Taxes!! Lying Legislators and The Terminator

I've got a son who is about to turn 14 and has always been pretty bright. He's been an excellent student, almost straight A's, and he's a pretty decent kid overall. Like most teen boys he loves his Xbox, and the Internet. Unlike most teen boys he's usually reading two or three books at a time, and he also listens to talk radio.... So how does a teen boy spend his Saturday afternoon?

Turns out my son spent it at KFI's Tax Revolt 2009, which blows me away. I don't know one adult, including myself, that took the time to go. And really what the hell is Tax Revolt 2009? Turns out that it's actually a pretty important little gathering on a topic that affects he all, but I'd bet not one in ten Californians even knows about.

The budget fiasco that was in the news a few weeks back seemed to have gotten it's happy ending, but it didn't cost the usual $20 bucks. It actually cost about 28 billion dollars!! $28,000,000,000.00 This is the amount of new taxes we've been saddled with for the next 2 years... The cost for your car tags will double, the state sales tax us going up 9.25%, and now we will all be paying a "surcharge" on our income tax... Yes a tax on a tax. This budget also includes borrowing against future lottery sales ( supposed to be used only for schools), as well as using cigarette tax money ( supposed to be for healthcare if I remember correctly), and taking money from the millioaire taxes ( was supposed to fund mental health services).

This budget was passed by a shady, super secret, behind closed doors, and behond the green curtain alliance of Democrats, Republicans, and The Terminator. So what...? The Terminator was elected the first time so he could control wasteful government spending, and reduce our taxes. He was re-elected on a promise of NO NEW TAXES, and even campaigned for McCain saying Obama was going to raise our taxes. So what does he do? Signs a budget with the biggest single tax increase of any state in history...

The republicans in the state all run for office screaming how they'll never increase taxes. They even signed a no new taxes pledge this budget year, several of them went on KFI and on a show with about 3 million listeners promised no new taxes. The state of California needs a two thirds majority vote to pass new taxes, so the state democrats needed 3 republicans to renig their promise on the taxes, and they got them. Although it was a big production with lots of sleepless nights, and the legislators "locked in" until the budget passed, it was actually over easily. The republicans selected 3 people amongst themselves as a "sacrifice" to vote yes on the taxes and take the flack from the news and the public. One of the lambs got caught on radio admitting to it, saying he'd be "taken care of" later by the party.

The democrats of course are unabashed. We need more money, we're not cutting spending, and you the public will pay for it... Shameless but honest, what else to say?

If it's all said and done, the fat lady gave us her best, why is my son still out there revolting (and why aren't all of us there with him)? Turns out we're about to be propositioned... And not for a $20 happy ending. We are being offered two more years of higher taxes under the guise of a spending cap. Prop 1A in the special election promises to cap government spending, sort of... If the state revenues, pronounced taxes, increase the legislature can still increase spending. Also by "capping spending" we agree to let the legislature tax us for a total of 5 years instead of 2 at all the higher rates.

Not only are we voting to keep taxes higher, we are being lied to about it. Every election we get a voter guide, the little paper booklet that "explains" the props and gives the pro's and con's. It's supposed to be written by an impartial person, the person is selected by the legislature, and guess who's writing up Prop 1A. A tax loving democrat is writing both the pro and con, and omitting entirely that it will extend the taxes to 5 years. The terminator knows both of these things and he is out campaigning for the prop. The republicans know this and are keeping totally quiet, not a peep, not a complaint. The democrats are the architects of this and will not ever mention it.

As I write this Prop 1A is actually ahead in the polls... As I write this my 13 year old son has done more about this than anybody I know... We are a state and country of apathetic whiners, we suffer because we can't get off our asses and go complain, vote, spread the word. In short we suck, we are shitty citizens. I hope my son can maintain his interest in the political system, with the job we're doing his generation will be screwed. They will need so much help to get out of the hole we're digging them. And by the way there are 4 more shifty props out there. And we can still make a difference, and the fat lady isn't quite done... And maybe a 13 year old boy can shame us into action..,

I Really Like My Job But...

I, and most of the people I know work in healthcare. Actually I've been in healthcare for almost 15 years if you count school. Truth be told I really can't complain. The work is secure, people will always abuse and neglect themselves until they're absolute wrecks and then expect a magic pill to fix it all. As a whole the entire western world is aging, the percentage of elderly is climbing, people are living way too long, selfish bastards. The literal icing on the cake? We love good food, bad food, fast good, and we have of in abundance. A hog at the trough would be offended by most Americans. Basically the fat and old and infirm are keeping us living "high on the hog".

