Barack Obama's dream of getting the health care bill he wanted is dead. And he can only blame himself. By pushing the House and Senate to rush the bill through committees for a floor vote before the congress left Washington for August recess, he raised some eyebrows. Mine included. With many members of congress complaining that they didn't have a chance to read or even see the bill, Obama played the "trust me" card and continued to insist that the bill be voted on. A group of conservative democrats, called Blue Dogs, decided that they weren't going to play that game. They were going to read the bill and be heard on issues like how to pay for the monstrosity. Speaker Nancy Pelosi was furious, and kept promising Obama that he would have his bill out before they left town. But it wasn't to be. And when average Americans began to question the big hurry, Pelosi and Obama realized the jig was up. They knew they were in trouble now.
My own opinion of the big hurry was that Obama didn't want the details to get out. I know I'm not alone in thinking that, and having now seen some of those details, I know why they were in such a hurry. Conservative think tanks, radio talk show hosts, bloggers, and average citizens are reading the bill and those details are getting out. And the more they get out, the less people like what they say. Polling on the healthcare legislation is going on daily, and the numbers are not good for Obama. The White House has already begun to spin some of what is in there and it is reported that the liberals in congress are scurrying to make changes to the bill already.
The biggest changes will need to be made to the "public option," which is drawing most of the wrath from the Blue Dogs and the conservatives. This was the part of the bill that the president and the liberals insisted must be included. It is the federal governments health insurance plan, paid for by you and me. The president would not sign a bill that didn't have a public insurance option. Why? Okay....a little history lesson.
When in the US Senate, Barack Obama was a proponent of a single payer health insurance plan for Americans. That would be a total takeover of the healthcare system like they have in Great Britain. The government owns the hospitals, sets pay for the medical staff, and government employees set policy about all forms of treatment. There is no private insurance because the government pays for everything. Read about British healthcare sometime. See if you think you'd like that here. Seriously, do your homework. There is still strong support for this kind of healthcare system among liberals in congress. I believe the president is among those who still support it. This is where I find my greatest dissapointment in Barack Obama.
When the president takes time to hold Town Hall meetings about his healthcare plan, he is always sure to insert one very important point. He tells his audience that if they like the insurance they have, they can keep it. He makes sure to reiterate that point, and adds that nobody is going to take your private insurance away. Nobody is going to force you to join the government plan. What he doesn't tell them is that his "public option" insurance plan is designed to bankrupt their private insurance company. He knows that the federal government has the resources to undercut the costs that insurance companies have to charge to stay in business, forcing them out of the market. So the government won't force you to give up your insurance and join theirs...the insurance company will have to give you up as they go into bankruptcy. This is why he insisted that there be a public option in the bill. Nice and clean, huh? Well he's telling the truth, isn't he?
There are plenty of problems with the healthcare bill, and you'll be hearing about them over the next few weeks. Some of them will make you want to scream. Some of you might actually decide to join one of the many protests that are taking place this month. And there will be a few that will choose to attend a Town Hall meeting with your congressman or senator. Here is where I get in trouble with my conservative freinds. I'm asking for restraint. Really. I have heard and seen stories about "mobs" showing up at these meetings, screaming, stomping, blowing whistles, and generally causing mayhem. They seem to think this is going to get them on the evening news and show the people just how much they oppose this healthcare bill. Many times they do not even allow the representitive to answer a question. Now to me, this is just stupid. If all we can do is go and be disruptive, we look like uneducated yeehaws who have no idea how to ask an intelligent question. And that's what we should be doing. Asking tough questions. Make them answer, too. And if you don't like the answer, follow up. This is how we educate the rest of America. We need to be diligent in making them face us and satisfy our discontent. Save the activism for the ballot box.
In the meantime, get online and find a copy of the healthcare bill. Study it. It's tough reading, but if you find a section thats easy to read and makes your blood boil, make that your niche issue. For me it was a section that talked about the government having access to all of my financial records, including bank accounts, for purposes of ensuring I could pay any out of pocket expenses I might incur. Um, I don't think so, Uncle Sam. And I'm sure I'll find other sections that concern me too. We have the whole month of August to read it and see what they didn't want us to see. Sorry about the delay, Barack. But this is transparency in action.
Ever find yourself yelling at the television while watching the news? Yeah, me too. I decided to take my bad habit and share it with you. My ire is mainly aimed at senators, congressmen, governors, state reps., city councilmen, kings, queens, presidents, prime ministers, and occassionally, the newscasters themselves. My goal? Convincing enough people that we had better start paying attention to what they're doing to us in Washington. I don't think they remember who hired them in the first place.
