Time’s Up

Term limits, term limits, term limits!
What do I have to do to convince some folks that term limits are needed?
Do I really have to say anything more than Strom Thurman, Ted Kennedy or Robert Byrd to prove that professional politicians are a bad idea?
I spent Saturday at the Ashe County courthouse covering the annual county Republican Party convention.
Among the items that members dealt with during the business meeting was a resolution to limit big government and ignore term limits.
Being the way I am, I had to debate a little about this with my Republican friends because I think they have it wrong.
First off, and very quickly, the no-big-government idea holds no sway with me because I don’t personally care how big government is, only how effective it is.
If it takes 10 people to keep the trains running on time that’s fine, but if it takes 100 people to keep the trains running on time, that’s fine too. Government is always getting bigger. Know why? Because the world is getting more and more complicated and it takes more people to do the work.
Term limits are a different animal altogether.
When the founders constructed our government, they had no clue that we would grow as large as we have grown. The country was fairly small then and no one was talking about large government, only independent government run by representatives of the people.
Our leaders are supposed to be our peers. Our leaders are supposed to be in touch with their home districts so that they know what is important to their constituents.
Never-ending political careers that keep people in Washington for 15, 25 or 50 years are not conducive to staying in touch with the home folks.
You know President Washington had the good sense to term limit himself. If he was the quintessential American leader, then why isn’t his self-imposed rule for leadership not good enough for all the career politicians?
These people, many of who grew up wealthy and have spent their whole lives preparing for government service, think that holding office is a career.
Well, it was never intended to be. It was intended to be a sacrifice that you left your home and careers for, to be of service to your fellow countrymen. Today, for many, it is a way of life.
One nice lady asked me Saturday, “You mean you think that Virginia [Foxx] should have to give up her seat?” My response was “yes, after eight years, she needs to go,” as does every politician both Republican and Democrat from aldermen to president, you do eight years and you go. No matter how good or bad you are at the job. That includes state officials too, so Cullie Tarleton and Steve Goss, are halfway there.
Hey, once your eight years are done you can always run for higher office. If you have done a good enough job you’ll win — if not, too bad.
The last argument I received from someone Saturday was that “We impose term limits by using the ballot box. Otherwise you have a lame-duck government.”
Well, it shouldn’t be lame-duck; if the people that are elected are there for the right reasons and not trying to make a big name and enriching themselves, then it won’t be a problem.
While we are at it, since there is a minimum age for office, there needs to be a maximum age as well. My suggestion would be 65; you are eligible for Social Security then and so it’s time to retire.
It remains true, as Mr. Jefferson said, “the tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. It is its natural manure.” It is just as true that government must be refreshed from time to time by washing free the manure that collects over eight years. Since most people vote by name recognition anyway, the laws need to enforce what we as a citizenry can’t seem to figure out.
Note: My mentioning of Congresswoman Foxx, Senator Goss and Representative Tarleton in this column should not in any way be taken as an endorsement by this reporter or The Ashe Mountain Times of their respective opponents in this year’s primary or general elections.- RF

Sick and Tired of Being Sick and Tired

As I sit here at my desk, wishing for a reprieve from my flu-like symptoms but willing to settle for a quick death, I find myself thinking about the never ending national healthcare debate.
First of all, let’s get one thing straight: the debate is about health coverage and health insurance not health care. If it were about health care we would be hearing arguments on quality of care, not who is paying for it or where to get coverage. So the argument doesn’t match the hype.
But that’s all right, because coverage is what people want; they can argue the worth of that coverage later.
I am one of the thousands of people who can’t get coverage from regular health insurers, because of pre-existing conditions related to military service, unless I want to send every penny I make to an insurer. I am supposed to be able to have my healthcare through the Veterans Administration, but as I have learned of late that’s not much of an option despite what the president and his minions spout.
I thought for context that we might just look at what that single-government-run and funded healthcare program looks like.
Now, I have had some services provided for me through the VA; I had shoulder surgery in 2003 and, from time to time, I need to get injections in my back to control the pain from an old injury, but that was done at the Durham VA before I came to the mountains. The care was great, but I found out it was only so because young doctors from Duke University were crossing the street (literally) to work in the VA Hospital.
Now that I am here, I have had to change my hospital and now am registered at Mountain Home VA Med Center in Mountain City, Tenn, but registration is all I’m going to get.
After weeks of calling the county VA rep, who never returned a single phone call, I took a chance a drove to the nearest VA facility. While at the VAMC in October, I went through the motions of registering with them, even though I have been a VA patient since 1996, but that’s government paperwork for you. I left and waited, and waited, and waited some more. Then last week, when I felt that nearly six months of waiting was enough for anyone to wait for an appointment, I called the VAMC to ask “What the hold up was?” I was told that the hold up was because they [the VA] do not have enough doctors to care for the veterans that need it. They were very nice about it and even told me they were sorry, but that I was out of luck and would not be assigned a primary care provider for the foreseeable future.
When I asked about being seen for complications with my service-connected issues, the response was to “come to Mountain City and sit and wait in the urgent care clinic.” I would “eventually get seen.”
That, my friends, is government-supervised healthcare. That, my friends, is how the federal government keeps their promise to care for the ones who have served to protect it. No doctors, no timely care and no consistency from facility to facility.
So my question to you is: “Why are we letting our officials continue to fight and filibuster over an issue that they can’t seem to fix for a small segment of the country (vets) when their goal is to provide this same slack and unacceptable service to the country as a whole?”
I don’t see the sense in the fight because if the government can’t even take care of us how will they care for everyone or force private entities to do so?
I think it is time to quit beating a dead horse and move on. If America wanted government run or managed health care they could have had it under Clinton. It’s time to move on to things that have hope of passing, if anything like that exists in national legislating.
As for me and my fellow vets, we will continue to go to the VAMCs around the country for what we can get, when we can get it, since it’s the only option for most of us.
As for you and your medical care, that my fellow citizens is on you, and it looks like it will stay that way.