Osler's Razor

Continuing my string of Thursday guest-bloggers, my dad sent me this wonderful essay on Bernie Sanders. Very timely, as I (and many others) get ready to caucus on Tuesday!

BERNIE SANDERS WILL LIKELY BE FORGOTTEN BY NEXT YEAR

However, we will be left with a fresh clean whiff of honesty hanging in the air and a memory of his hands waving over his free spirited hair.

This is the unfortunate truth. Bad timing. Hopefully his principles, integrity, decency along with his message will energize the nation’s youth who in the future will insist on taking real actions to address real problems. This is our reason to continue to support Bernie.

We know Bernie can’t fix everything himself. He is the only candidate that authentically uses the word “we”. He actually says that we all have to get to work, pay some taxes so we can then pay for the things that we have been putting off. I get excited when I see this old duffer surrounded by a sea of young faces. I get really excited knowing these young faces are being motivated to address our nation’s challenges with the principles and purpose expressed by Bernie Sanders. I will never give up on Bernie’s message that big money has too much influence.

Right off the bat I need to say that the cost of the programs Bernie is pushing are doomed in this period of government austerity. For this reason I believe he is unelectable based on the promises he is making at this moment in time.

His programs could increase government spending by as much as forty trillion dollars over 10 years. Hillary Clinton is the only candidate that has presented an economic plan that reduces our debt and finances her promises. Her programs however only prevent us from going in reverse.

The proposed plans of Trump, Rubio, and Cruz cut taxes so radically that that they would add from 8 to 12 trillion dollars to our debt over 10 years of prosperity. In Rubio’s plan Mitt Romney would pay no federal taxes. The plans do not address election reforms nor our serious national goals to curb global warming, health care costs, inequality, childhood poverty and hunger, etc. etc. We will not have funded our crumbling infrastructure and cities, education, medical and scientific resources, environment, and so many other needs. It does seem strange that in all the Republican debates none of these problems were discussed. We are promised an enlarged and expensive military,

privatized social security, corporately directed health care, and more billionaires.

In contrast Bernie’s plan actually starts to look pretty good when you start to think things through. Bernie’s spending does come with an increase in taxes for everyone. Long term we cannot continue not to have single payer universal health care, take the influence of big money out of politics, help with the burden of debt for young people starting out in life, and a robust government that provides jobs and opportunity while tackling our common challenges. Our citizens’ economic health will be better following Bernie’s ideas, if not his plans.

Non-economic differences between Bernie and the remaining Republican troika are very stark.

Unlike Donald he is not likely to delight in the thought of strategically bombing the families of enemy combatants.

It seems unfair to go on and use Rubio, Trump and Cruz to make a contrast for any legitimate candidate for our highest office. Bernie’s deportment should be a model for young politicians.

When Mark’s mother and my politic thoughts were forming, we were both Republicans. At that time Republicans, ideas of what works would be in many cases similar to what Danish socialists are currently doing .

Some things we believed:

Together we could make things better. WW2 proved this.

Greed causes a lot of harm. The depression proved this.

All things were possible. Look at our parents.

War was hell and should be avoided.

Some things we have learned.

Increase in taxes most often leads to increases in employment and wages. We think this a good thing. Postponing taxes leads to debt.

The GOP has shifted from standing up for business to standing up for wealth.

Money seldom trickles down. It goes up to power.

Both parties have not governed responsibly. They have not served posterity as well as they have served their group.

Imagine a time when the country was deep in debt from a world war. We were recovering with massive manufacturing capacity intact. The postwar world was still reeling. America took on the task of helping the world recover, including former enemies.

Racism was present in all communities Women were not considered equal with men. We were fearful of communists. We were fed up with war and the military establishment, but the four freedoms still rang in our heads. Freedom of Religion, Freedon of speech, Freedom from fear and Freedom from want.

Most Americans believed that a good life for their families was certainly possible. We could all afford health care and the doctor might even stop by your home and check up on you on his way home. We paid what we could afford. Medicine was more a profession and less a business. Free education was available that was sufficient to get good employment. College cost a little more. Employment most often was working for someone you knew. The job came with lifetime security and a retirement plan. You and your boss saw each other at PTO meetings where you discussed common problems. Coming out of the war men and women were used to working hard for the common good. They knew the importance of everyone doing their share and when they saw that there were some that where taking more of their share it made them mad.. Even Ike, our Republican President was outraged and thought 90% tax on profits wasn’t enough. We had a real distain for greed. Vast infrastructure projects were built to serve our expanding economy The political system worked to provide the funds. Those working for wages could own a home, some stocks and sometimes a cabin up north. One had a sense of confidence that a lifetime of security for one’s family was a real possibility.

So much has changed. We have had a slow erosion of our promise. Slowly we stopped including Freedon from Want and Freedom from Fear from the American dream.

Richard Nixon changed Phyllis and my political lives. His transparent appeal to our fear of others began with his callous political use of “the silent majority”. He governed better than he campaigned. Ronald Reagan was a master politician. He ran against all the Republicans ideas we had liked in our youth while deriding those in want. He also governed better than he messaged. Their rhetoric worked for their purposes and can still be heard in today’s GOP campaigns.

No wonder we were Republicans then and for Bernie now. He reminds us that we count for something

In the end Bernie will be able to hold his head up in a country that at this moment isn’t looking for such an authentic man. We kids noticed and have hope.

When the primaries are over there is only one candidate whom I could walk up to and say. “Well done.”