Rarely does a week go by, when I am not challenged by a Co-worker, because of my political beliefs. You see, it is generally well-known that I am the workplace's resident "progressive blogger." (It started off by me quietly "telling two friends" ... little did I know that they would "tell two friends," as so on ...)
Of course, our informal weekly "debating society" centered around the water-cooler (or more recently the "coffee pot"), has done little to help keep my political views anonymous. I am the "resident progressive" -- that our local band of office conservatives, just love to hate. Let's just say I serve as their angst-directed punching bag, for all things liberal -- those memes that they anxiously disagree with -- and can't get out of their heads. Until at least they vocally "assign blame," to accuse some bleeding heart liberal of "socialism wrong-doing." I guess I fill their weekly bill.
Creative commons -- open clip art
Rarely does a week go by, when I am not challenged by a Co-worker to: defend something that Obama said, explain something that Democrats want, or endure the latest socialism-gone-wild story that Fox News has been spinning. I do not seek them out. They find me. They need somewhere to vent -- and I'm usually the most convenient target. They always raise the topic of politics -- while I always check my watch.
Not that our office, doesn't have its other democrats and liberals, who will quietly support me, when no one's around. It's just that, they rather not take sides, when it comes to politics and work. "All sides are right," in their public domains, it seems. Not me, I know how to pick a side. And I am not afraid to express my views.
The gang that goes at me, sometimes like a swarm of mosquitoes, includes the following cast of characters, among others:
-- O'Reily fan, Fox-defender, Corporate-boosting Conservative; I'll call him Mr CC for short.
-- Retired Marine Sgt, and Vietnam Vet, who still has to work; let's call him Sarge.
-- Rand Paul advocate, who calls himself a working-man's Independent; Indie for short.
Since we all work for the Government, it is always amazing to me, how much time they like to waste, "bitching about slackers" and that ever-present problem of "out of control Government Spending" ... I suspect their sense of irony is broken. On occasion, I try to repair it ...
Well this week, I could not get my morning coffee, without getting my Fox-word of the Week: "Fascism" -- along with the unsubstantiated charge: "That's what's wrong with this current Administration: Fascism." This was Mr CC's not-so-subtle-way of saying, that he needed to get some 'grand principle' off his chest ...
Being one not to duck such a challenge, I asked "What the Hell are you talking about?"
Well, about 3 minutes later I had been regaled by the latest "Obamacare horror story" -- that ended with the punch-line: "And the woman, had her daughter taken away from her -- by the state ... do you think that's fair? It's Fascism, that's what it is."
Since I had not watched Fox all week, I was out of the loop of the latest sad-story details. All I could offer was that "perhaps, their are other family circumstances -- besides their insurance -- that brought in social workers, and the local police?"
By now Sarge was smelling blood in the waters, SO he joined the fray, with his own sad-tale about "his son who signed up for Obamacare, only find out his 11-year old daughter was not covered! What's up with that?"
I replied to him was that "there have been Bureaucratic Snafus, much like when Medicare started. It'll work itself out over time; Unless he picked a policy, that covered only himself? But I though kids were automatically covered (?)"
To which Sarge chimes in: "I did too."
That was my opening:
"Obamacare is not perfect; it is not Single-payer -- which I think we need, you know universal care, like education -- it should be for everyone -- not just those who can afford it. But under Obamacare, kids are supposed to be covered on the parent's policies, until they are 26. No one can lose their insurance now, due to pre-existing conditions. And no more Medical Bankruptcies either, due to caps on what an Insurance Company has to pay. Those used to be a real problem -- so many families went bankrupt, lost their 401ks, lost their homes, because Insurance refused to pay. No longer, that problem's gone too."
Sarge agrees: "I know those Medical Bankruptcies were a real bear from some people ..."
Mr CC, sensing the tide turning, brings the thread back to his point: "What about that woman who is now 'officially disabled' -- who had her daughter taken away from her -- because of Obamacare. What about her?"
Another opening, for me to push back:
"Well what about the 45,000 people per year -- who used to die because they had NO insurance -- BEFORE Obamacare. What about them? Who tells their sad stories -- of actually dying -- for lack of insurance? Who speaks for them, certainly not Fox News. 45,000 people per year -- dead. That's enough to fill Dolphin stadium every year. Obamacare has fixed that problem too."
Both of them look stunned. Neither of them had heard that fun stat before. Fox did not report it.
I took advantage of the rare rhetorical silence, and added:
"Obamacare is not perfect -- shoot it was written by insurance lobbyists, it was originally the rightwing's response to Hillarycare -- but its far better than what we used to have: A system that would bankrupt families, and simply left thousands to die. What we really need now is Better Bureaucracy, more-effective Government -- NOT fewer progressive policies, which are looking out for and protecting average people ..."
Sarge laughs: "If you want to see a Broken Bureaucracy -- you should check out the VA sometime ..." I chuckle in agreement, "Tell me about it!"
Mr CC, forever the anti-regulation Conservative, went back to his talking points: "All I know is a bill that is over 20,000 pages long -- can only result in one thing: Fascism."
I then asked: "You don't even know what 'Fascism' means, do you?" Not having a dictionary handy, I took an impromptu stab at it: "'Fascism' is when Corporations pull the levers of power, and directly influence the operation of Government."
Mr CC nodded. Somewhat perplexed, since he is a big fan of empowering Corporations.
I then closed out the conversation, with the excuse of 'getting back to work':
"Maybe you're right CC, and Obamacare was written by Fascists -- those Corporate Lobbyists from the Insurance Companies -- THEY ended up writing a lot of those 20,000 pages, complete with all their Corporate legalese ... Lol ... There's your Fascists, right there -- The Lobbyists. Conducting our business."
And so another episode of This Week in Water-cooler Wars, drew to close.
It's a thankless job, but somebody has to do it ...
(and I usually end up wondering, "But, why me?")