in darkness until the day of judgment. If God judges even angels, he will judge men and women too. Verse 7 The cities of Sodom and Gomorrah are an example of all kinds of wicked behaviour. Genesis 19:1-11 describes how two angels visited Lot. They visited him to warn him to escape from God’s judgement against Sodom and Gomorrah. The men of Sodom wanted to use the visitors to satisfy their wicked desires for sex. God destroyed them with fire. Verse 9 Jude gets his information from an ancient book called ‘The Assumption of Moses’. This book is not in the Old Testament. But Jude’s readers would know the story. When Moses died (Deuteronomy 34:5-6), God sent one of his most important angels, Michael, to bury his body. But the devil said that the body belonged to him. This was because Moses had murdered an Egyptian (Exodus 2:12). Michael did not argue with the devil. He said that God himself would deal with him.
Three declarations of woe: Cain, Balaam, Korah. Cain was the first person to kill someone. He killed his own brother (Genesis 4:1-15). The false teachers are ‘killing’ the belief of other people. Cain killed Abel. But God had already warned Cain about his anger. Jews in New Testament times therefore remembered Cain as someone who did not believe in God’s judgement. But God did punish him. People who decide not to trust and obey God are like Cain. God will punish them, too. Balaam is the second example. Balak, king of Moab, asked Balaam to curse Moab’s enemies, the Israelites (Numbers 22:7-18). At first, Balaam refused. But his greed for the bribe (money) that Balak offered him was too strong. So he said that he would do it. But when he tried, he found that God made him bless the Israelites instead of cursing them! (Deut. 23:5). And later, Balaam tempted the Israelites to break God’s law (Numbers 31:16). By New Testament times, Balaam was considered one who had led people away from God. Jude’s readers knew the story. So they would immediately understand what he meant. Korah was proud and jealous. He refused to accept the authority of Moses and Aaron. He also encouraged a large number of other people to oppose Moses. But God himself had appointed Moses to serve him. So Korah, and those who were with him, all died. The ground split open and swallowed those (Numbers 16:1-35). The false teachers were refusing to obey the church leaders. So they must expect God to punish them. He has already decided on their fate.
Enoch’s prophecy and the Apostles’ prediction of evil, divisions, and apostasy. Including the first man, Adam, Enoch is the seventh name in the first family line (1 Chronicles 1:1-3). The Jews considered seven was the perfect number. Genesis 5:24 tells us that Enoch ‘walked with God’, that is, he lived a holy life, very close to God. Enoch did not die, because God took him straight to heaven. Although he lived so long ago, Enoch speaks in his book of the return of the Lord to judge everyone. In particular, he tells of the awful fate of wicked people who do not obey God. Jude keeps repeating the word ‘wicked’ to emphasize how bad they are in God’s sight. They were not Christians at all. They did not believe that God would judge and punish them. They are making a very great mistake.
Two more sets of “3”
God has called them. God calls people to serve him in the same way as he called Israel (Isaiah 42:6). To serve him is a responsibility. It is also an honour, like an invitation to a special party. God is saying, ‘Be my guest!’ God loves them. God’s love protects them and also gives them inner strength every day. God is keeping them for Jesus Christ. Whatever happens, God will keep them in safety until Jesus comes again (Philippians 1:6; 1 Peter 1:4).
‘God’s mercy’: They need God’s pity to forgive them and to help them every day. And they will need it especially on the day of judgment. ‘God’s inner peace’: This peace of God is so much greater than we can understand (Philippians 4:7). Christians will have this inner peace because God has forgiven them. They know that he will help them to obey him. They know that God always keeps his promises. ‘God’s love’: They will come to realise how greatly God loves them (Romans 8:35). Then they will want to show love to other people (John 15:17). Christians cannot earn any of these qualities. They are God’s free gifts.
