Have the Bad Guys Won in America?

            I remember when I was a wee one playing at the feet of my grandparents in their grocery store. They were laughing because someone was trying to sell them insurance.

            "They want us to pay them just in case something happens and then they'll help us?"

            "If nothing happens, they keep the money?"

            They had a good laugh over what they thought was little more than exploitation of those that worry about everything. A few years later, when the state forced them to purchase fire insurance in order to stay in business, they weren't laughing anymore.

            Today, without even trying, you could easily pay out more money for people to do nothing for you than you pay those that actually give you something in return for your money.

            Now, some services, frequently beneficiaries of insurance payouts are priced so outlandishly that we cannot even contemplate paying for them ourselves.

            The prices rose as we repeatedly heard  that "the insurance companies" could afford it.

            Now, with volume benefits, these same service providers charge less to the insurance companies than they would you or me.

           At the same time, the insurance companies continue to raise prices and give less in return to those that can afford it. Unfortunately, one of these services, is health care.

            This is pretty overwhelming to the average person. It seems like big business is stripping our country to the bone and there is precious little we can do about it.

            Wait. Wait. Wait!

            Don't despair. Put that beer back in the fridge for a moment.

            Are you forgetting where you live?

            Are you forgetting who you are?

            What we need to do is cultivate a Congress, a Senate and a President that do what they're supposed to do – that is advocate for and protect the public interest. We don't want an anti-business congress, but we need leaders that prevent the less than ethical segment of the "financial movers and shakers" from legally taking every cent and leaving us with nothing.

            In the same vein, I wonder why the world of high finance doesn't strive to get legislation that prevents the slime from shooting them in the foot in the process too. If the market suffers, they all fall down, right? If the public cannot afford to live, they won't be able to either.

            It's really rather easy if you compare it to what our great grandparents probably had to go through to get  a better life.

            What you need to do is check on how your Senator and Congressman votes on key issues. And of course, go with the presidential candidate that you think will look after us all.

            How did they vote on deregulation issues? Most of America's problems were once fixed and have been intentionally unfixed. They sold you that one under the label of "big brother taking over".

            How did they vote on anti-predatory lending bills?

            Have they ever said that America needs Health Care rather than Health Insurance?

            You get the idea.

            Do I have to remind you to vote otherwise it won't matter? Nah. I didn't think so.

            The political stray will be posting key bills, including links so you can check it out for yourself, sometimes we'll post the votes on the politician watch page.

            Don't limit yourself to us. Carefully check out the issues anywhere and everywhere. Make sure you use good sources. I've put some good ones on the links page. Be careful. The "racketeers" have writers out there passing the BS out to promote their interests. You can handle a cheesy used care salesman, right? Same difference.

            It seems trivial doesn't it? But make no mistake about it, the politicians will know that it's not. Besides, you're gonna feel a whole lot better if you do something, right?

            Bookmark these pages first so you can come back. Then go to the "Can you make a difference" page. Find your people and check 'em out.

            Then go ahead and have that beer. It'll taste better than it has in a long time.