Beating the Devil Around the Stump

Beat the devil around the stump- to evade responsibility or a difficult task. Old Western terminology.

What’s wrong with this country. Well a lot, but let’s start with healthcare. The United States is the only country of it’s caliber (“civilized,” modern, industrialized, etc) to not have universal heath care. For years people have considered Americans to be disconnected and ignorant of our European neighbors across the pond. It certainly seems we are removed from what’s going on over there, it’s scary over here; a real frontier. Those without healthcare are subject to death both mortal and financial. Disease and accidents are yesteryears outlaws. Will you dodge them? And if they get you, are you one of the lucky ones who have health care? Or will you collapse in the streets from illness or financial ruin; a sight reminiscent of the gunfight at the OK corral, where only a few unlucky ones got hit. Are you okay with our nation’s health care being as chaotic as Old Western vigilantism crossed with Russian Roulette?

Which brings me to Paul Ryan’s “Path to Prosperity” bill. A double spoken title, that provokes one question, prosperity for whom? Let’s see, privatization of medicare, tax cuts for corporations, need I go on? How about we have universal health care and cut out the profiteering middle men who drive up prescription drug, and medical costs across the board? Bye, bye insurance companies. You gun wielding outlaws have been running the show for too long. As for Paul Ryan, he is just the weasley Steve Buscemi type, that they throw in most of these Old West movies, who skips town when the jig is up.

President Obama promised to get rid of lobbyists. Paul Ryan’s “Path to Prosperity” proposition is just another example of lobbyists having our politicians in their pockets.

It looks like there’s a new sheriff in town, but until he runs the lobbyists out of dodge, we will never have a truly “representative” congress or heath care for the masses.