ALPERN AT LARGE-This is a fascinating world we live in, where our attention span and gullibility allows cunning print, radio, television and Internet input to play our society like a collective yo-yo as we're bounced up and down from one issue to another. But in case you've not been paying attention, our economy ISN'T on an even upswing, and whether it's our physical health or out economic health...we're in precarious times.
Unless one is willing to put in a significant amount of time for both liberal and conservative input, it's hard to figure out what's really going on.
It's fascinating how a story from Reuters proclaiming that "for the most part, the 'left' has been on the correct side of all the big economic policy debates since the economic crisis hit", yet also proclaims that liberals are wrong in believing that government can continue its ability to make a difference like it once did.
It's also fascinating how a conservative story reports how the city of SeaTac hurt itself and its credibility by voting for an increase of minimum wage without first learning who would (and would NOT) benefit from such an increase.
But then we're a society which is more interested in the Oscars, Justin Bieber's latest arrest, cute cat videos on YouTube and the latest in fashion than, say, the Russian sweep into the Ukraine or the ongoing non-growth in good jobs (not part-time, but good jobs--with benefits and full-time employment).
And we also have so many who are just "jonesing" for Obamacare to succeed when it is, in fact, one of the main reasons there AREN'T many good jobs for those who were supposed to benefit the most from Obamacare: the Millennials and Latinos.
Of course, the quasi-godhead hero-worship of our President and allowing him to "own" the term "Obamacare" (as he did in his famous debate with Mitt Romney) is one that is in stark contrast to the era of George W. Bush, where his critics were allowed to savage the President when he made blunders (blowing it in Iraq or Afghanistan, borrowing from China and deficit spending, for starters).
Gone are the days where any screwup or impropriety like spying on the press, German and other European political leaders, allowing the IRS to intimidate political opponents, letting guns fall into the hands of Mexican drug dealers, etc. would be open-season for widespread, political blowback by liberals and conservatives alike.
Now we're in a hyperpartisan atmosphere where the President and the Senate leadership can tell over one-half of the electorate to go to Hades and pound sand, and the House leadership had to resort to equally partisan tactics to shut down the government in an attempt to stop what has not been good domestic policy: Obamacare.
And yes, despite those who've benefited from it and stalwartly supporting Obamacare (and who apparently don't give a damn about those who've been unable to benefit or achieve employment because of it), this has been very bad policy...and not just because of a few malfunctioning websites.
Again: our society did NOT pay attention and/or figure out that Chief Supreme Court Justice John Roberts and the four liberal Supreme Court Justices declared the Affordable Care Act constitutional because it declared the federal government was allowed to raise taxes.
Let's repeat that, but more slowly: the Supreme Court...declared the Affordable Care Act...constitutional... because it declared...the federal government was...allowed...to raise taxes.
In other words, "Obamacare" (in other words, do you love our charismatic President or are you a traitor?) which had nothing to do with lowering the cost of health care was ACTUALLY A TAX HIKE during one of the most profound economic downturns in our modern era--and one that made full-time employment positions particularly expensive to employers, to boot.
So while I recognize that a few folks gained easier access to health care, and hopefully saved a few bucks in the process, perhaps a little thought would be spared for those now unable to find good employment.
Because so many of the happiest people in America are those who work for medium- and large-sized employers and who enjoy getting their benefits through their employer...or at least they were, now that they're increasingly forced to be independent contractors against their will.
This is particularly tough on Millennials and lower income ethnic minorities, because they usually don't have the capital to start their own businesses. And presuming you believe that ABC News is as right-wing and anti-Obama as is Fox News, it should be noted that young, healthy individuals now find being covered to be more expensive than ever.
Which is why these groups are particularly unhappy with the President's leadership, despite finding him personally affable. Of course, having the First Lady calling young people "knuckleheads" and having Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid calling all the reporters of Obamacare horror stories "liars" isn't helping the President.
Yet, again, why is this all about the President? Why should we care if we like our President personally, or if we think he's "hip" or "cool" or "affable" or "someone we'd like to have a drink with"?
We don't necessarily want to hang with or like our boss, but we'll respect him/her if he/she shows good leadership and makes the tough but right decisions to keep us all employed and with an economic future.
Hence we focus on the term "Obamacare" and all the paradigms that go with it, and ignore the fact that this was created by insurance companies to help the middle-aged, middle-class at the expense of poor twenty-somethings, lower-income ethnic minorities and Medicare recipients (after all, SOMEONE had to pay for it--and we all did, with an effective TAX HIKE, but who could LEAST afford to pay for it?).
Still think that Obamacare is the best thing since sliced bread? Well, you're running afoul of the majority of the economist community, including the Motley Fool with its maverick say-it-like-it-is approach to the news:
Obamacare's proponents are still praying for 7 million to be signed up, or at least until the coverage cutoff ends March 31...but a pathetic 4 million have signed up, and mostly Medicaid patients at that. Some states have very small signups (as in the doubt digits), young people and Latinos aren't signing up, lost jobs ARE a problem, deductibles are much higher than expected, and disapproval of the law is still near or at an all-time high.
And when we, the taxpayers, have to reimburse any insurer who lost money by being part of the Affordable Care Act? Well, then it might be obvious that "Obamacare" was set up by those who DON'T care...about the Economy.
About the delight a person has when he/she has a job that allows full-time employment, upward mobility and benefits...and the misery that person has when it's not available anymore.
About the crushing burden that we're already paying with taxes.
About the fact that employers are more weighed down than ever by overhead costs, and that no relief is in sight as they view both Obamacare and a jacked-up minimum wage as taxes that aren't being accompanied by tax breaks so they can pay for them.
But there's some good news for Obamacare's proponents: the Oscars are on everyone's minds right now, George W. Bush is still alive to blame (and who fortunately refuses to weigh in on the President's job and policies), and there are enough Republicans to divert the voters' attention from Obamacare's own miserable record.
Oh, I'm sure that there are those who think that Obamacare will have a bright future, just as Social Security and Medicare have...because it's just a matter of time before it's something we'll all get used to (and be grateful that it's there).
Of course, I'm sure that there were those who thought our recent incursion and occupation of Iraq would be an ultimate win because of our previous successes in the conflicts of Europe and East Asia...and look at how THAT turned out...
(Ken Alpern is a Westside Village Zone Director and Boardmember of the Mar Vista Community Council (MVCC), previously co-chaired its Planning and Outreach Committees, and currently is Co-Chair of its MVCC Transportation/Infrastructure Committee. He is co-chair of the CD11 Transportation Advisory Committee and chairs the nonprofit Transit Coalition, and can be reached at [email protected]. He also does regular commentary on the Mark Isler Radio Show on AM 870, co-chairs the grassroots Friends of the Green Line at www.fogl.us . The views expressed in this article are solely those of Mr. Alpern.)
-cw
CityWatch
Vol 12 Issue 19
Pub: Mar 4, 2014