crossposted from Mrs. Lupin's Possumworld blog.
As I sit here, safe and insuredin the Possum Kingdom, I can’t help but ask myself that question.
In November we finally elected a Democrat to the White House and wound up with unbeatable majorities in both houses of Congress. Like many people I thought, "Fantastic! Maybe now something can get done."
Well, to be honest, I wasn’t holding my breath, because I believe that the Democratic Party today is the Republican Party of the 60s and 70s, and the Republican Party today is just a bunch of insane, stupid people (not all of them, but a lot of them!). Still, I hoped.
./. more under fold ./.
Now I see all of the craziness of the Birthers and, even less understandably, the anti-health care reform loonies. Okay, it’s clear that the Birthersare really just racists trying to figure out any way they can to get a black man out of the highest office in the country. There can be no other explanation for it that that; because anything else means that they’re crazier than the followers of Jim Jones.
But the health care reform issue blows me totally away. Rousing people to demonstrate, even to riot against getting health care for themselves and their family defies any kind of rational understanding. To be fair, I suppose it shows the pure, evil genius of the denizens of Faux News and the health insurance industry. They have actually managed to get people to stand up and say, "No, I WANT to die in the street! Anything is better than being like France!" Again, I have to say it’s genius.
If only that ability to manipulate the masses could be put to some good use that would make this world a better place, think of what could be accomplished.
Certainly it would be hard to find a people more likely to rise up and demonstrate against issues than the the French. It’s practically a national sport. But, and this is the important bit, the French demonstrate to make things BETTER for themselves and their families! It is impossible to imagine them marching in the streets to get rid of access to health care.
So, again, I have to ask: What is wrong with America?