3. False teachers described in word pictures
Jude describes these dangerous men in word-pictures. He takes examples from the four regions of the physical world: clouds in the air; trees on the earth; waves of the sea; stars in the sky. Clouds that promise rain, but produce none, are useless (of no value). These men do nothing to help other Christians to grow in their trust of Jesus. Trees that produce no fruit, even in autumn, are as good as dead. The farmer burns them (Matthew 7:19). These men are without roots, without true life in Jesus Christ. So, these men are ‘twice dead’. In regard to waves: The Jews of the time stayed away from the sea. It could be wild and dangerous. The wicked are like the sea that never rests. Its waves never stop rolling, carrying dirt and mud (Isaiah 57:20). In a similar manner, these men never stop their wicked actions. They are like the dirty rubbish that the waves leave on the shore after a storm. Finally, with the wandering stars, Jude is referring to the book of Enoch. This book is not in the Bible, but was very popular in New Testament times. Enoch identifies these wandering stars as fallen (bad) angels. Enoch obeyed God and went straight to heaven (Genesis 4:17). The bad angels did not obey God and they lost their home in heaven. God has prepared a prison for them in deepest darkness. The false teachers who do not obey God will suffer the same fate.
4. The Apostles’ Warning
Verse 17 Jude has had much to say about the wicked words and behaviour of the false teachers. Now, to end his letter, he again speaks about his readers. They are his dear friends. He loves them, because they are like him. They believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, as he does. Jude has already appreciated their memory of the Old Testament stories (verse 5). Now he commands them to remember how the apostles, too, warned them about wicked men (Acts 20:29; 1 Timothy 4:1; 2 Peter 3:3). Jesus also had warned about people like that (Matthew 7:15; 24:11). Verse 18 Memory was very important in the ancient world. Few people could read and books were rare. So Christians had to develop their memories. Jude’s readers must always keep clearly in their minds the good news of the gospel (what the Lord Jesus Christ has taught and done for them). Only then will they be strong enough to defend their faith against false teachers. Men who are as wicked as that only believe in their own ideas. They do not believe in what God teaches. Verse 19 By their selfish words and actions, these evil men upset the unity of the church members. They did so by forming their own groups at the love-meals. They did so when they claimed to be superior Christians. They claimed that the Holy Spirit was guiding them. They certainly did not have the Holy Spirit in their lives. God’s Spirit intends Christians to love and to help each other and to keep together.
5. Contending for the Faith – Remaining Strong in Jesus
Verse 20 Jude ends his letter with words to encourage his readers. God offers Christians the resources with which to overcome attacks from the wicked. That is God’s part. Their part, as loyal Christians, is to make full use of God’s resources. In this way they will build up a strong common faith. Unity is strength. Then with God’s help they will be able together to oppose the evil ideas and deeds of these wicked people. Jude tells his readers what to do: They are to ask the Holy Spirit to help them to pray. Their prayers must not be selfish or impatient. The Holy Spirit will teach them to know God’s desires, both for themselves and for other people. The false teachers do not have the Holy Spirit in their lives (verse 19). Otherwise, their behavior would be holy. Verse 21 They must keep themselves in God’s love. How do two people maintain their love for each other? They spend time together. They talk and listen to each other. They want to please each other. And the more that they do these things, the more their love for each other will grow. We keep ourselves in God’s love in a similar way. We must spend time quietly with him. We must talk (pray) to him, even about the little things of life. We must listen to what he says to us in our hearts. We must obey what he tells us to do. We shall want to please him at all times because we are preparing for life with God in heaven. That life is the gift of Jesus Christ to loyal Christians on the day when he returns.
6. A final set of “3″
God’s people who need help Verses 22-23 Jude now speaks about three groups of people who need special help.
•There are those with doubts. The false teachers have already damaged the faith of some weaker Christians. Now those weaker Christians are not sure about what to believe or how to live. Jude urges his readers to be especially kind to those who have doubts. They need help to understand clearly how God wants them to live. They are to be holy, as God is holy. They are to care for other people, and not be selfish. At all times they are to trust God completely, and not their own thoughts.
