William Kristol on the Daly show, admitting that 1)the government can in fact run a high quality healthcare system, and 2)the average American citizen doesn't deserve it.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Sunday, September 20, 2009
What are They Dying For?
I wrote the following originally as a response to a friend who had sent me pictures from the recent Washington demonstrations against the President. (I was about to say, against healthcare reform, but I have to say in an effort to be accurate, that much of what was demonstrated was not about the healtcare issue as such, but was simply against anything from the President).
" I'm not sure about the characterization of an "angry mob" that you refer to... but my comments would return in general to the fact that just a year ago we had the culmination of nearly two + years of long and hard campaigning in an election process that we claim is one of the cornerstones of our political system--- the system that we are sending thousands of our children to die for, or so we say, to "protect our country." It was an election, that consumed much time and money, and reflected a broad and deep range of debates around hard and pressing issues. The current President, who promised many things--around, among other things, healthcare reform and the previous abuses of the constitution by the Bush administration-- this President who legitimately won the election last year on a clearly promised platform of change, is now being vilified, shouted down, called a liar, obstructed, called Hitler, questioned in his citizenship, called a socialist/fascist/Nazi/communist/Muslim/atheist etc. all because he is trying to deliver on the things he promised in his campaign.
So it now appears quite clear that those who opposed him in that election, and did not win through our fundamental political process of voting and campaigning, are now calling for "revolution" ; some are even openly talking about bringing guns to rallies. In that context, when members of congress call the President a liar as he is addressing a joint session, when talk radio voices and TV personalities denigrtate the President based on his race, when responsible leadership voices of "resonable opposition" are deafeningly silent on this swirlling atmosphere of beligerence and fear--it appears that those who are now "mad" about something are riding a wave of generalized "fear"...stirred at root by those who have most to lose--- the huge medical companies (insurance, pharmaceuticals, medical-delivery) to derail any significant change for which we voted in last year's election.
The other day the President finally responded to the issue of race in all of this-- by noting that he did not think race was a primary factor in the opposition to his and other Democrats' political proposals. This was a shrewd and probably very accurate reading of things-- as it is not primarily about racism; instead, race, (fear of "strangers," Blacks, Muslims, Mexicans, undocumented aliens, non-Christians, dark-skinned people etc.) is but one factor that is being used among many to stir people into a miasma of fear and animosity against the President and any policies he attempts to forward. At the same time, the President can not afford to be baited into further side-tracking by stepping into tthis discussion. But it is a reality of racism that is woven still so insidiously into our culture and reflected in much of the loudest public discourse of Talk Radio, TV opinion shows, and even many of the public displays of protest that are being highlighted by the same.
I don't agree with many of the things President Obama is doing currently--I was even a reluctant supporter early in the election last year; I am disappointed in fact by many of the compromises and apparent concessions he seems to be making in his efforts to bring our economy back from the brink of collapse (again, something that was a shocking reality just a year ago), in his continuation of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, his reluctance to hold the highest officials of our government to accountability under the same laws that you and I would be held to as private citizens...even his watering down of possible solutions to the near disaster that is our health care financing system. At the same time, it is appalling that those who lost last year's elections (Presidential and Congressional) now are not willing to accept the results of that election and are stirred to reject and obstruct the results at every turn.
The average person in all of this is being used by those whose profits would be put at risk by serious justice in our healthcare system. You and I have already lost much of our economic securty to these profiteers (for the remainder of our lives it seems); the average person as well is at the very edge of security (if not beyond it) only one or two medical problems away from bankruptcy while insurers, pharmaceutical companies, and medical delivery companies make record profits. And here, ---after investing so many lives and so much money and time into the "democratic process" that culminated in last year's elections, those whose candidates did not win are going to sabotage it all by calls for revolution (armed or otherwise). It is simply amazing.
We are coming dangerously close it seems to the image by which we have often seen "Third World" ("Banana Republic") countries caricatured, where elections are not abided by but rather dismissed when louder, more beligerant interests can muster counter forces to overthrow their results. I have to ask, then, for anyone who is asking us to send our loved ones somewhere in the world to "defend our country," what on earth is that sacrifice for, if it ever was justifiable in the first place, if at home we no longer live up to the compact of the electoral process that is suppose to be at the heart of our governance?"
The people without healthcare, those denied coverage, those unable to afford healthcare even though they are insured, those bankrupted by the same, those being sent of to Iraq and Afghanistan.... my question is.... What are they dying for?
Brian
" I'm not sure about the characterization of an "angry mob" that you refer to... but my comments would return in general to the fact that just a year ago we had the culmination of nearly two + years of long and hard campaigning in an election process that we claim is one of the cornerstones of our political system--- the system that we are sending thousands of our children to die for, or so we say, to "protect our country." It was an election, that consumed much time and money, and reflected a broad and deep range of debates around hard and pressing issues. The current President, who promised many things--around, among other things, healthcare reform and the previous abuses of the constitution by the Bush administration-- this President who legitimately won the election last year on a clearly promised platform of change, is now being vilified, shouted down, called a liar, obstructed, called Hitler, questioned in his citizenship, called a socialist/fascist/Nazi/
So it now appears quite clear that those who opposed him in that election, and did not win through our fundamental political process of voting and campaigning, are now calling for "revolution" ; some are even openly talking about bringing guns to rallies. In that context, when members of congress call the President a liar as he is addressing a joint session, when talk radio voices and TV personalities denigrtate the President based on his race, when responsible leadership voices of "resonable opposition" are deafeningly silent on this swirlling atmosphere of beligerence and fear--it appears that those who are now "mad" about something are riding a wave of generalized "fear"...stirred at root by those who have most to lose--- the huge medical companies (insurance, pharmaceuticals, medical-delivery) to derail any significant change for which we voted in last year's election.
The other day the President finally responded to the issue of race in all of this-- by noting that he did not think race was a primary factor in the opposition to his and other Democrats' political proposals. This was a shrewd and probably very accurate reading of things-- as it is not primarily about racism; instead, race, (fear of "strangers," Blacks, Muslims, Mexicans, undocumented aliens, non-Christians, dark-skinned people etc.) is but one factor that is being used among many to stir people into a miasma of fear and animosity against the President and any policies he attempts to forward. At the same time, the President can not afford to be baited into further side-tracking by stepping into tthis discussion. But it is a reality of racism that is woven still so insidiously into our culture and reflected in much of the loudest public discourse of Talk Radio, TV opinion shows, and even many of the public displays of protest that are being highlighted by the same.
I don't agree with many of the things President Obama is doing currently--I was even a reluctant supporter early in the election last year; I am disappointed in fact by many of the compromises and apparent concessions he seems to be making in his efforts to bring our economy back from the brink of collapse (again, something that was a shocking reality just a year ago), in his continuation of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, his reluctance to hold the highest officials of our government to accountability under the same laws that you and I would be held to as private citizens...even his watering down of possible solutions to the near disaster that is our health care financing system. At the same time, it is appalling that those who lost last year's elections (Presidential and Congressional) now are not willing to accept the results of that election and are stirred to reject and obstruct the results at every turn.
The average person in all of this is being used by those whose profits would be put at risk by serious justice in our healthcare system. You and I have already lost much of our economic securty to these profiteers (for the remainder of our lives it seems); the average person as well is at the very edge of security (if not beyond it) only one or two medical problems away from bankruptcy while insurers, pharmaceutical companies, and medical delivery companies make record profits. And here, ---after investing so many lives and so much money and time into the "democratic process" that culminated in last year's elections, those whose candidates did not win are going to sabotage it all by calls for revolution (armed or otherwise). It is simply amazing.
We are coming dangerously close it seems to the image by which we have often seen "Third World" ("Banana Republic") countries caricatured, where elections are not abided by but rather dismissed when louder, more beligerant interests can muster counter forces to overthrow their results. I have to ask, then, for anyone who is asking us to send our loved ones somewhere in the world to "defend our country," what on earth is that sacrifice for, if it ever was justifiable in the first place, if at home we no longer live up to the compact of the electoral process that is suppose to be at the heart of our governance?"
The people without healthcare, those denied coverage, those unable to afford healthcare even though they are insured, those bankrupted by the same, those being sent of to Iraq and Afghanistan.... my question is.... What are they dying for?
Brian
Friday, September 18, 2009
Govt Healthcare, For Me, Not For You
Con. Joseph Wilson, who shouted "Liar" at the President during a joint session of congress, wants to protect and have his own personal government run health care policy but doesn't think that everyone else should have the same. Amazing!
Premium, Government Run Health Care Plan for Me, but Not For You!
Premium, Government Run Health Care Plan for Me, but Not For You!
Bill Moyers on The Person Behind The Anti-Healthcare Reform March
The following is an interesting video by Bill Moyers about one of the leading organizers behind the recent demonstration in Wash. against health care reform.
He also was one of the original members of Congress to derail healthcare reform in the Clinton administration; as well, he was an architect of the "Contract with America," one of the first principles of which is that all laws that apply to citizens, should equally apply to all members of Congress. (Except maybe regarding health care?)
He also was one of the original members of Congress to derail healthcare reform in the Clinton administration; as well, he was an architect of the "Contract with America," one of the first principles of which is that all laws that apply to citizens, should equally apply to all members of Congress. (Except maybe regarding health care?)
This photo reminded me of the presidential campaign several years ago when there was all the talk about putting Social Security in a "Lock Box." This picture especially reminded me of the further discussions that suggested that our government should have "privatized Social Security" so that supposedly YOU and I would be more in control of our retirement money! ("Don't you trust yourself more with your money than you trust the Gov.?" was the misleading sales pitch, meant to put any retirement savings into the hands of the big financial institutions on Wall Street... ) Can you imagine the even bigger financial mess we'd be in today if we had listened to those calls for "privatization"?
And who today is reminding us of that averted disaster?
Many of those who told us we should privatize Social Security are the very same voices that are now telling us about "death panels" and about how much better off we are if we just leave things up to the insurance companies, the medical industry, and the pharmaceutical companies. The very same economic motives for "privatizing Social Security" are behind keeping the status quo in our health care system. Don't forget the disaster that would have been wreaked on us by the economic management of "private industry," a management that has already decimated so many hundreds of thousands (if not millions) of people's "private" retirement savings. They don't have our health and well being and financial security in mind.... They want the money folks! And if they had their way several years ago with Social Security, the image above would have been all that is left.
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