By Paul Krza
Forlorn Republicans these days may want to spend a little time with Maria Duval. That certainly looks potentially much more rewarding than what they are currently up to.
No, I’m not talking about some hot Argentine looking for love in all the wrong places, like at Sanford’s mansion in South Carolina. And, no, she’s not a staffer working in Republican Sen. John Ensign’s office.
Unlike the South American and the senate staffer, Ms. Duval is available. At least that’s what her ad says. “She is going to perform, on your behalf, a ritual known only to her which should allow your Secret Wishes to come true,” her ad says.
Duval, who modestly bills herself as “the famous clairvoyant,” can make “miracles” (she puts this word in quotes in her ad, interestingly) using her amazing “powers” (again, her quotes). It’s all laid out on a page in the big Albuquerque Sunday newspaper coupon insert section (apparently clairvoyants know how to locate potential customers), where Duval makes an offer you just can’t refuse.
“What do you want most in your life?” she asks. “To have more money, more love, more luck …” – well, you get the idea. And get this: She will do it all for free! Google her, and you find things could go either way. She’s either a scammer or somebody who delivers (at the casino, mostly, it looks like).
So what does this have to do with Republicans? Well, from what’s gone on for the previous eight years under, uh, who was president – oh, yeah, that Bush guy – and what’s going on now in Congress with the few beleaguered GOPs still left standing, priority 1 for these folks is making money (and, of course, in some cases, love).
That’s what we hear when it comes to health-care reform. No, we can’t have a government option (that would unfairly compete with the private sector, which, as we all know, has done such a great job in keeping down health-care costs). No, we can’t give power to a government watchdog agency to limit health-care expenditures (that would also be unfair to the private sector, which makes a buck off sick folks and would prevent specialists from charging what the traffic will bear, and besides, it’s socialistic).
Of course, by now, everybody knows how well an unbridled private sector does –unfettered and unregulated lending, sky-high executive bonuses and creative financial instruments were for the most part responsible for what’s now known as a great big recession, mostly cooked up while Republicans were in charge of the government. But that hasn’t stopped the latter-day GOPs from now once again raising their old and tattered fear factors – government is trying to control our lives, and government is trying to keep us from making maximum bucks. That’s still basically the Republican platform.
But if we substituted “helping” for “controlling,” the view would be different. And despite what you hear, that’s what government mostly does – a collective effort to assist on a variety of fronts.
Case in point, right here at home: our newly hatched municipal bus service. Thanks to “government” (along with Bill Richardson’s vision), we can now travel between Socorro and Taos, on local buses and the Rail Runner. Socorro’s local bus system used a federal grant (gasp!) to help buy the vehicles. Result: more people (even those who can’t or won’t drive) have access to our largest city, the Roundhouse and beyond, not to mention fewer cars on the roads. (An added bonus: the creation of new bus-driver jobs.)
Of course, those hardcore free-enterprisers otherwise known as Republicans would tell you, well, if you can’t afford a car, tough. Why should government be in the transportation business?
Because its role is to help people, that’s why. Another local example: The local airport just got a brand-new, high-tech weather station, funded by, yes, another federal grant. Pilots say it will make flying into Socorro safer.
Now, on the national level, we are dealing with trying to make needed changes to our health-care system, mostly aimed at collectively helping people who have no insurance gain new access to medical care. Government involvement is the only alternative to assist those without the means to afford care.
Yet the Republicans persist, raising those government fears. And to derail Obama, to hit him with a big loss, to make it his “Waterloo.” Whatever happened to that “country first” talk we heard during last year’s campaign?
Which brings us back to Maria Duval. The times, as the voters declared last November, have changed. Most folks want to do the right thing, which is to help the less fortunate deal with health care. That, collectively, makes us all healthier.
Those mired in the selfish past should realize this and do their part to make it happen. Or they can look up Ms. Duval, to help their dated fantasies come true. “Get a new car,” she promises. “Win lots of money …” But sorry, from that list of 33 wishes, you can only pick seven. Even those with magical powers have their limitations.
Paul Krza is a former longtime journalist and editor who has remained healthy in Socorro for the last decade or so. He also likes buses and trains. Mr. Krza’s opinions do not necessarily represent the Mountain Mail.
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