I Hate Labels

I really hate labels.

I really try not to think of myself, or others in terms of the labels we use.  Labeling things allows us to classify and to anticipate.  "Dessert foods" get classified as things to eat after dinner that will probably make my kid's dentist a fortune in cavities, and I can anticipate it will be sweet.

I could be called a conservative, and in many respects I am.  I believe in limited government, a strong military and the free market economy.  But in classifying me as a conservative you might assume I'm pro-life.  In truth, I beleive in a common sense, pro-choice approach.

I believe that, like ALL our rights, there are and should be limits.  No right is absolute.  Being pro-choice is no different.  I'm for elective abortions, even outside of cases of rape and incest.  I think that abortions should be available to all women of all ages.  I think it should be treated just like any other medical procedure.

If you are a minor - your parents should need to consent.  Period.  The achievement of the age of 16 may allow someone to be mature enough to make sexual decisions, but those decisions need to be made responsibly.  Would you really want YOUR 16 year old to have unprotected intercourse, get pregnant and abort the baby without any input from you? 

The timing needs to be right - aborting a viable fetus (i.e. after 22 weeks) is very ethically questionable unless the mother's life is at risk and both persons are in jeopardy of dying.  If both mother and child are very likely to survive, who is the mother to assert that her future child's life has no value? Like elections, decisions have consequences.  If you CHOOSE to have unprotected sex the consequence may be pregnancy.  If you CHOOSE to delay your abortion, the consequence may be one of lost opportunity.

There has been a ton of controversy in Mississippi lately regarding the newly enacted law that requires that physicians performing abortions in the state be certified in Obstetrics/Gynecology and have local hospital privileges.  The critics say this is unreasonable because it will cause the only abortion clinic in Mississippi to close.  While their doctors are certified, they don't have local hospital privileges.

Let's look outside the pro-life pro-choice labels -- if you're child having an outpatient surgical procedure wouldn't you want the doctor to be certified?  If the procedure carried a risk for the need of urgent hospitalization, wouldn't you want the doctor to have local hospital privileges?

Is it fair to expect that local physicians will happy pick up and manage a botched procedure performed by an under-qualified practitioner?

Is the law bad or is it the anticipated outcome that is so distateful?  Would there be a similar uproar if this was for laprascopic bariatric surgery (the lap-band)? 

The same people who argue in terms of pro-life or pro-choice have tightened their world view so much that everything is black and white.  There is no grey.  Unfortunately, when you are seeing the world in silhouette you lose the intent and quality of the whole picture.

That's why I hate labels.

Link to a New York Times article about the law

All politics are local, right?

So here in the newly incorporated Florida US Congressional District 23 we are represented by none other than the esteemed Chair of the Democratic Party herself, Debbie Wasserman-Schultz.

Having met DWS I can tell you that, in true liberal fashion, she is lovely to be around so long as you agree with her.  Once your opinion slides to the right of hers (is there really a far left anymore?) her profession and somewhat pleasant demeanor morphs into the multiheaded dog from hell, Cerberus.  The ensuing verbal thrashing she will attempt to dole out is usually presumptuous and elitist.

Our district is still bluer than red.  She knows that she has it easy compared to the occasional southern Democrats who swim in the Red Sea, and are often referred to as Blue Dogs.  As a result of her "secure" district, DWS can lean as far to the left as she wants with impunity.  And yet, today, there seems to be a change.

DWS has spent months of her time campaigning for President Obama.  She's travelled.  She's missed votes.  She's been on CNN and even Fox talking about the grand plans to tax the rich (i.e. everyone) and ensure that all Americans get the same things thanks to Government (i.e. nothing).  What she hasn't done is the job the people of South Florida sent her to Washington to do.

Mitt Romney raised over $4million dollars in less than 24 hours following the SCOTUS decision of the Affordable Care Act.  Chief Justice Roberts was right - the court is not responsible to fix the bad decisions made by the people we elected to office.  That will be up to us.

Basic healthcare is clearly something that every individual should have.  Unfortunately, the ACA does not accomplish it's goals.  People will still be uninsured.  The increased costs will drive billions of dollars away from consumers.  Everything except for the exchange plans will become unaffordable, and the exchange plans, like the Medicaid HMOs of toady will pay so poorly that your insurance card will be useless as no doctor will accept it.  Even Democratic Senator Bill Nelson agrees that the ACA is far from perfect.

What the ACA does do perfectly is rile people up.  Ask Mitt Romney.  He's making money to fix the consequences of our bad decisions in 2008.  The GOP, even her in the bluest of blue districts, is fired up.  DWS hasn't needed to fight for real in a long time.  When you put the three headed dog next to just about anyone, they begin to look more reasonable. 

Now, I don't beleive it will be a landslide, but I think the GOP has a chance.  The last serious challenge to DWS in 2010 she won by a comfortable, but not insane 20% margin.  In her old, gerrymandered, district.  Watch out Debbie, the GOP is coming to fire you.

When you are elected by the will of the people your job is to serve the people and work in their best interests.  Will your core be there?  Yes.  Will the rest of us?  We may be too busy trying to quash the policies of the President you spend your time and our voice in congress to defend.