I’m Mad as Hell, and I’m Not Going To Take It Anymore

OK, I’ve had it.

I’ve had it with the partisanship of politics — people unable to compromise for the good of the country… people thinking only of their party first, and the country second.

I’ve had it with people putting down solutions without proposing something better. Fine, so you don’t like Obamacare. Before you do a blanket repeal, how about proposing something that achieves the same goals in a better way. For example, if we are to get truly affordable health care, how about we standardize and control the costs of health care. If users of health care were charged the actual cost plus a reasonable profit — across all users, instead of the inflated and arbitrary costs that are done today, we would probably see a net lowering of costs. We should limit insurance companies to reasonable profit, and insist that executives thereof make no money than the doctors.

I’ve had it with how we treat the defense industry. I’ve been working in the defense industry for over 25 years. We’ve gotten so dysfunctional with our budgeting processes that it actually costs more money to make things. Companies cannot plan effectively without a long term funding plan.

I’ve had it with a government that is not serious about cybersecurity. This is true not only at the Federal level, but at the state and city level. We need to ensure there are state procedures to protect all the information collected by the state. The approaches currently taken by the state legislature are a joke; we need people knowledgeable about cybersecurity in charge.

The state needs to do something to repair its crumbling infrastructure. Our road system, which is the backbone of commerce in the state, is crumbling. Bridges and other structures are in disrepair, and it takes far too long to get anything fixed. Further, if we’re going to be spending money on transit, it needs to be on modalities that will be used, are cost effective, and that cover movement of people where they need to move.

I’ve long believed that complaining about a problem is not the way to solve a problem. Given the effects of the sequester, now is as good of a time to do something about it as any. There are cutbacks going on, and everyone is running scared. Further, my state senator just won election to the LA City Council. So, starting today, I’m going to explore running for public office for my state senate district. Anyone want to help? What’s the first step? According to the website, I either need to pay a filing fee of around $960 or collect 3,000 signatures. I also need to file some statements of intent and open a campaign account. I’ll need money. I’m horrible at rubber chicken dinners and fundraising. I wonder if I could use Kickstarter? I could offer some wonderful patronage positions as incentives.

Music: Sammy Davis, Jr. Greatest Hits (Sammy Davis Jr.): “What Kind Of Fool Am I”