Raising The Minimum Wage Is American As Apple Pie.

It is also as American as a hamburger or hot dog but congress has too few "serious" public servants and too many clowns to deal with the situation.  President Obama proposed raising the minimum wage over a year ago and both houses of congress has failed to act on the matter.

Republicans and business call it a job killer but there was no raise in the minimum wage during the administration of George W. Bush and  he left office as the greatest job killer since the great depression of 1929.  Republicans have a hard time getting anything right because of their ideology.  Business are worst because they believe millions of dollars should be spent on executive bonuses rather than on their employees who make those bonuses possible.

We know from all the reports the top 2% earners have received most of the economic benefits over the last two decades and that every else's economic earnings have been flat at best.  America the beautiful with the greatest economy that drives the world markets can not afford a minimum wage increase to those that could use and put it to good use.

The business community can deduct business expenses to lower their tax burden, take advantage of tax loopholes and breaks to lower their burden even more and claim raising the minimum wage will put them out of business.  They even have a depreciation deductible expense that is a non cash expense.  What do the minimum wage earners have?  According to those who oppose raising the minimum wage increase, they should just be glad they have a job.

It makes good economic sense to raise the minimum wage, but there is no economic sense to the great disparity between the wealthy and the middle class and no justification for CEO's to make 300 times what their average workers make.

President Obama needs to put more pressure on congress to take an up or down vote on the issue.  Those elected officials who are not "serious" public servants need to be identified.


This commentary written by John Lucia.

Another First (one of many) For "PolitiDose."

Robert Mann who writes editorial commentary in the Reflections Section of the Times Picayune detailed in his article of 4/27/14 how Louisiana Governor Jindal along with the legislature uses gimmicks to balance the state budget.  And if that sounds familiar to the readers of PolitiDose it is because you read it here first in several commentaries written on the subject matter over the past several years.

As I have previously explained, Jindal has yet to really balance any state budget except by legislation gimmicks and then before the budget year is complete Jindal announces the budget is out of balance.  The last governor to balance the state budget was governor Blanco and not by gimmicks. 

The states revenue base has been eorded so bad with tax cuts and tax exemptions, a so called booming economy has not produced the needed revenue as correctly pointed out in Mann's article.  The $8 billion of tax exemptions and tax breaks granted business represents over 25% of the state budget and is shameful, another point I discussed in past commentary.

The booming Louisiana economy that Jindal talks about has not produced the jobs nor has his so called economic policy.  The latest unemployment number released for Louisiana shows the unemployment rate 4.5%.  When Jindal took office it was 3.8% and with all Jindal's talk about training the work force, companies in Louisiana who use skilled labor and skilled technical workers complain about the limited number of candidates with the correct skills for the open positions they have according to a Times Picayune article of 4/25/14 by staff writer Jennifer Larino.  Unemployment has been reduced on the national level much more than in Louisiana.

Trickle down economics does not work on the state or federal level.  What it does is erode the normal revenue base of our democratic system in favor of special interest.  No state or federal budget has ever been truly balanced on such a system.  Just ask Reagan, Bush 41, Bush 43 and Jindal.

In the six and half years Jindal has been governor the states fiscal health has hit the bottom and unfortunately it was man made.


This commentary written by John Lucia.

Another Good Piece Of Economic News For The Country.

The Associated Press has reported that industrial companies such as General Electric, Honeywell and Caterpillar make expensive equipment that other companies need to buy to grow their business.  Their strong financial results indicate orders are strong. 

Diane Jaffee at the Trust Company of the West seems to think we're on the brink of that infection point where the economy can really take off and that what is different now is that industrial  companies are saying there is real demand.  This is a piece of welcomed economic news for the country, its people and for the Obama administration who inherited the worst economic conditions since the great depression.  When one considers that the President has had to go it alone to grow the economy, stave off a government shutdown, sequester and other road blocks not of his making, we have come a long way. 

If Jaffee's remarks prove to work out, the economy will create even more jobs.  And if John Boehner would allow the U.S. House to pass President Obama's jobs bill that the U.S. Senate passed over two years ago, unemployment would not be a problem.  Full employment will allow the country to address the most pressing problem, that is, the massive transfer of wealth from the middle class to the wealthy that has been the subject of this writers past commentaries here in PolitiDose that has been taken place for such a long time. 



