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Monday, August 17, 2009

back in action

I know it's been almost a month since an update and i apologize for that.

It's been a hectic time for me. I got back to the good ole US of A on the first of the month and had to hit the ground running. I've moved into a new apartment, was best man at my boy's wedding (beautiful ceremony, by the way, my boy was grinning the entire day), and getting prepared to try and start up school again. On the shittier end of things I've learned that my funding for school has been cut, so I'm responsible for full tuition and all. Of course, when I ask the administration about it, they tell I should've received a bill in the mail over the summer...huge whomp whomp there, you know, considering I was IN FUCKING NIGERIA FOR 2 MONTHS!!! But it's aight. I'm hustling like my life depends on it, and it kinda does. I'm pushing out resumes to any research center or office I can find that could use some kind of assistance, I pray I can get a nibble back.

I'm currently at my boy's house watching soccer and reading random articles online praying that Obama isn't played for a bitch in a few weeks when congress is back in session with this healthcare reform package. For some reason the CBO's website won't let me download any pdfs so I can't read their preliminary reports. I can read the director's letters on his blog found here. The big thing that surprises me is the rough estimate of a net increase of 65 billion dollars to the deficit, once you take rough savings and expense into account. Now the director points out that this is basically a back of the envelope estimate given the fact that the bills are not finalized, but overall, the scheme is relatively affordable. Especially if further spending is curtailed or revenues (ie taxes) are increased. But my main headache involves the bullshit that has accompanied this issue the entire month I've been back. You've had these townhall fiascoes, the dropping of end of life counseling provisions and recent statements by members in the white house that would lead one to believe they're distancing themselves from the much-touted and reviled "public option". In other words, the white house, and democrats, are losing the political game here. Mass media enjoys spouting clear misinformation uncritically in some twisted sense of journalistic objectivity and, once again, sensible policy, let alone justice, are left by the wayside.

I truly worry that the public option will be left behind and that other provisions specifically addressing insurance industry practices will be watered down, and once again the buck will be passed down the road. I kinda just want to bury my head in the sand and wait for may and graduation, but because that can't work, I'm gonna go sling some more resumes.