Scrutiny... How much can we handle??
We are preparing for another election in about 30 days. Are we able to protect the electronic voting systems? That is not clear. One news program claimed that 14 states were not able to update these systems prior to the 2018 election.
These nasty, political advertisements are so annoying and tiresome. Amplifying the news, government incidents or individual opinions is neither helpful nor honest.
One incident that was troublesome involved a senator attempting to help an old friend. As old friends, they'd partied together, exchanged gifts and did some traveling. If he hadn't called some governmental agencies on behalf of his friend there would have been less of an issue. How many of us would not help a friend??
There is a congressional rule permitting gifts and travel among friends. These need not be declared to Congress.
Was it prudent for the senator to become involved with his friend's business? No... because one cannot completely know another's business dealings and their honesty or legality.
How many other elected officials could withstand such scrutiny? Our president refuses to submit to it.
Another issue, mentioned in these ads, involves a candidate who ran a pharmaceutical business. How can one justify raising the price of a much-needed medicine? Didn't all prices double after the Great Recession? Haven't they risen again since that time?
Several points arise with this issue. Healthcare is a huge expense in the US and more so than many countries in the developed world. Health Insurance is an astronomical portion of that monthly bill. Are we better off with or without the Affordable Care Act? Can we afford to pay any price demanded by insurance companies?
For whom do our elected representatives speak? Our Constitution says WE The People... Are businesses people?? Are just small businesses legitimately people because they are owned by one or two persons? Can the courts validly make such a definition? Or is this outside their realm of expertise? Without the press, how would WE The People know what is happening with our government?
The problem with healthcare is the focus on how it should be insured rather than the actual cost of healthcare at the provider level. There's a lot of price gouging going on and preferential treatment for those who can pay. That's where Congress should focus so that insurance costs can be reduced.
Ron