This commentary written by John Lucia

Louisiana's Senator David Vitter: Just Another Republican Ditto Head

In a Times Picayune article dated 4/25/14 by staff writer Bruce Alpert it was reported that Vitter was one of 22 U.S. Senators to sign a letter to President Obama to improve immigration enforcement, not to look for new ways to weaken it.  The ditto head does not like the President's enforcement review.  Of course any one who has followed the immigration issue for the past 10 years knows full well that Obama has done more to enforce the immigration laws than any other President in that period of time, including deportations.

Vitter also knows the U.S. Senate passed tough immigration reform legislation last year that John Boehner has failed to act on in the republican controlled U.S. House.  The majority democrats in the Senate with enough republican votes passed that bill.  Vitter was one of many ditto head republicans in the Senate to vote against that immigration reform legislation.  Vitter and the republican problem on the issue is the same as their position and problem on the ACA.  They have no plan of their own to deal with either one.

It is a continuation of their MO ideology.  Keep opposing the President's position on every thing so they themselves do not have to explain what they stand for.  The President's policy is clear on the issue, he supports legislation passed by the Senate and that the House should debate and vote on that bill.  If the republican controlled house fails to act and address the issue, he will use his authority to do what ever he can to improve the issue as it stands today.  Most Americans would say that is a common sense approach.


This commentary was written by John Lucia.

The Wisdom Of Former Louisiana Governor David Treen.

Former Louisiana Governor and member of the U.S. House of Representatives, David Treen was a republican conservative who did not preach or govern by ideology.  That is an important difference compared to republicans of today who use ideology as their driver on the issues. 

As pointed out before here in PolitiDose, Treen recognized the problem of coastal erosion and the destruction and loss of Louisiana's wetlands due to oil and gas related drilling, pipelines and etc.  But unlike elected officials today, Treen had a plan to deal with the situation called CWEL.(Coastal Wetlands Environmental Levy). 

Elected officials in Louisiana today who represent the state in the legislature and congress oppose the suit against the oil industry filed by the Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority to repair the damage caused to the environment due to oil, gas and pipeline operations in the state.  In fact a measure is supposed to be introduced during the current session of the legislature to ban such suits and at the same time make the legislation retroactive to cover the present suit.

Governor Treen was on the right track with his proposal called CWEL and recognized the problem and thought it should be addressed.  Ideology played no part in CWEL.  Below is a letter to the editors of the Times Picayune written by Treen on the matter dated 3/9/09.


                  Tax Transport Of Oil and Gas

Withe all the anguish about budget cuts the state will have to make, including massive cuts to education and helath care, it is time to get well with CWEL, The Coastal Wetlands Environmental Levy, could be inacted by the legislature at the coming session.  The levy is on the transport of oil and gas across Louisiana's coastal zone, which is an area federally recognized as needing protection from coastal erosion.

The levy is not on the oil and gas.  It is a levy on the movement of oil and gas across the coastal zone.  This levy would also apply to oil and gas produced in Louisiana, which is transported across the coastal zone.  If the levy is passed on to the consumers of oil and gas, the impact on Louisiana will be negligible, since 85% of the consumers are out of state.

With gas at approximately $4 per MCF and oil at $50 or more per barrel, a few pennies on each would produce substantial revenue with the impact on Louisiana hardly noticeable.

                                                                                      Former Governor, David C. Treen


Governor Treen displayed his courage in such a proposal and understood there are taxes that are worth while that would help the people and the state.  Our elected officials failure to hold the oil industry responsible for the damage it caused is shameful.  For them, the future is like the failed past when it comes to the state's environment.  The suit by the Flood Protection Authority is a slap in the face for their failure to do their job.  Louisiana and its people deserve better.  David Treen was a serious public servant and a republican conservative who put the state, its people and the country first.   Ant that really says it all.


This commentary written by John Lucia. 

U.S. Secretary Of State John Kerry And The Peace Process In The Middle East.

The American news media in the last week or so has reported the peace process in the middle east between Israel and Palestine is on the verge of collapse.  Unfortunately, those reports have taken on a tone of failure by the United States and Secretary Kerry once again to settle an age old problem not created by the United States.

If indeed the talks fail the blame belongs to both Israel and Palestine, make no mistake about that.  Their problems go back over 2000 years and was created by religions beliefs that is still playing havoc through out the middle east.  Jerusalem has been a holy place for Jews, Christians, Arabs and Moslems since before biblical times but Israel wants Jerusalem all to itself.

Religion teaches that Jesus preached in the Jerusalem temple and that one day, god his father will return there for his earthly abode.  The Moslem faith teaches that the prophet Mohammed's ascented to heaven from the sacred dome of the rock that sits on top of the temple mount.  The sanctity of Jerusalem is well known by scholars.

