They took Reagan's "government is the problem" speech line and ran with it as if it were gospel. And now they've got a guy in the White House who goes out of his way to insult and polarize.
This has left the door wide open for the Left to act. The problem is that they're going too far, which is typical in the political world.
I mentioned earlier that the biggest concern I've had since the day Trump was elected has been that the response and reaction to him would be like nothing we've ever seen before. So far I think I'm right. And that could lead to a kneejerk reaction that goes too far.
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I agree that they've gone WAY too far, with Sander's force march to Medicare For All. And I don't think that wiping out ALL student debt is doable or even desireable, especially for the Ivy League private schools with the big ticket tuition. OTOH, I do agree that something drastic needs to be done on both issues, but the devil is in the details.
A few years ago, I opined that high student debt loads coming out of university were going to hobble this generation of graduates in terms of disposable income to get married, start a family, buy cars, houses, and generally become the kind of consumers of durable goods that drives the economy forward. And the people most hobbled, are those who leave Ivy League Schools with enough debt to purchase a modest house in many small town communities.
At the time I was espousing these ideas, I was called a crazy leftist looking for free shit, but from the standpoint of a student of economics, on issues such as this, turn entire economic shifts. The demographic is large enough, and the impact is rippling throughout the economy. My oldest child is 18 years older than my youngest, so I've had the perspective of sending two generations out into the world, and the world for my 47 & 45 year old children and their friends has been far, far different, than entry into the work force for their sister's generation.
Statistically, the Baby Boom Echo kids stayed in school longer, and lived at home longer than their parents. When I left home at age 18 to go to the Big City to school, I never went home again. I don't think I ever spent another night under my mother's roof. My older children's generation left home, married and started their families, 3 or 4 years later than their parents, and the next generation is staying home even longer, in large part because of carrying enormous amounts of student debt. These are middle class, well educated adults, who's disposable income, which would either be going to savings, or building a home and a life for themselves, is now paying principle and interest on their student loans.
When it comes to health care, if it's not broke don't fix it. If people want insurance companies directing their treatment and paying 30% of their health care dollars to the insurance companies, plus co-pays that would bankrupt most families, because paying an $18,000 a year premium isn't enough "skin in the game" for insurance companies. Customers need co-pays to ensure they don't "abuse the system". I say let them continue to be ripped off.
But at the same time offer a public alternative, that has the same kind of administrative costs as Medicare, Medicaid, and the VA. At a premium 25% lower than the private market, with no-pays, no pre-approvals, and low administration costs, and watch the public leave the for-profits behind. In a heartbeat. Americans are the cheapest people in the world. That's why you had off-shoring in the first place. Better, cheaper, healthcare for all is possible.
You're currently paying nearly double the amount of money per capita that all other industrialized countries in the world pay, and 10% of your population has little to no access to quality health care at all. Your healthcare costs are driven by the willingness of private insurers to pay ridiculous amounts for some treatments. Healthcare decisions should not be decisions motivated purely by profit, and what is most profitable for the insurance industry. These are not "disinterested parties".
