My first problem with the Health Care Reform bill is that it needs to say health *Insurance* reform, not health *care* reform. I don't think there's anything wrong with our "care". Doctors are not incompetent but, to call it health "care" implies that they are. They are not the problem. The problem as far as I can tell lies with insurance companies. But, of course, they can't call it what it really is because the lobbyists are SO powerful - and that's not party specific. That is a systemic political illness.
The other problem I have with the bill (admittedly not knowing everything that's in it), is this decades old practice of throwing in crap in a bill that has nothing to do with the over-arching issue. This state wants this, and that state wants that; they throw it all in together and get crap passed that, ordinarily, would never see the light of day. But again - this is not a party specific problem, or even bill specific - it is a politically systemic illness and, as I said, nothing new.
All this to say, I don't disagree with folks who are not for this bill. But where I see us going down the wrong road is when we start saying things like Nancy Pelosi is the anti-Christ. Granted, she ain't the sharpest knife in the drawer, but she's certainly no worse than G.W. Bush - the President who started an unjustified war that has now lasted longer than WWII and was, in no small way, the first nail in our economic coffin. We had a financial surplus up to that point.
However, specific politicians alone are not the fault; after all, no one person, not even the president, has such far-reaching power as to pull a trigger by themselves.
I've come to realize that our so-called *democratic* political system is severely broken and THAT is the real problem we ought to be fighting to fix. Unfortunately, we're all so caught up in 24-hr sound bytes (even the smartest among us) that we're virtually blind to what's really happening: That being that we have essentially become a two-party system with backroom deals that the American public only hear about if the *media* deems it so. This manner of behavior simply doesn't work and it started long before Obama or Bush or even Clinton. We've now allowed our representatives to create a division that, if we're not careful, could rival that of the Civil War. I'm totally serious about that: we are coming very close to such a precipice.
There are extremists in both camps but, at the end of the day, I believe the majority of the population is in the middle and unfairly represented. We, as a nation, are able to discuss issues in a civilized manner and come to some agreement where everyone wins for the most part. Yet, civility no longer sells magazines or boosts ratings. Ya gotta think that Patrick Kennedy was on to something last week when he railed against the media for their lack of real news coverage. If anyone is the anti-Christ in this country, it's them.
Who cares who Tiger Woods slept with? Who cares if Eric Massa groped his employees? Who cares what party is the majority this season? I care about whether my parents get the health care they need. I care if my military friends are asked to fight a war that gets us no where. I care if my representative is dishonest with what I have charged him/her to do on my behalf. I don't give a shit what they do in their bedroom and I don't care what they had for lunch. I care how we keep this country alive and thriving.
Voting matters. I say we create a law wherein, if our collective elected bodies can't do anything more than fight, say no, make deals in the backroom, or pull a filibuster or some other underhanded charade, we send the whole lot packing and elect a new batch that will govern on the up and up. In that same reform we allow the American people to VOTE on the tough issues; like health "insurance" reform. That way there's no party finger pointing - we decide where we're going.
The other problem I have with the bill (admittedly not knowing everything that's in it), is this decades old practice of throwing in crap in a bill that has nothing to do with the over-arching issue. This state wants this, and that state wants that; they throw it all in together and get crap passed that, ordinarily, would never see the light of day. But again - this is not a party specific problem, or even bill specific - it is a politically systemic illness and, as I said, nothing new.
All this to say, I don't disagree with folks who are not for this bill. But where I see us going down the wrong road is when we start saying things like Nancy Pelosi is the anti-Christ. Granted, she ain't the sharpest knife in the drawer, but she's certainly no worse than G.W. Bush - the President who started an unjustified war that has now lasted longer than WWII and was, in no small way, the first nail in our economic coffin. We had a financial surplus up to that point.
However, specific politicians alone are not the fault; after all, no one person, not even the president, has such far-reaching power as to pull a trigger by themselves.
I've come to realize that our so-called *democratic* political system is severely broken and THAT is the real problem we ought to be fighting to fix. Unfortunately, we're all so caught up in 24-hr sound bytes (even the smartest among us) that we're virtually blind to what's really happening: That being that we have essentially become a two-party system with backroom deals that the American public only hear about if the *media* deems it so. This manner of behavior simply doesn't work and it started long before Obama or Bush or even Clinton. We've now allowed our representatives to create a division that, if we're not careful, could rival that of the Civil War. I'm totally serious about that: we are coming very close to such a precipice.
There are extremists in both camps but, at the end of the day, I believe the majority of the population is in the middle and unfairly represented. We, as a nation, are able to discuss issues in a civilized manner and come to some agreement where everyone wins for the most part. Yet, civility no longer sells magazines or boosts ratings. Ya gotta think that Patrick Kennedy was on to something last week when he railed against the media for their lack of real news coverage. If anyone is the anti-Christ in this country, it's them.
Who cares who Tiger Woods slept with? Who cares if Eric Massa groped his employees? Who cares what party is the majority this season? I care about whether my parents get the health care they need. I care if my military friends are asked to fight a war that gets us no where. I care if my representative is dishonest with what I have charged him/her to do on my behalf. I don't give a shit what they do in their bedroom and I don't care what they had for lunch. I care how we keep this country alive and thriving.
Voting matters. I say we create a law wherein, if our collective elected bodies can't do anything more than fight, say no, make deals in the backroom, or pull a filibuster or some other underhanded charade, we send the whole lot packing and elect a new batch that will govern on the up and up. In that same reform we allow the American people to VOTE on the tough issues; like health "insurance" reform. That way there's no party finger pointing - we decide where we're going.
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3 comments:
Excellent post. The comment regarding the civil war is chilling and makes me wonder about how do we get moderation and civility back in our government. The overarching failing that I see is ultimate lack of respect for positions from both sides of the aisle an the media. If a person is elected president they are the president for the country, not just their party - we don't have to like them but we certainly owe the position respect.
You are right on, Robert! It's embarrassing how disrespectful we've become of one another.
I wish I knew how we could get ourselves back on track. Thus far, I can only think a changing of the guard of both parties is the way. Ideally, I would really like to see ours become a nation of multiple parties. We used to have such a system but the Dems and GOP rose to the top and the others just sank into ineffectiveness. He who screams loudest, I guess.
Regardless, we need a change and I hope we have some creative people step forward soon with some real answers. I'm listening. I think a lot of America is.
P.S.
While we're busy fixing the government, maybe we could stop supporting scare TV and other media and force the news outlets to do some real reporting. THAT would go a long way to fixing what ails us.
NOTE: I do not think all reporters are scum. To the contrary. It's the folks who control what they do that lies at the crux of the issue. If their bosses weren't screaming for crap, they wouldn't feel the need to only deliver crap. They gotta feed their families, too.
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