Israel, its jewish people and the people of the Arab world have the same father, Abraham.  Abraham's son Ishmael was born to him and Hagar, a slave of Abraham's wife Sarah.  Isaac was the son of Abraham to him and his wife Sarah. Trying to define what territory is Israel and what is Palestine is one of the great problems why peace has been evasive and religion is at the core of the problem.

Written records have been discovered concerning the bible lands and the middle east where thousands of years ago kings of those lands said they went to war against other nations and kings on the order of their god.  If that sounds familiar it is because leaders of some nations in that region are still killing people in the name of their god.

The lack of a peace agreement between Israel and Palestine lie at their own door step and not the United States inability to broker a true peace.  The people of America understand how religion in that part of the world is used to divide and not unite.  It is a leson the people of the United States should not let itself get trapped in.  Our fore  fathers showed their wisdom concerning the separation of church and state and those who try to divide us along religious lines should be rejected loud and clear.


This commentary written by John Lucia.

Another First For "PolitiDose."

"PolitiDose" your daily dose of political commentary is once again in the fore front of correctly pointing out how the democratic party has performed better than the republican party in governing and moving the country forward.  The latest report by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) concerning the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is a good example.  Lets look at what has happened concerning Health Care issues.

In 2004 the Bush administration and the republican controlled congress(they controlled both the House and the Senate) passed a prescription drug benefit that Bush said would cost no more than $400 billion over the next decade.  Republicans in congress signed on while the democrats pointed out the program would actually cost a lot more based on several congressional reports.  That prescription drug benefit, now in its last year of the decade has cost over $900 billion according to the CBO and will cost over $1 trillion when the decade ends.  That is three times the number Bush quoted.  The republicans knew of the problem and did nothing to correct.  That prescription drug benefit was also financed with deficit spending which the taxpayers are still paying for with interest.

In 2010 the democrats controlled both houses of congress and passed the Presidents proposal called the ACA.  The President said it was fully paid for, would reduce the federal deficit and lower insurance cost over the next decade.  The CBO in its report just the other day concerning the ACA said the cost would be approximately $104 billion lower over the decade than originally thought.  Also that private insurance premium for the benchmark :silver level plan" would be 15% less that projected in 2009.  The CBO also laid out many other items in the ACA that is saving health care cost.  It will also reduce the federal deficit.

This information concerning Health Care is just another example of what has been pointed out over and over in "PolitiDose."  Democratic administrations do a better job at governing than republican administrations regardless if its health care, the economy, job creation, balancing the budget, cutting federal spending, lowering unemployment and the list goes on and on.

For those who seek the facts and are looking for a way to navigate the sound bites and misinformation given out by the news media, especially cable television, tune them out.  Naa, I'm just kidding, I know you won't do that.  But there is a credible alternative.  PolitiDose, your daily dose of political commentary.


This commentary written by John Lucia.

President Obama"s Performance In Office

During the 2008 Presidential campaign this writer supported Senator Joe Biden  for the Democratic nomination.  Senator Chris Dodd was my second choice.  I did so because I believed they had the best qualifacations and the most experience to deal with being President.  I did not think Mr. Obama had the experience nor the time in political life to take that giant step. 

It is history now and Obama won the democratic nomination  and then beat Senator John McCain to become the 44th. President of the United States.  In our system of government we have only one President at a time and regardless who that person is the people have always rallied around him, especially in difficult times.  I was willing to give President Obama a chance after his election and as of this writing I am glad I did so.  There is no doubt in my mind, despite his lack of experience he was a better choice than Senator McCain and much better than Mitt Romney. 

I expressed my feelings toward Obama during the 2008 campaign in commentary here in PolitiDose and my preference for Joe Biden.  I was  of the opinion that even Hilliary Clinton would be a better choice than Obama.  I wrote a commentary prior to the 2012 election expressing my disappointment with some things Obama did or had not done and said I thought he should not seek reelection if he could not stand up to the republicans and move his agenda.

I think the people made the right choice in both elections over the republican choice.  The President is no Roosevelt, Truman, Kennedy or Clinton but he has handled an inherited situation well considering the republican's constant will to obstruct and opposition on every thing the President proposes.  The relentless negative pronouncements of the conservative news media against the President has been shameful. 