As a matter of fact about 7 years ago I went back to school to delve deeper into healthcare and now I'm a PA. Now I've got an even better perspective on healthcare, I get to deal with all the whiney bastards before they're too sick to appreciate what we do for them. I really do enjoy what I do, honestly I like helping people, but just once in a while the patients kill me...

I really like my job but:

When a patient comes in complaining "my baby is burning up with fever!" The logical next question how high was it? The answer "oh I didn't take it, but it was high." Makes me wanna pull my hair out!

A patient comes in and says " I'm taking my medecine like you said but I'm not better", at this point I sweat a little. Did I miss a diagnosis? Wrong meds? Has there been a complication... I ask "how long have you been taking the medecine?" And with a straight face "since yesterday." I really want to ask how he can possibly be serious, but... Whatever...

10 minutes to closing a patient will always run in the door "I'm a little late for my appointment, can I still be seen?." When was your appointment? Again, completely serious "8 AM". Almost drives me to tears...

You get a patient that just sat in the lobby short of breath and with chest pain for 2 hours and didn't think to mention it until you walk in and say hello... Can denial be so powerful...

A patient comes in with a huge black growth on their ear and says "I didn't want it to be something bad" , and I'm 99% sure it is...

A teenage girl comes in with stomach pain and a slight fever, and I worry maybe it's her appendix. So a stat ultrasound later I have to tell the patents she may have a tumor and needs to go in the hospital.

The same teenage girl is sent home with a tumor in her belly and no treatment because her parents refused on religious grounds... Could life be more cruel and unfair. Can people be so blinded by religion...

Immigration, Forgotten but Not Forgiven

As you can tell by my picture I'm a Mexican-American, according to my wife I'm only Mexican when its convenient - like she yells and I say "No speaka no english". To say that I'm torn by this issue is like saying that the Octomom has 'a few kids', it just doesnt begin to cover it. I'm in a not so unique position to appreciate both sides of the immigration debate, I'm from a family of Immigrants, I am an immigrant, and I see the burden and benefit of immigration.

Since the economy tanked, our homes are worth about ten dollars per dozen, and my neck hurts from looking over my shoulder wondering if my boss is about to sack me, we've all forgotten about our friends from down south. Immigration was all the rage about two years ago, everybody that was anybody had an opinion, and we all know the joke about opinions and assholes... During our last election though that concern dropped to about #10 on the top five election issues. In a sense the whole imploding economy & highest unemployment in about 25 years has handed the U.S. a solution.

The us Gub'ment has been looking for a solution to illegal immigration for about a hundred years. Peolple smarter and more educated than I will ever be have proposed solutions and policy changes: The Bracero Program, Immigration Reform circa 1986, migrant worker programs, etc. My favorite president ever ,GW Bush, was totally behind Immigration Reform II. He supported the McCain-Kennedy bill whole heartedly, a bill by a presidential wanna-be Republican and the last member of America's Royal Family. This most current idea would've fined illegal aliens for their crimes and forced the repayment of back taxes, and provided "a path to citizenship". This enlightened path would've allowed about 10 million new residents to the US. And it would've done a whole lot of nothing but invite 10 million more of my border brothers here.

Every US plan to date has revolved around containment: border patrols, cameras, sensors, fences, etc. Play that hi-larious video though and you get a microcosm of how all of those ideas have worked out. Its a 2500 mile border with Mexico to the south and there is just no way 5000, 10000, or 100,000 agents will control it, they are just outnumbered by the millions willing to make the dash to the promised land. Many hard liners are pushing for a double layer fence to fix it all, but just ask Israel how well that fence keeps weapons out of Gaza.

What works best when you have ants at your picnic? Do you run around stamping the all out, or do you dig a little moat around your blanket? Do you scoop up handfuls of ant and throw them back on their mound? What does the sensible person do.... I speak for myself here and say that I would pack up the food, and the leave the ants nothing to come after. As the economy has crashed and nobody is building homes and nobody eats out, and we all wash our own cars, and in general the jobs have dried up the immigration problem has let up. For the first time in decades border crossings are down, immigrants are returning home, remittances to Latin-America are down. If the model of internal inforcement were followed this drop would be sustained and accelerated. Problem solved.

I'm sure my fellow Mexican Americans out there are screaming "sell out", "hypocrite", and "two face". I say not, if my native land is forced to deal with a populace that is uneducated, underpayed and abused - if the land holding, billionare, political elite are just challenged. If latin America could break out the mold that holds them down, then we just might see the dictators ousted and see some real progress to make this beaner proud.