Musings of My Recent Move and the Economy

Fact: I enjoy "government run health care." I worked hard for the last 20 years and pay a tremendous amount of taxes, and love my guns, JC, and prefer "smaller government;" but I STILL believe that my neighbor should have the ability to purchase baseline health care coverage for their family members. I would prefer term limits, a flat tax, no lobbying, and that the stimulus money should have been used to put working class Americans to work versus handed off to the wealthy bankers who laugh at our stupidity.

I feel like I am "doing my part" in spending...just bought a home, and here are the jobs which were created/sustained to assist with that move: the moving guys, the cable guys, the realtors, the loan officers, the title people, the inspectors, the furniture sales people, the retail clerks, the phone people, the satellite installers, the transportation people who brought me here (the airline employees etc) (and all of their bosses and stakeholders)...I tried to buy American when ever possible, but to be frank, it is almost impossible to find ANYTHING "made in America."

There was a young man who was here installing our satellite...he was a believer in the entrepreneurial spirit, working long hours so he could be independent, and he owns his "own business." He is a sub-contractor, one of the guys contacted by the really big company to come in an install my connection to the world. We had a great conversation, and he shared with me how he had two kids, 3, and 5, and how his wife had to work outside of the home just to get health care coverage because their daughter has asthma (now, thanks to reform, his daughter cannot be denied "coverage," but her medicine costs $500 per month, and his wife cannot quit her job to stay home to care for their children because they cannot afford the medications). There are many Americans who are slaves to their employment just for the health care coverage (IF it is offered at all)...and it really got me thinking...why is this young couple, who pay taxes, who are working hard, not able to purchase some type of baseline health care when they are paying for mine, for the childish policy makers in DC, and ALL the over 65ers?

Did you notice that my move did not involve me buying "products," but rather I purchased "services." I wanted my new dishes to be made here...my couch and some of my food is made in the USA, but it is really hard to find...why didn't the government tell those folks who are supposed to be job creators make the deal sweeter by telling those very wealthy Americans: sure, we will continue to let you avoid paying taxes, AS LONG AS YOU CREATE JOBS FOR AMERICANS...this would make the extended tax cuts for the wealthy more tolerable for me...

The bottom half does not pay, the top small extremely wealthy does not pay, who pays, we do, us, the nurses, the craftsmen, the small business owners, and YES, the teachers,  even though they got a bad rap when their salaries were politicized, the educated middle class...work your a** off  for years, finally "make it," and then have to hold the whole country up, and then cannot even help your neighbor achieve their dreams if you want to because the government has decided only the very poor, the government workers, and the over 65 deserve baseline health care...seriously...I have much to think about....although I have a graduate degree already, I am going to get more spun up on economics and begin cultivating other models of well being and living...the American people deserve a chance to truly experience success and greatness, and they should not be held hostage because of one injury, one diagnosis in the family, or the ridiculousness of the misuse of their money right now (wars, entitlements without means testing, "bank" bail outs, unwillingness to "govern.")

On an interesting note, I just came from Alaska who takes a ton of federal money, but does not invest it into their infrastructure and they have no sales tax. I am now here in WA, who also does not have a state tax, but does have a sales tax, and I can tell you that the roads are so much better, the countryside is cleaner, the people seem to be engaged and extraordinarily polite and customer service oriented...correlation, or cause and effect? Thinking about starting a blog: focus, health care, taxes, leadership, family, "how to" if you "want to" (too many people are self medicating with food, and obesity causes the vast majority of health problems...what are we teaching our children?)

Also, my prayers and deepest sympathies go out to my esteemed brothers and sisters in arms and their families...deaths in Afghanistan :( Come back, come back and help create and sustain policy to make our country once again worth fighting for

Finally, am also researching venues for SAGE South-aka SAGE of North Spokane, and I believe I will have my first meeting at "Twigs" the martini bar in the neighborhood :)