President Obama may be lacking but he has demonstrated that America and its people come first in policy matters and that he would not govern by an ideology that thrives on fear and misinformation.  The country and its people are better off today than they were prior to his election.


This commentary written by John Lucia.

The U.S. House Passes A Budget To No Where.

Last week the republican controlled House passed the Ryan budget that was the subject of this writers commentary a few weeks ago.  Louisiana tea party rep., Steve Scalise's republican study committee's budget proposal was also introduced and defeated.  The conservative ideology of the republican party in the House is so far apart, debate is out of the question.

The Ryan budget will go no where as long as Obama is President and for good reason.  The country and its people lost again with the budget vote.  It wasted time like the 50 plus times the House has voted to repeal the ACA which also will never happen on Obama's watch.  The conservatives have been brazen in their zeal to make the U.S. House none productive and there fore bring down one house of congress.

The U.S. Senate although controlled by the democratic party do not have the 60 votes necessary to pass legislature on their own.  They need several cross over votes from republicans and have been able on some important issues to obtain those cross over votes with compromise.  The senate passed the President's jobs bill to rebuild and repair the nations infrastructure, a immigration bill, an extension on unemployment insurance and others that the republican controlled house has never even considered for debate.  Their own ideology is so far apart and childish they are allowing their 2016 Presidential hopefuls to sound bite the issues.

John Boehner's actions and inactions as speaker of the house has allowed his party to bring disgrace upon that institution.  His ideology will not allow him to stand up and be an American first who has a responsibility to the people and the country to move forward.  Its all about wanting to see a democratic administration fail.

Just maybe the voters in November will step back and give thought to electing enough democrats to return control of the house to them, keep the democrats majority in the senate and trust the President to do the right thing for all concerned This writer thinks he deserves the chAnce to have his policies debated in congress.  The republican party has had their chance under Obama and has failed.  They also had their chance under President Bush and failed.  The Ryan budget does not balance the federal budget for the next 10 years.  The deficit under the Obama administration has been reduced over 60% and the nation is on its way to a balanced budget that could happen before the President leaves office.

Ideology as practiced today by the leaders of the republic party is still unAmerican in nature and part of their elite thinking to make every one subject to their warped minds.  The greatest generation if it existed during their time would have rejected this ideology.  And now we, in this generation should reject it also in favor of American common sense solutions.


This commentary written by John Lucia.

Family Values In Our Political System

Once again the people of America are exposed to a U.S. Representative from Louisiana who campaigned on family values and was caught on camera in a situation deemed not to represent those values.  The act that was caught on camera does not in itself convey the real problem or issue.  The real story here is that conservatives have used family values in their campaigns in order to appeal to a certain base like they do with other issues such as religion, abortion and sexual orientation. 


Those issues are used in a way to make their opponets seem morally corrupt.  There are so many politicians who have had to eat crow on the family values issue.  One should think a lesson would have been learned by now.  Conservatives really started to use the family value story after Reagan was elected President.  They found themselves unable to compete as a party and therefore came up with a phony way to divide and conquer.  Television evangelist use the same tactics and reel in millions of dollars in contributions from their T.V. base.

It never seems to fail when a politician preaches family values or character, he himself ends up being the person with out character of family values.  The response from some elected officials in Louisiana concerning this latest fall from grace was that the errant representative should resign.  Some compared his actions to a U.S. Senator and said the republican party let that sin ride and did not seek his resignation. 

This repeated story is a prime example of our political systems failure to attract serious public servants who are not afraid of campaigning on the issues facing the country and its people.  You either have family values or you lack them.  Those who do need not talk about it.  Those who don't and say they do are as phony as the Fox News Network who say they are fair and balanced.


This commentary written by John Lucia

The Political Cartel: Corporate America, Political Action Committees And Elected Officials.

Has anyone noticed how the above cartel has become so brazen in their corruption of the political system?  All three interweave and undermine the democratic process that is so necessary for civility and order in society, and especially in govrnment.

Corporate America and PAC's flaunt their wealth to corrupt the system and elected officials flaunt their willingness in giving special favors to them.  They even defend them when they are wrong.  A good example is how Louisiana's elected officials opposed the moratorium in the Gulf of Mexico after the BP disaster that killed 11 rig workers and made all kinds of failed predictions if the moratorium stayed in place.  And now elected officials in Louisiana will introduce legislation to kill the suit filed by the Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority-East against 97 oil, gas and pipeline companies that have raped Louisiana's environment over the past 50 years.

