If you don’t have concerns over this healthcare bill, check your pulse. While discussing it the other day, I finally conceded that I just didn’t know what was happening. This bill is so complex, and so involved, if you know exactly what’s in it, you’re lying. I’ve been asked by several people recently why this has to rushed through? Why does it have to happen right now? As many misgivings as I have about how this bill was formulated and picked to death, I’d still have to put my support behind it. It’s a bit of a leap of faith. But the alternatives have been laid out in front of liberals in very dramatic fashion. Historically speaking, healthcare has been dead in the water before it’s even grown legs. It’s indicative of how powerful healthcare insurers have become. This has been going on for a century. Democrats attempt to provide real change to a broken system, and the powers that be use their money and influence to make sure that it never happens. This is why we now face a watered down bill that offers some important regulations, but little true reform. Conservatives have legitimate points of disagreement. Unfortunately, those points have been overshadowed by the dog whistle that was blown by congressmen like Jim DeMint. What progressives face is an opposition that wants nothing more than to see this bill killed. Some on the right would actually be very open to working for a true healthcare reform bill, but the people on the right that see this as a black and white issue have destroyed any opportunity for moderates to be heard and forced Democrats to take action on a bill that’s far from perfect. The truth be told, if the far right and the insurance lobby are allowed to continue to misrepresent, vilify and lie about this bill, they’ll succeed AGAIN. And then the American public is left exactly where we left off with no opportunity in sight to reintroduce change to healthcare. I’ve watched commercial after commercial after commercial recently scaring viewers of a looming government takeover of their healthcare. This after the public option and anything vaguely resembling one, have been stripped. Most people in this country feel the same way about this bill. It would be great to debate it’s merits for an extended period of time, but I’m beginning to think that’s not even important to many conservatives. It has been stalled over an over again. And yet, many conservative lawmakers still have nothing more to add to the bill than “kill it”. If nothing else, this bill has put a chink in the armor of the healthcare monopoly and given an opportunity in the future to amend and improve what’s about to be passed. Unfortunately if this is they way business must be done, then so be it. It will anger many, but I ask everyone to look at your role in this process and recognize that both sides have acted like spoiled children.
Tags: debate, Healthcare, insurance reform, obamacare, rush limbaugh prescription drugs, vitriolic politics