As per usual the partisan rhetoric is flying off the lips of the hyperbolic mouthpieces we call our elected representatives. The CBO (Congressional Budget Office) released their newest calculations regarding the impact of the Affordable Care Act or if you like “ObamaCare” on the labor market. True to form with no regard for the truth or any measure of thoughtful analysis a hearing was held in congress where like proud Peacocks on parade both sides tried to score cheap political points to impress their respective bases at the expense of hard working Americans. They puffed their chests out and tried to explain why the loss of the equivalent of 2.5 million jobs as a result of ObamaCare was either a good thing or a very bad thing. To be fair, the CBO stated in their report that these jobs would not simply vanish, they would just be downsized to reflect part-time status rather than full time jobs. Now I will never attempt to figure out government math, it is impossible because it isn’t a math taught to any of us in school. What I can do is offer my humble opinion about what I heard and how what I heard reflects a more troubling trend in America.
The report says that “…employers will not be handing out pink slips en mas rather they will be giving Americans the freedom to choose their employer for healthcare or reduce the number of hours they work or leave their jobs to get healthcare through the exchanges.” I love the use of the word “Freedom” in this. They say that they are giving Americans a choice here, work part time or not at all so you can qualify for the subsidies or roll the dice and work full time. What!?! And, if you choose to work full time then you would lose your subsidy. So, where is the incentive to work? Shouldn’t the incentive be to get people full time work so that they don’t have to live a subsidized life? If we employed people full time and more of them then perhaps we wouldn’t have to worry about extending long term unemployment befits, bloated food stamp participation, massive increases in disability payments and a plethora of programs that have exploded our debt and threaten to unravel a nation. It isn’t “Rocket Surgery” people, full time work should be THE goal, there should be an incentive not deterrence.
The Administration is feeling the heat, so straight from the White House are three words they are now using to describe the benefits of this report, spinning furiously to explain the positive, those words are “Freedom, Opportunity and Choice.” In my humble opinion these are simply three shades of lipstick they are trying to use on this pig. The White House is saying and I quote “There is nothing in this report that will take away 2.5 million jobs in fact what is says more clearly is more people may choose not to work or they may choose to reduce their hours.” Does any of that make sense to anybody who isn’t infected with politicanitus?
So back to the point of this rant, the American Dream is being redefined. America is a country that was built on grit, determination and an indomitable spirit. America is a country where you worked your ass off to get ahead. A country where everything meaningful has been invented, reengineered and improved upon and things yet to be realized are being researched and developed. All because we dared to dream because our parents taught us a work ethic second to none but we now have a President and a political system that can utter words like these with a straight face:
“It allows Americans to choose to spend more time with their families or pursue their dream, that is not a bad thing it’s a good thing.”(Rep Chris van Hollen (D) of Maryland)
“This isn’t employers cutting jobs, it is newly empowered workers choosing to go a different path.” (Rep Bill Pascrell (D) of New Jersey)
“… in fact what is says more clearly is more people may choose not to work or they may choose to reduce their hours (White House Press Staff).”
That’s the answer America, the debt is ballooning, unemployment has been over 6.5% for over 5 years, and the average household income has declined steadily. More kids live with their parents now than at any other time in history and on and on and on but the answer according to our Leader is that we now have the “Freedom” to work less, the “Opportunity” to be subsidized and the “Choice” to opt out of the America he has fundamentally transformed.
Our leaders have failed us, they have failed to stand at the vanguard of liberty as the guardians of the dream that is uniquely American. They pander to the lessor nature of man rather than inspiring the greatness that once defined America.
Of course that is just my take.