The wealthy Wall Street Banks who helped bring down the economy because of their influence with elected officials that let regulations slide and to top it off they are still operating as usual.  In a story published in the Times Picayune dated 4/9/14 reports that federal regulators voted to require banks to raise their minimum ratio of capital to loans to 5% from the current 3% which is just a slap on the wrist.It applies to eight banks deemed so big and interconnected that each could threaten the global financial system.  In this writers judgement that describes a monopoly and should be broken up period.

The 8 banks it applies too are Goldman Sachs, Citigroup, Bank of America, J.P. Morgan Chase, Wells Fargo, Morgan Stanley, Bank of N.Y. Mellon and State Street Bank.  We already know what those banks did to the American economy because the country and its people are still feeling the effects.  Once again, becuse of the wealth connection to our political system a slap on the wrist is given to this monopoly.  President's Harry Truman, Franklin Roosevelt and Teddy Roosevelt had the courage to break monopolies up during their time. 

The cartel has been effective in fooling the people in believing that the oil industry needs $8 billion in tax breaks, that Corporate America can earn billions of dollars in net profit and still not pay any taxes, that regulations cost jobs, that the minimum wage is not necessary, that the tax loopholes that congress created for the wealthy is ok.  The list goes on and on.  I wrote a commentary titled, Too Big To Fail dated 4/17/10 here in PolitiDose and that commentary is still applicable today. 

The cartel has undermined what good government is all about.  When one hears an elected official say government should be run like a business that is the code word for eliminating the natural relationship of governments responsibility to the people.  It also tells Corporate America welcome to the political world of special interest.  To the cartel, government and the people are pawns to be used for their own satisfaction.  They lack character, courage and understanding of what being an American is all about.  And that really says it all.


This commentary written by John Lucia.

Job Creation Continues Under The Obama Administration.

The economy created 192,000 jobs in March according to the latest Department of Labor report.  That brought job creation in positive territory for over four straight years and still counting.  The economy continues to require assistance to continue short and long term growth.  It also needs republicans to get over their petty and childish committment to destroy the Obama administration.  The failure of their party during the previous administration was the catalist for their desire and conservative ideology to obstruct.

President Obama started his 6th year in office in January with the unemployment rate lower than it was when he took office.  The unemployment rate when Bush 43 started his 6th year in office was up from when he took office and was up 3.6% when he left office.  President Obama inherited far more problems when he took office than President Bush did when he took office.  When one considers the republican's promise to obstruct, any fair minded person would have to admit President Obama has done a good job.

This writer's commentary concerning precedent titled, An Economic Turnaround:  Job Creation and Fiscal Stability, There Is A Precedent, dated 12./14/09 has come to pass and once again it is a democratic administration that is moving the economy, creating jobs, reducing the federal deficit, reducing federal spending and lowering the unemployment rate. 

History has confirmed it is democratic administrations that do a better job for the country and its people in almost every area of progress compared to republican administrations.  The republicans would love to take control of both houses of congress in November to make sure that the Obama administration ends in failure as the Bush administration did.  Their ideology has no redemptive value and as a result would like to see the future be like the past.


This commentary written by John Lucia.

The Latest Supreme Court Decision: Another Blow To The Election Process

First it was the Supreme Court's decision in Citizins United that treated corporations as people and allowed them unliminted amounts to spend on campaigns out side political parties.  The ads you see in Louisiana by the Koch brothers(who are outsiders) against Senator Mary Landrieu is a good example.

Now we have last weeks decision concerning McCuteheon which also releases a flood of money into political campaigns.  Columnist David Brooks said it is a win for political parties.  Newt Gingrich said it will allow the middle class to compete with wealthy PAC's.  Gingrich, a perennial candidate loves it because politicians go after the money.  Brooks, a news media person loves it because the news media sell ads to all the wealthy who spend millions so politicians can be beholden to them.  Make no mistake these two decisions will continue to destroy our democratic form of government.

There is only one thing left to do in order to stop the buying of elected officials by the wealthy and to put the special interest people out of business.  The answer is what I have written about in several commentaries here in PolitiDose.  Politicians have to stand up and refuse to take any money from anyone and be innovative in changing how campaigns are financed and run.  All it takes is character, courage and balls.  David Brooks said you can't take money out of politics, a neat way of saying he supports the status quo.  Campaigns should be shorter.  The news media is already promoting the 2016 Presidential race and leading the charge is the Fox News Network, the network of lies and misinformation.

