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The culture of hype: Another blizzard downgraded to a snowstorm

I don't really care about snow storms on the East coast, but I use it to illustrate a bizarre American phenomenon; the use of hyperbole for everyday mundane events.  It starts with giving it you 150% (which is patently impossible...) and goes all the way to 24 hour coverage on multiple channels about the upcoming blizzard -- that has now only going to be s snow storm, a good one for sure but really a typical heavy snow storm with anywhere between 15 and 20 cm of snow.  An inconvenience for sure but not the end of the world in the northwest.

24/7 news cycle has given birth to these kinds of hype over nothing.  The 24 hour coverage of something largely unimportant -- simply buy a bit of extra food, have a plan B if the power dies and keep your cell phone recharged -- oh and stay home Tuesday.  Instead we get this panic mode.  I first noticed this kind of hype for the year 2000 -- when suddenly all the computers were suppose to stop and the world come to an end -- no so much.  There were virtually no cases of real trouble -- sure some software had to be re-written but no biggy.  A panic for nothing!

Health Care Reform aka the GOP's nightmare

Of course the "Republican's Best Health Care in the world" really means that by 2024 50 million Americans will no longer be insured.  That a 64 year old earning 25k a year will pay 14k in insurance premium, somewhat more than an iPhone (my calculation are that's 20 iPhone a year...).  That Medicaid that finances nearly 50% of all births in the US will be block grants -- in other words the federal government gives a specific amount and its the state's problem to figure out the rest.

I'm starting the believe in the Deep State (since rumors emerged that the White House had scored the GOP's health reform -- their results were worse than then non-partisan CBO).  That was suppose to be a black deep undercover not to be revealed to anyone analysis...now its in the press thanks to Politico. Man, the GOP really owns the medical insurance problem now -- that's 25 million pissed off Americans, and a few dozen plutocrats that are happy --- they probably didn't even notice their tax reductions.

I still don't think that it will pass, but then again I never though that Trump would be President.

Fun stuff






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