November 10, 2022

La même chose

By Glenn

It is a truism that elections have consequences.  No doubt this Tuesday election will also, but it will not change much.  All across the country voters dug into familiar patterns rather than alter course.

Nationally, President Joe Biden can lock in his legislative victories.  Here to stay are the insulin price cap for seniors, lower prescription drug costs for Medicare and a cap on out of pocket expenses for Medicare patients. Republicans opposed these policies even though they cut the cost of living for millions of Americans.

Overseas, our Allies feel more secure.  Republicans had threatened to cut aid for Ukraine.  Ukrainian freedom fighters had been using NATO supplies to successfully drive Valdmir Putin and his thugs back to Russia. 

While the Ukrainian liberation effort will likely take years rather than months, Putin’s impact on global prices is weakening.  The original surge in oil and gas prices has returned to normal, relieving the pressure on commuters and businesses.

The long hangover from Covid 19 is also winding down for most of the world.  Supply chains are being repaired, helping drive down the lumber prices at the hardware store.  The global computer chip market is rebounding, helping slow the price increases for new and used cars.

In Texas, the Republican sweep of state-wide offices means our property taxes will continue to rise and our local schools will see more cuts.  Criminals will continue to have easy access to guns, and we just have to sit and wait for the next school massacre.

Blaming the Federal Government for conservative failures is a Southern tradition.

While Seniors on Federal health insurance like Medicare and the Veteran’s Administration enjoy the benefits of socialized medicine, millions of workers remain uncovered.  Texas has about twice as many uninsured citizens as the national average.  Republicans are unlikely to help by expanding Medicaid.

Texas women will continue to face high maternal mortality rates.  We don’t know how high, because Greg Abbott’s administration refuses to release a crucial report.  Every pregnant women and her doctor are under the politicians’ microscope because of the no exceptions abortion bill.

The 2022 midterm election will probably do little to silence the conservatives who support armed rebellion against the United States of America.  They have created for themselves an echo chamber of self-pity and paranoia.

We can expect more domestic terrorists’ attacks rather than less. While several high profile Republicans election deniers lost their races, dozens of others found local support and won.

So yes, elections have consequences.  This week was a status quo election.  We can expect liberals to continue building a middle class and conservatives fighting tooth and nail to tear it down.

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