It’s easier to buy into the disinformation than do the homework.
My brother called me last week. He listens to too much right wing radio. He doesn’t have a tv or computer and he uses a flip phone (it’s a long story). He was upset because:
1. Humana is canceling his Medicare Plan.
2. Trump wants to get rid of Social Security and Medicare.
3. He thought Harris was not supporting Israel.
4. Tariffs
5. Abortion
He ranted on for a bit. Then I asked about his insurance. It’s cancelled and he has until December to find a new plan. My brother is on a Medicare Advantage Plan. (Yeah, I know, but it’s his choice.) He’s got a few plans to choose from that have better ratings than the Humana plan. He should be good.
He finally landed the plane, in his noteworthy New York accent that he somehow has living in Albany he said, “Ya, know this is just a plot to shift the election.”
“Who told you that Hog Wash?”
He got it from right wing talk radio. I can only hope the George Soros Non-profit group picks up his talk station. He lives in Albany and reads the NYT every daily. They’ve been printing a fair amount of Hog Wash, too. He’s a union guy who votes mostly for Democrats, but he does vote for GOP candidates, too. He’s loves a good story. Chances are after talking to his buddies over a beer or two; this insurance company conspiracy theory bloomed. “Well, I’ve talked to 50 people and they’ve all got these letters with their plans cancelled.” I’m thinking, that’s a lot of people in that little bar I know he visits.
I love my brother and his exaggerations, but I don’t fall for them. “This is what insurers do. They shut down underperforming plans that don’t make enough money. Then offer up new plans designed to be more profitable. This is normal. All the insurers are doing this. They have to notify you before the start of Medicare Open Enrollment.”
“Nah, it’s part of their plan to scare us into voting.”
I never did get what the plot was or how it was going to get more votes for TFG or Harris, but it was a plot. It took a while, but he’s figured out what to do about his health insurance. It wasn’t all bad. We went over one fact at a time, sorting the hog Wash from the true facts and figured it out.
“Thanks, J, this is why I like talking to you. I knew you’d know what to do about this.” I’m thinking, OK, then, next subject.
2. My brother did get this one right. “You know, if Trump gets back in the White House, he’s going to end Medicare and Social Security.”
Sure, that’s all in Project 2025, have you read it, or a synopsis of it?
“That thing’s like 5,000 pages long! I don’t have the time to read that!”
I really do love his exaggerations, “It’s only 925 pages...”
“Only?” he snorted.
“Don’t you tell me that now you are retired, all you got is time? Get to it.”
He snorted again, “If I’m going to read 925 pages it’s going to be a Western novel or a history book.”
I knew that “only 925” pages would get him, “Go to Politico on the web at the library and read a summary of it. There’s several of them that are only 5-30 pages. Surely, you can do that.”
“Well, anyway. I have to vote for Harris. If I lose Medicare, Social Security and RailRoad Retirement, I’m toast. But there’s this one thing…. At least there was no Hog Wash on this one, but there was on the next one.
3. Somehow my big brother got the idea that Harris wants Israel to capitulate to Hamas. “No, she wants a cease fire, a return of the hostages and food and supplies flowing into Gaza. And, she wants Lebanon to join the cease fire, too. Look, I am aware that Harris supports Israel, but 2 things can be true at the same time. Harris also laments the loss of Palestinian life. Harris also made a statement in sympathy toward Lebanon. Now, will these statements satisfy Palestinian voters in the U.S.? Probably not; however, this is a big change over the past.” My brother didn’t know any of this.
“Buddy, boy! You need to check your sources for Hog Wash! You need to at least visit a library and read Newsweek or something. Forget the WSJ, they are as bad as Fox News these days.”
I got this, back: “You don’t understand, I don’t want to go to the library every day. It’s easier to listen to the radio!”
“I get it. The Hog Wash is free, faster to absorb and easy to find; but it’s costly in that believing lies leads to bad decisions. I also know finding the real story takes more effort and takes too long. It’s your choice. Do your homework and cut through the Hog Wash or, don’t, and wallow in it.”
“Why can’t you just say Buuuulllll Shh!!!t?” My brother has a distinct way he pronounces BS. He stretches it out relishing every letter. To me it’s Hog Wash!
“Just cuz!” I retorted, next subject.
4. “I think Harris/Walz has the better economic plan. I don’t think these 10% tariffs TFG wants are going to work. For one thing, consumers pay the tariffs, not the originating country. I got into it with this asshole who’s voting for Trump all because he believes TFG when he says he'll levy these tariffs and China will pay them. That’s Buuuulllll Shh!!!t! TFG will find a way to take that tariff money and put it into his private bank account.”
Oh, the things my brother says. He was on a roll. “You know what TFG’s gonna do. He’s going to be a dictator, take all of Musk’s money, Putin style and….” I had to put a stop to this, I really don’t know where he gets this stuff. As conspiracies go, with all the stuff TFG has done for real; I can see how this conspiracy theory got going.
“I get it. Back to the tariffs, to paint a complete picture; TFG wants an across the board 60% tariff on all Chinese goods and 10% on the rest of the world. TFG fails to comprehend there will be world wide retaliation for these tariffs. Many, many computers are made in China. So, a modest laptop computer selling for $500 now will cost $500 x(1+0.6+(0.6x1.3)=$890. The 0.3 is for corporate profits. We can quibble about the dollars, but inflation will easily go back up to double digits if those tariffs go into effect.”
My brother sighed, “I will never understand how you do math, but you get there. So you figure after applying the 60% tariff plus an additional 30% of the 60% as profit off the tariff, which means you are multiplying 500 by 1.78 and getting $890?
Put that way, well yes, I have a weird way of doing math, but I get there. “Yup. Never underestimate corporate greed.”
My brother was still musing, “Yeah, that will crash the economy. Kamala has the better economic plan.”
Well Hallelujah! Next subject.
5. My brother is in his mid 70’s, worked 50 years as a Conductor for several railroads and he’s Joe Biden’s kind of guy. He was in high school, when I went to kindergarten. “You know? I think these assholes in the red states are overplaying their hand on abortion. I mean, the most dangerous thing the average woman does is get pregnant and have a baby.”
I confess, I didn’t know my brother knew that. “How’s zat?”
“Well, I don’t think women are going to take a chance on TFG. I don’t think Republican men are reading their wives’ and daughters’ correctly. I think a lot of women won’t trust any Republican on abortion. They’re fuckin’ nuts!”
I needed clarification, “Who’s nuts?”
“The women would have to be nuts to trust TFG, cuz he’s going to do what’s good for him. And, Republicans are nuts if they think women are going to go along with 6 week abortion bans.” He paused, “Did you know infant mortality rates and maternal mortality rates are up by double digits in Texas? I bet they are in every state with an abortion ban.”
Well, hot damn! My grumpy big brother gets it!
“So, J, I know you have stuff to do and I won’t keep you, I really love talking to you. You give me a lot to think about. I knew you had done the research on this stuff and I’m glad I can always call you to get the real story. I love you and tell D. and Chibi, I love them too. Good night.”
We hung up and damn, it always happens. He’s got a pile of Hog Wash that needs laundering. It’s easier for him to call and talk to me, than go to the library and figure it out. After talking with me for 30-40 minutes he comes back to earth. He does most of the talking. I just poke him as only a little sister can. Eventually, he starts to think critically, calms down, makes better sense. Then he tells me he loves me, which is nice; I tell him I love him, too. It will take a few days for him to rinse and repeat. Then, we’ll do this again. That’s what sisters do. Til next time.
