Current situation: Still in ICU .

Armchair quarterbacks and talk radio warriors share the false assurance that they know what should be done to help their team win. But get them out on the field or on the street or let their family suffer a health or financial crisis and suddenly theories no longer apply and real decisions have to be made under pressure .

I’ve done it myself way too often, thought I could do better than the “experts”. Hopefully I’m getting better at saying “I don’t know what I would do in that difficult situation.”. I’m talking about how we love to debate online how best to solve inflation and inequality in this country. And it’s important to have these discussions. America isn’t perfect , but it’s still the best. And the answer to inequality and inflation is never going to be “more bureaucracy and taxes”.

I stand firmly in the “freedom of economic opportunity” camp. Make it less difficult for people to do business and trade and work. Prevent and prosecute white collar criminals (corporations) and politicians who steal from the taxpayers, etc etc etc. Where there’s freedom there will be the potential for fraud and greed and inequality. But no system can stop that. The reality is that global government meddling has gotten us into a really shaky economy all over the world. But that’s all talk when you need something now!

I’m thankful for the things that capitalism provides. It’s not government providing these things. They can help by making good policies. But it’s the companies and workers that actually manufacture the ventilator and feeding bags and formulas. It’s the nurses that work 12 hour shifts with critical patients . It’s not the insurance company that makes sure my daughter is turned every two hours to avoid pressure sores. They are usually the ones that make things complicated, but for now , it’s how things work. I’m thankful for them, too.

I mention this because I had a recent conversation through messenger with a special needs mom in Cuba. I asked her what life is like and she said “Thank you for everything…you are a blessing for us…life in Cuba is very bad…difficult…and even more so when you have a child with special needs…we hardly have anything to take care of the health of our children ..not medical supplies…it only sustains us that we trust in God..God bless you a lot for helping us”. This is because I’m giving them some excess medical supplies I have that I can’t get rid of in my local community because everyone has enough. I told her thank you for reminding me how blessed I am.

We Americans have so much and it’s thanks to American workers and American businesses and American leaders in the trenches. You find that out when you’re in a crisis and dependent on others to help you get what you need to survive.

It’s not always easy to access healthcare , we often have to jump through hoops, fight insurance, or whatever. But we have so many critical resources that other countries don’t .

Sure, there are SO MANY reasons things are like this in the world . But in the moment, when you need a ventilator and skilled nursing and special medicine and electricity and clean water and internet and good roads and safety from gangs and food and shelter because your child is going to die without it, you don’t sit and debate political theories and corruption and elections. Capitalism always beats out any other system!

My daughter has been in the hospital since January 3rd. She is ready to be discharged as soon as we get trained on how to use the home ventilator, but she is being kept in the ICU ,rather than being sent to a ward where the nurses are busier, “for her safety”! They are prioritizing her needs! Amazing.

Today , on the eve of Presidents Day, I’m thanking God for American freedom and capitalism and democracy and good people who keep doing their jobs and who care about my child and my family more than money.