The Slicing and Dicing of U.S. Healthcare

In 2010, when Nancy Pelosi uttered the now memorable words, “We have to pass the bill so that you can find out what is in it,” she was being sincere.  Little did she realize that three years later the system would fail upon its rollout, and that people on individual health plans would have their insurance cancelled.

Furthermore, other people attempting to sign up for healthcare via the government-run Healthcare.gov portal are finding out that they can’t get in.  Or, if they do, cannot access the exchanges with the firm knowledge that they are properly enrolled and insured.

But that’s not all:  The systemic computer and systems design failure which was exposed on October 1, 2013 and which still persists is not the only problem.

Why Christie Will Win.

Governor Chris Christie, as he appeared
 in a CNN interview with Piers Morgan
 in February of 2012.
 (Credit: Dick Bergeron Screen Shot/CNN)

He is trustworthy; he speaks plainly; he keeps his word; he is credible; he shows up; he walks the talk; he is a good administrator; he builds coalitions; he does not cover up his mistakes; he is unafraid; he has the back of New Jersey; he projects confidence; he can speak on his feet; he eschews teleprompters; he does his homework; he has the mojo; he is imperfect; he knows it. 

His detractors hold a weak position.

In brief, he earned a second term as New Jersey Governor.

Simple as that.

Thanks for reading.  Enjoy the coming week.

Political Lines Drawn in the Sand. . . .

. . . don’t do much good for anyone.

Nonetheless, if there were an annual Intransigence Award for such behavior, I think that Senator Ted Cruz of Texas and President Barack Obama would be vying for the top prize. 

Why split hairs?  Let’s have each nominee share the honors, as is sometimes the practice when awarding the Nobel Prize for a specific category.

President Shares Top Honor:  Barack Obama drew a line in the sand not so long ago, when he threatened to embroil this nation once more in one of the never-ending eruptions within The Middle East.

And the Band Plays On.

Tomorrow, if you believe the mendacious talk that has been emanating from within the White House and the halls of the Capitol Building in the District of Columbia, the financial structure of the United States is about to go over a cliff. 

Heck, the President has been saying so for the last three weeks.  Dutifully, his press secretary Jay Carney has been repeating Barack Obama’s message at every press conference.

Inside the Capitol, legislators such as Ted Cruz, Mike Lee, Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi, Mitch McConnell, and John Boehner (there are a lot more of these characters) have helped the White House to prolong the fiscal and monetary crises swirling around the debt ceiling, the budget and the health care disasters

The Washington Sandbox

Credit:  Fox TV Screen Shot/Dick Bergeron

From November 4, 2008 when the charismatic oratory of  President Barack Obama lifted him to the U.S. Presidency,  the mood in the nation’s capital has since morphed from one of “Yes we can,” to “No can do.” Similarly,  the mantra of ”Hope and Change” has slithered into that of “Delusion and Stasis.”

Politicians within the Beltway are throwing sand into one another’s eyes, and most are holding to the position that none will stop this bullying play until someone – anyone – stops first.

Even worse, it resembles a modern-day version of gladiators fighting in the Roman Coliseum.  We Americans are being toyed with like lion bait in the sand pit below.

Bridgewater’s Top Security Officer Moves On

Bridgewater Township Police Chief Richard Borden
is shown here at a Township Council Meeting on
July 1, 2013, at which one of the topics was the
allocation of an additional School Resource Officer
for the Bridgewater-Raritan School District, with the
school budget picking up the cost.  Accompanying
him in the background are some of the Township
Police Force.

Effective today, Bridgewater Township Police Chief Richard Borden has retired from his post as this community’s top law enforcement officer.

In a brief conversation this afternoon, Bridgewater Township Administrator Mr. James Naples confirmed that yesterday was the Chief’s last day on the job, and that he was now busy going in and out of the Bridgewater Municipal Complex, already in the process of moving on.

Mr. Naples was highly complimentary of Chief Borden, adding that he served for 32 years in law enforcement, and that he was appointed to the position of Bridgewater’s Police Chief in 2006.   

Naples underscored that, under Chief Borden’s guidance, the Police Department was awarded a distinguished accreditation on February 14, 2013, by “the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police and CALEA (The Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies).