Attempting to give these anti-healthcare protesters the benefit of the doubt is not easy. After all, the entire premise of my blog is that I watch the news and provide a commentary on what I see. Well I've been watching and each news source does their own version of a fact check. Each source has reported at some time or another that there is NO provision in the proposed bill that would create "Death Panels" for the elderly. Each source has reported that their is NO provision in the proposed bill that would specifically provide insurance for illegal immigrants. However, illegal immigrants find a way to beat the system now and it does not appear that this bill would do much to change that. Each news source has also reported that there is NO provision in the proposed bill that would fund abortions. More specifically, the bill follows a previous ruling that federal dollars cannot be used to fund abortions. Even today, senators are working to clarify this portion of the bill to assure Americans that this is the case. Still, raucous anti-healthcare reform rallies are flaring up across the country with angry protesters carrying signs that continue to question the same, previously refuted talking points. One stated, "Obama lies, Granny dies." Another read, "Senor Citizens Get Free Healthcare, Senior Citizens Can Drop Dead" (See pictures below). These are examples of the blatant stupidity that got me so angry in the first place. Where has the real debate gone? I'm not a religious man, but I pray that this is not a representation of the American people's competence.
This debate should surround one question: How do we pay for it? Why do these people think fiscally conservative democrats are so wary of the bill? Certainly not because of, "Death Panels," or free insurance for illegal immigrants. It's the economy, stupid! In President Obama's recent address to a joint session of Congress, he stated that he would not sign a bill that adds a single cent to our already skyrocketing deficit. Well there you go, that's the debate. That I don't believe. I personally still support the bill, but I don't believe, even for a second, that it won't add to the deficit. I hate giving these protesters material, but their mental aptitude is so low that they clearly need the help. I still support the bill because I believe healthcare for every American is a moral imperative. This is especially true in this country of great wealth and excess. Nobody was worried about the deficit when President George W. Bush embarked on the most expensive war in American history. We were so caught up worrying about terrorists waging war on our happy thoughts that we failed to recognize that the money we were spending was real and it was paid for by us, the taxpayers. Not to mention the fact that the basis for the war was a lie, or at the very least, misinformation. I would venture to guess that our broken healthcare system could be attributed to more deaths in one year than all terrorist attacks, both domestic and international, combined.
So, where do we go from here? Well, I will continue to advocate the same idea that I have mentioned in the past. Start debating the real issue. HOW ARE WE GOING TO PAY FOR IT? It would appear, based on their resumes, that we have some very smart people working for us in Washington D.C. To Congress: Figure out how we pay for this bill. Even if it initially adds to the deficit, an efficient plan will lower costs and reduce the deficit in the long run. Above all, think about the excess that this country represents before you decide to deny Americans basic healthcare. This is a moral issue and it should be treated as one. To Anti-Healthcare Reform Protesters: Either do some research or go find a deep hole, crawl inside and stay there. You have found a way to flood a legitimate debate with lies and misconceptions. Although creative, that is not commendable. I hate to say this, but we are all in this together. At the end of the day, both you and I want to see this country succeed. Contrary to popular belief, liberals are not trying to destroy the country and Obama is NOT the antichrist. Liberals, like President Obama, pursue success through progression and conservatives will always fight change. In the end it is a delicate balance of both that has historically led to our greatest successes. I do not have issues with the conservative ideology, but I do have issues with blatantly lying to pursue the goals of that ideology. PLEASE, support your country and contribute to the healthy, bipartisan debate, not the destructive, partisan fight. This is ONE nation and we must not forget that.
(See the pictures below to better understand how classless this debate has become.)
I recently had a conversation with an intelligent, educated friend who firmly believes that Obama is a socialist, has increased our nation's debt to numbers far exceeding any other president in our history, and compared Obama to Hitler when he wanted to address our children in their schools. I can only imagine what her views would be on health care reform! As you mentioned in your article, conservatives fight change.....perhaps because it is safe to maintain the status quo regardless of whether the status quo is good or bad, working or not working. Change equates to fear and I think that most Americans are afraid. They hear only what they want to hear...thus the continued protesting of previously refuted talking points. And the scary thing to me is that so many of these people are not blatantly stupid...at least in other areas of their lives!
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