•There are people who have been too ready to listen to the false teachers. Jude uses picture language. The people in this group are like a stick that is beginning to burn. Jude’s readers must rescue them quickly, before the fire burns them completely.
•There are people who refuse to turn to God. Christians must pity them and be kind to them. But they must act with great care. This is in case the life without God that these people lead begins to appear attractive.
7. Finishing in Joy
We shall never be able to praise God enough. In love, God controls all. He rules over all. He supplies every need of all who trust him.
Sources:
William Barclay ~ The Letters of John & Jude ~ St. Andrews Press ~ Revised edition, 1998
Dick Lucas & Christopher Green ~ The Message of 2 Peter & Jude ~ The Bible Speaks Today ~ IVP, 1995
Michael Green ~ 2 Peter & Jude ~ Tyndale NT commentaries ~ IVP, 1987
R. H. Charles (translator) ~ The Book of Enoch ~ SPCK, 1997
Chambers 21st Century Dictionary Bibles ~ R.S.V, T.E.V, Jerusalem, Weymouth, J. B. Phillips, N.E.B, N.I.V
Wycliffe Associates (UK), November 2002
Change you are forced to believe in August 24, 2009
Posted by vsap in 2008 Presidential Election, Blogroll, Financial Crisis, US Politics, Uncategorized.Tags: Baltimore Business Journal, Barack Obama, Economic Policy, new office reality
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Baltimore Business Journal – by Julekha Dash
“These are lean times at businesses throughout Greater Baltimore and the rest of the country. More than 40 percent of business leaders say they will employ fewer staff in three to five years compared with the number they employed prior to the recession, according to a Watson Wyatt Worldwide survey released this month.
All this change — and the threat of more to come if the economy does not rebound soon — has created an awkward vibe in office buildings from Howard to Harford and all spots in between. Employee morale has suffered. Managers are stressed to meet their bosses’ bottom-line demands. Some employees are afraid to voice their concerns or weigh in with feedback for fear of retribution. Meanwhile, just about everyone is working more hours these days, as layoffs and new responsibilities lead to an increased workload. Perhaps now more than ever employees are living for the weekends — unless they have to work Saturday and Sunday, too.”
Welcome to the world of change, delivered by Barack Hussein Obama. The story continues:
“About one-third of U.S. companies reacted to the recession by cutting staff, according to Watson Wyatt Worldwide. Another two-thirds have frozen hiring and salaries in the past year. One in 10 employers shortened their workweek to cut costs.”
And just when you thought it was getting better, because PresBO and his band of tax cheats and miscreants said so, there’s this:
“No group has been affected more by the recession than the employees of companies of all shapes, sizes and industries. In Maryland, more than 66,000 of them have been laid off since December 2007.
For the more than 2.5 million remaining in the state’s work force, the rules of engagement have changed. Many of them — regardless of tenure or job title — are looking over their shoulders, wondering if they are going to be the next to be handed a pink slip. Others are so focused on preserving their employment, they rarely say a word unless it’s at the urging of a manager.”
This is exactly what the liberals want: passive censorship for the sake of self-preservation. You stay quiet on the job front, they can get away with what they want on the political front because, frankly, you are too tired to fight them. At least until the health care issue bit them on their flabby butts.
On last bit of enlightenment about PresBOs America:
“Facing the threat of losing their jobs, employees are not speaking up as readily as they used to, said John McDermott, who was laid off last year from the Web design firm E.magination Network LLC.
“Now is not the time to put yourself out there,” he said. McDermott is now a self-employed technology consultant who sees the fear among many employees in his industry.
Employees do what they are told to do and “as they are told to do it,” he said. A director at a finance company, at a company McDermott declined to name, said he didn’t like the company’s strategic direction but refused to share it with his managers for fear of losing his job like others have in the industry.”
PresBO is trying to box you in, using your employers, using your health care plan, using any fear tactic available, to bring you to submission to his way.
This is the way of the socialist. This is the way of the fascist. This is your president.
