(Ed Note: Welcome back for part two of “A teachable moment courtesy of LUAHU. You can find part one here.)
Terrorism – In Texas I spoke to a former Marine who had served in Iraq. I met him in a lounge one evening after the convoy had settled in for the night. Over a few beers he told me that his time spent in Iraq felt like a waste since a man was able to smuggle explosives onto a plane on Christmas. He went on to say that he was disgusted that the people he was fighting against over there were still able to pull off a stunt like that. He told me that the majority of suspects he had dealt with in Iraq were funded and supported by Iran. He said that it was no surprise when finding an IED to discover Iranian markings on the device. He asked me how people here felt about what he had done overseas. I had to lie to him and tell him that they had our full support. Despite politicians calling them baby killers and accusing them of terrorizing women in the night. I didn’t mention people protesting at the funerals of fallen soldiers. I just couldn’t insult his service to me and our country in that way. I made sure to shake his hand and buy him a beer before I left.
In Ohio I spoke to a man at a White Castle of all places who said his son was going to serve in Afghanistan. And that he was concerned that the troop levels there were insufficient. He asked rhetorically why we hadn’t captured Bin Laden yet. I pointed out to him that he was living in a cave and that it wasn’t like we could just pull up his address. He laughed and told me that if the country REALLY wanted him he could be found. He added that he should be buried in that cave as well. I asked him what he thought about the administration restructuring the watch list to not specifically target Muslims from nations known to support terrorism. He laughed and told me it was a waste of time to target anyone else at this point. I asked him what he thought about the see-through body scanners at airports. He told me flatly that if they wanted to get explosives on a plane it was still easy to do so. I asked him how he knew that and he told me he worked for the TSA after showing me his airport ID.
Healthcare – WOW! I don’t even know where to begin with this one. We left Phoenix on the morning that congress passed Obamacare. Due to the travel we were a little out of touch with the news. Frankly it felt nice to get a little break from all the hubris. However no matter where we went or who we spoke to we got an ear full when the subject of Obamacare came up. The 20 something waitress I mentioned previously was incensed that her premiums were going up by 17% to pay for other people. After working 2 jobs just to make ends meet I don’t blame her. She told me that she would probably be forced into a government subsidized plan. I asked how long she had known her primary doctor and she told me since she was a little kid of about 5. Unfortunately that will change for her since her doctor doesn’t take government patients and isn’t required to.
I ran into a gastroenterologist outside of Oklahoma City. He and his wife were on vacation towing a Honda Goldwing 1280 in a custom trailer. Beautiful motorcycle! I asked him what he thought of the legislation that had passed congress. He laughed and told me that the dirty little secret no one was talking about was the workload that would put on the already dwindling number of doctors. He went on to explain that claims of long waits for care would be true. It’s a numbers game he pointed out that the number of people taking up the profession had dropped due to the cost of malpractice insurance. And that the number of patients would rise increasing the strain on the system. Since medical providers are not required to take on Medicare patients the strain on those who do will increase further. Add to that he told me was the large number of Doctors who would retire early as a result of the legislation that was passed cutting Medicare payments to providers. I asked him if his opinions were shared by his colleges and for what it’s worth he assured me they were.
The only person we found that was for the legislation was a little old lady at a fruit stand somewhere in Kentucky. She had been a stay at home wife her whole life until her husband passed away. The social security checks she received couldn’t cover her expenses so she was working at the fruit stand under the table. I asked her how she felt about Obamacare and she was tickled pink. She explained to me that here social security checks would increase since she would be able to take a cheaper plan in 4 years. I asked her how her conscious felt knowing that she had never paid into social security and was taking money under the table from the fruit stand without paying taxes. She just winked and smiled telling me she slept well at night.
“Now Consti why should we believe YOU!” Simple answer is you don’t have to. That choice is yours. There is video on my YOUTUBE channel and photos on my Facebook. I am simply retelling what my fellow countrymen expressed to me while on the road.
You see many politicians and their supporters view middle America as “fly over country”. And in my humble opinion as I stated at the top you can’t really appreciate this land until you have traveled it, met the people, seen the sites (Graceland was the BOMB!), and tasted the food. In the “our side VS them” world of politics it’s important to be reminded who our side is. Take a trip and see for yourself.
For those of you still wondering who Luahu is…
It’s U-Haul spelled backwards and the only thing I saw in my rear view mirror for a week.
Consti.
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