Health Care Reform Debate

     I am a poet, not a political pundit, but I am completely frustrated by what is happening in America.

     I want to state, emphatically, that I am neither Democrat nor Republican, Conservative nor Liberal. I prefer to think for myself rather than permit some talking head to think for me.

     We are a nation of well educated and intelligent people but when it comes to politics we are, for the most part, willing to let others do our thinking. We choose a party then parrot the party line without any personal knowledge of the of the actual issue or bill we advocate. By doing this we permit the talking heads and politicians to run our country without informed input from "We the people".

     The perfect example of this  is the recently passed "stimulus package" which was pushed through congress without being read or understood by even one Senator or Congress-person.

     We are now contemplating a bill which will affect one-seventh of our country's economy, and which will affect the lives of each and every American citizen now and in the future, yet most of the arguments I hear are completely uneducated and uninformed. Most of the arguments I hear, from both viewpoints, are the usual parroting of party line talking points and the opinions of favored political commentators.

     On an issue of such importance to ourselves, our children, and their children, isn't this an issue that requires personal knowledge on the part of each and every American? If you don't have the time, or inclination, to actually read the healthcare reform bills your senators and representatives will be voting on in your bahalf, at least listen to both sides of the argument with an open mind. Formulate your opinion based on actual facts, not the opinions of others, who probably don't know much more than you do yourself. Stop permitting others to tell you how to think. Stop ridiculing those who oppose you and find out for yourself why they oppose your point of view. Become educated about what our government is doing and, after gathering the facts for yourself, voice your educated and informed opinion to those who are paid to represent us. They are in office to represent us, not whichever special interest group helped them get elected.

     It is time "We the People" take back control of our government!

Reviews

[Sean Allen]

As we witnessed the fall of comunism in the Soviet Uniun a few years ago, I remember saying that the next place that we would see it is in the United States. I was serious.

The things that can fix our health care problems are simple. I hppened to be in a hospital emergency room a few years ago and a woman was walking around complaining that the ambulance had brought her in 4 hours ago and no one had treated her yet. The sign outside said Emergency, it didn't say call an ambulance if you have a cold. The staff was obviously making her unnecessary visit uncomfortable because she was a "regular" at that emergency room. However if anyone had explained that she had no emergency she would probably have sued the hospital.

So put up signs defining what the emergency room is for... Mothers in labor, broken bones, bleeding, gunshot wounds, accident victims, etc. Far to many people are taking advantage of the system already.

Eliminate advertisements on television for prescription drugs. We got along fine without those ads for many many years. The dumbest thing in the world is the statement "Ask your doctor if Drug XYZ is right for you." When MJ asked his doctor if Propofol was right for him we all know that the Doctor knew it wasn't.

Stop the lawsuits and the wicked cost of malpractice insurance that causes many good doctors to quit the profession and keeps the cost of everyones insurance and medical bills too high to afford.

You may recal that when Sen. McCain wanted to suspend the campaign and go to Washington and work on the stimulus package everyone thought he was foolish. When he picked Sarah Palin as his running mate, they ridiculed her.

The truth is that no one cares and we are about to join the long list of lost civilizations. We don't want to take back our country, we want big screen televisions and SUV's, and we want our pills for things we don't even know exist.

The truth is that the great WWII generation, who is dying at the rate of 1,000 a day, gave us way too much and now all we want is more and more.

[Amy Whetzell]

I don't have so great a review as those before me posted. But I can say that I absolutely agree with you!