The same greedy people who are spending all the money are the same ones who demand the tax breaks, loop holes and special treatment so they can add to their wealth and greed.  They are the sames ones who oppose raising the minimum wage and want to operate outside of regulations.  A wise Louisiana Assessor once said, Power Corrupts, and Absolute Power Corrupts Abslolutely. That is just what is happening in our political system today between the special interest and our elected officials.

By the way, there is another way to eliminate money in campaigns and the Supreme Court would have no say in the matter just as they do not have any say if a politician rejects campaign contributions.  If enough people are interested I will write a commentary on the subject matter in the future.


This commentary written by John Lucia.

:Paul Ryan And The Latest Republican Budget

The U.S. House budget committee chairman Paul Ryan's latest budget is another fairy tale like the one he and Romney ran on during the 2012 Presidential campaign.  The American people rejected that budget because they understood arithmetic.

Ryan's budget calls for spending cuts totaling $5 trillion over the next 10 years including steep cuts to medicaid, food stamps, a total repeal of the ACA and ending medicare as it exists today in favor of a private insured federal subsidy.  It also calls for deficit spending for the next 10 years and a balanced budget in 2024.  It should be noted that no republican President has balanced the federal budget since Dwight Eisenhower in 1960 and Ryan wants to extend that another 10 years.

Louisiana's Bill Cassidy in the U.S. House who is challenging democratic senator Mary Landrieu in a report by Bruce Alpert in the Times Picayune of 4/4/14 reported he is on the fence for Ryans budget and that he will evaluate the budget proposal.  Cassidy has supported Ryan's previous budget proposal that was similiar.  Seems like the coming election in November is now on Cassidy's mind.

The same article reports that Steve Scalise  and his conservative republican study committee will offer a more aggressive deficit reduction budget soon.  Scalise's study committee proposal includes raising the age to qualify for medicare and full social security benefits.  This is a fore runner to eliminate medicare and social security in the future.  Ryan indicated his budget is depending on the republicans taking over the Senate in November and controlling both houses of congress.

Never mind that the republicans controlled both houses of congress for the first 6 years of George W. Bush's terms in office and failed to cut spending when they had the chance to do so.  In fact the Bush administration turned President Clinton's record balanced budgets and surpluses into deficit spending in Bush's very first fiscal year and all 8 years he served.  In fact federal spending went up 61% during his two terms in office.  (see my commentary titled, Federal Spending: Facts vs. Myth dated 10/31/09.

The Obama administration has reduced the federal deficit over 60% since Bush's last fiscal year which ended up with a record one year deficit of over $1.4 trillion.  And in the last 50 years it has been the administrations of Clinton and Obama that saw the smallest increase in federal spending.  Reagan, Bush 41 and Bush 43 don't even come close.  The republican party is still living in Wally, Wally world and just recycle their past failures with an ideology of contempt for their own supporters.

It is hell when you have no record of moving the country and its people forward.  Is it any wonder why they can not debate the issues or articulate what they stand for?


This commentary written by John Lucia

The Affordable Care Act Has Reached Its Enrollment Goal.

President Obama and the news media announced that 7.1 million people have enrolled in the
ACA and there will be more to come because of the President's extension for those who have applications in the pipe line.

The positive approach to the ACA by President Obama over came the negative noise machine by republicans in congress, the conservative news media and the unAmerican Fox News Network.  Those negative voices showed they do not have the character to debate the real issues concerning health care, something this writer has written about many times over here in PolitiDose.  They took the low road and used scare tactics, spoke about death panels that don't exist and flat out said over and over that Obamacare was dead.  They also attenpted to plant the seed that the initial computer problems concerning sign up meant the ACA would not work.

President Obama showed his courage when early on he used his executive powers to make changes such as delaying the sign up time for business, both small and large.  By doing so he took the politics out of the issue and left the republicans steaming.  The best course to pursue between now and the next enrollment period in this writers opinion would be to let matters play out and see how health services are administered to those newly insured people and when the need arises and what type of problems pops up, if any at all.  They can then be addressed.

The worst thing that could happen is for republicans and democrats to rush to judgement and try to make changes to the ACA before the November elections for political purposes.  President Obama can put a stop to that with his veto pen if it occurs.  The President has demonstrated his willingness to change what is not working but has to keep both republicans and democrats under control so that the public's need is served over political rhetoric.

The President should continue to use his executive powers if necessary concerning the subject matter.  There is a reason 7.1 million people have enrolled in the ACA and in due time the positive effects will out weigh the negative voices and the country and its people will be better off.


This commentary written by John Lucia