I'll admit it - I've been worried for some time about the HCR legislaton, and the direction that it's been taking.
But now I've seen the light. And my fears have all evaporated like frail mist in the blinding light of our Declaration of Victory.
And to the rest of you who still have doubts, follow me below the fold, and I'll show you how silly all your objections are, so that you too enter this wonderful Happy Place.
It's Not a Victory For the Insurance Industry. Really.
So, first off, you have to ignore the fact that the insurance companies are also Declaring Victory. There is no way that the Democratic Party would provide a bonanza to the health care industry. And you know the stock market - those gains by the insurance companies of course are just transitory, and do not reflect the massive profits that some might fear will be the only result of this legislation.
The Abortion Agreement is No Big Deal
Don't worry your little heads over the abortion agreement that led to our glorious victory. David Axelrod went on record saying that the abortion agreement maintains the status quo, and that should be enough for you. I mean, it's not like the Right has been attempting to incrementally whittle away a woman's right to choose or anything.
Who Needs a Public Option or Expanded Medicare When We've Got the Insurance Companies?
I mean, seriously, folks. A lot of us wanted a strong Public Option or expanded Medicare system. Who needs that when we can get all the tasty goodness of not just these stepping stones to a Single Payer system, but pretty much a single payer system in the form of the monopolistic insurance companies? You're just looking at it backwards if you're worried about the lack of a PO or expanded medicare. And those what we thought was a failure to remove the anti-trust provisions for the insurance industry? Turns out that's actually a great thing! I mean, how can we have this private single payer system if we try to make those poor insurance companies compete?
Mandates, Schmandates
Some folks may be worried about mandates, and the fact that deductibles and co-pays won't be effectively capped. Look - we wanted to get health care for all. It's only fair that we all have to tithe something in return. It's not like there were any other ways that we could have accomplished universal health care coverage, not really. And those insurance companies work so hard for us. I mean, how else could we possibly get everyone insured if we don't make everyone buy insurance from private companies? After all, this battle was all about getting everyone some sort of insurance, right? And having insurance always means that care is provided, right? See? Aren't you feeling better already?
We're not Enshrining the Insurance Companies in the Pantheon of Too Big To Fail: We're Building New Pillars of Society
Now, some might argue that we're putting the Insurance Companies on the same level as Wall Street and the financial sector. That we're setting ourselves up for an eventual TARP-style bailout when these companies get too big for their britches and start expanding their holdings because the influx of new monies. That we'll become so dependent on these privately held corporations that we'll allow them any excess, and cover them when they fall down, because we need them so. Nothing could be further from the truth! We are not building up another government sponsorship of the rich and powerful - we are simply building another supporting pillar of our society. And more pillars make for a stronger society.
More Regulation Would Just Hamper The Insurance Companies Ability to Operate
Now, I know that a lot of folks would have liked to see more and stronger regulation in the legislation. But, seriously, our leaders in their infinite wisdom decided that health care was just too important to allow the instrument of the people rabble - you know, Government - to control. After all, there might be an election that would just mess the whole thing up. So they gave the whole kit and caboodle to the private insurance companies. And since we're going with private enterprise, why should government meddle too much in how they operate? Obviously, our leaders didn't think that this was a job for government, so why should government be telling the insurance companies how to handle their own business? That's just silly.
Drugs Are Good, mmmmmkay?
Some folks are saying that we should have attempted to do something about prescription drug prices. Well, first off, Pharma was our good friend through this whole fight. They could have used their massive resources to kill this bill from the get go, but they were so kind to all of us on this one. Should they not be justly rewarded? And about re-importing drugs from Canada - that's just silly. Why would we want to export our drugs to another nation, then buy them back? That just doesn't make any sense. So, as you can see, there is absolutely nothing to worry about when it comes to prescription drugs. And all the complaints are really either disloyal to our firm allies in the pharmaceutical industry, or based on some bizarre reality.
Polls Mean Nothing
Honestly, if the fact that 77% of the American public supported a public option, and that meant nothing, then the fact that 56% oppose that bill means nothing at all. Neither does the fact that only 42% actually support it - and even if it did matter, that's up from 36% support of the current bill. And never mind that folks still haven't felt the impact of the mandates - but we won't go there, because we've already shown that there are no real critical flaws in the bill.
And If All Else Fails, We Can Still Fix The Bill
You know that despite the declaration of victory that the Left will be eager to jump back in and go through this whole thing all over again. If by some strange and incredibly unlikely chance, the bill as proposed turns out not to be as perfect as I'm sure you can see it is by now, I have no doubt but that the Left will re-open this can of worms with a quickness. And the Right, even if it is opened, won't just use that opening as an opportunity to provide the private corporations with even more power and control - they'll know (because we've told them so) that the Left won, and they'll have their tails between their legs for decades to come. Finally, there's no way that the insurance industry wouldn't use their new position, power or wealth to work against our better interests - as a Pillar of Society, they would never dream of doing such a thing.
So, In Closing
I'm sure that you can all see what a victory this bill is for all of us. We'll all be the better off for this thing, and well on our way towards better reform. Which we won't need. Because this bill is so awesome and full of win anyway.