[Erotic Goddess]

Well written and well spoken.

xxoxx

[Markymark]

Many reviewers missed your point. Yes, the Government should improve upon things and fix broken pieces of legislation and create new ones when the need arises...like with health care reform, However, a complete take-over by the federal government is what we are talking about here. The dumbing-down of the American voter is scary, and very real. Like you said at the outset, this isn't about one party or another-- morover it is about a slide into socialism, or at the least a socialistic schism for the populace. Do we really need big brother managing healthcare? My argument is this; Why the "all or nothing" mentality such as the liberal wing of the party or the mind numbing "let's do nothing" of the right wing of the other party? Anyone who is even remotely familiar with the constitution or the preamble to the constitution knows that the founders left us the ability to amend the document, however, there is NO WAY that anyone who has studied the document can come away with the conclusion that any of the founding fathers would have allowed the intrusion of the Federal Government into peoples lives, which is what the current house bill does. We have already witnessed how inept and inert the fed is, by watching how they have "Saved" General Motors. The Saturn debaucle with Penske, the Fiat merger, Hummer sold to China....Yes this is what happens when the Federal Government oversteps it's bounds into the private sector. Let's say you build mousetraps for 30 cents each and sell them for $1.30. You, in turn employ workers in this process and make the economy better while enjoying a decent profit even after paying Uncle Sam his cut. Now, lets see what the Federal Government would do if they took over your mouse-trap business. First, sealed bids would go out to ten Government chosen companies to see who was the most competetive fabricator of the steel springs, likewise with the wooden board on the bottom. Next would be the ink used for the label identifying the trap which would have to manufactured to ensure that it was green ink costing ten time more than regular ink. Special interest groups would demand that the mouse trap be modified so as to not really kill a mouse but to merely catch it. The far left would demand that legislation be drafted to ensure that civil action lawsuits be allowed without capping the amount, in case someone got a splinter from the wooden board on the bottom. The Government would demand that all employees be, for all intents and purposes employed by XYC corporation, which would have to be a union company offering a full range of cadillac benefits, paid for by XYZ. This would result in a substantial cost increase to the end product, but who cares right? After all is said and done, the mouse traps are manufactured at a cost before profit of $32.50. A nice round figure would be $50.00 for the cost government mouse trap, which no one wants anyway because it doesn't kill mice. But a few Al Gore cronies drum up fake contracts for corporate buy's of the mouse traps for use by companies who manufacture more useless green products, which keeps the companies artificially afloat for one to two years. Next, a sub committee to study the U.S. foreign trade inbalances asks why American citizens are buying the less safe, Chinese-made mouse traps which cost 75 cents. They demand an inquiry into the mis-management of XYZ corporation because their traps are not competetive. Stock holders of XYZ are pissed and demand dividends on the investments into XYZ. XYZ runs to the REAL owner of the company and asks for help. The Feds recommend a surreptitious plan to invest in new-construction XYZ corporation with a storefront in Shanghai, China where the restrictions are fewer and the product can be made competetive again. WELCOME to the way our Government does business. Do you really believe that this corrupt system can produce health care that is more affordable? Your answer should be a resounding "NO". Thank you for a great write.

[Liza]

It is a sticky situation. A struggle between the haves and have nots. The struggle between the educated and uneducated. Why would one go to medical school and invest 8 years of their lives to medicine plus hundreds of thousands of dollars of school loan debt only to open up a practice and be dictated by insurance companies how much they can make. Then insurance companies don't want their clients to be sick...oh no, they only make the most money from the healthy. Then the drug companies advertise that only pills make us happy and healthy. Every one is unhappy, doctors, patients and insurance agents. Every one wants more and is not willing to give any thing in return. It is all a ridiculous cycle.

[JC]

Thank you for writing this, and thank you to Sean Allen below.

I am glad to see that writers here are using their voices, via the pen.

Excellant points, and well rounded.

JC

[LJW]

My retired Floridian parents visited recently and were fuming mad about the health care reform idea. But then they are rich and have long term health care they can afford to pay the payments on (over $1,000/mo.) have 2 pensions, savings, investments, etc.. I cannot imagine what it would be like not to have health care coverage. I admit I am uninformed as to the particulars, but all Americans deserve health care, this is a no-brainer.

[Nyida Strong]

While not political in any way, I can agree with you here. People follow ignorant shepherds and have become sheep lead off to a slaughter. But what is up for the butcher block? Just health care or something deeper? Nothing seems to make sense anymore.

N. Strong

[Mintwhiskers]

this is soo very true and well thought out im only 14 and i have reliezed this from people very well written

[J.R Schlievert]

pour your wisdom out and the world will flood!