With the performance by both the Democrats and the Republicans over that past several weeks, it’s definitely time to change back to an Independent! Never in my near 70 years have I seen such a debacle in Washington, D.C. Both Parties have shown their true colors. The Democrats have absolutely no backbone and the Republicans have the biggest brass balls in town. This week will bring back memories for anyone over 60 as TWTWTW, aka This Was The Week That Was with David Frost in the early 1960s. Whether I’m stuck in "Comedy Central" or reliving my past with the BBC, the next week should be made into a comedy sitcom!
Both the Democrats and the Republicans and come to the edge of "Brinkmanship" over a Health Bill that resembles a "turd in a punchbowl"! The Health Care Bill that the Senate has passed to the House of Representatives is relatively worthless and may also be dangerous. The Senate stripped the House Bill of any controls on the Health Care Industry, while attempting to insure 15 million people, instead of the 30 + million people it supposed to cover. Even if passed, that other 15+ million people will still have to go to the Emergency Room in whatever hospital that might accept them and you and I are going to have to pay that outrageous bill. Those who oppose complete coverage are totally oblivious to the fact that it will cost more doing business as usual than to get everyone covered. As this Depression continues, more and more people will have to give up their health insurance, either due to the rising cost or becoming unemployed. Without strict controls, the health insurance companies will continue to raise premiums, although they will no longer be able to drop the "unhealthy" from their rolls. On the other hand, this bill is actually a boom for the health insurance companies, as the Health Care Bill will mandate that everyone must participate. That’s money in the bank, and will likely offset any additional cost to them. The worst feature was the removal of the clause that removed the health care industries from anti-trust provisions, so that we have no real competition, which would bring down cost. To make matters worse, no one really has a handle as to how to pay for this stinker! The one thing that we know is that any nation who has universal health care is loosing money. There are no countries that have been able to balance the books, no matter what type of plan they have implemented. If you are going for universal health care, be prepared for the fact that it will loose money, except for higher taxes. On top of this, the Democrats never went out to the nation and fully explained what was going to happen. How dumb is that?
The failure of bi-partisan agreement from the Republican Party should have been anticipated by President Obama and the Democrats. The politics in Washington have become polarized over the past 15 years. In the past, the Democrats had both conservative members from the South, as well as its liberal members. The Republicans had both the conservative branch and the more moderate to liberal members. Bi-partisanship was commonly the method of government. We now have two opposing parties, with little in common. This works well in a Parliamentary form of government, as the United Kingdom. What it means for us is gridlock! The Republicans have decided that the Health Care Bill will be President Obama’s iceberg and he’ll sink just like the Titanic.. From the start, they never sought to be bi-partisan. They have placed partisan politics over the public interest, and the public has bought it! Rather than offering a counter proposal, they have chosen to oppose this on philosophical grounds of "Socialism" and "Big Government." They forgot that under the Bush Administration, the National Debt went up over 4 TRILLION DOLLARS! With spendthrifts like these, what’s another trillion? They also forgot that the TARP came from Secretary Paulson and the Bush Administration. Most of that 800 Billion paid out was while President Bush was in office. This is a prime example of the "tail wagging the dog!" Nevertheless, the Republicans have good reason to question how this bill will be funded. The Congressional Budget Office has predicted that the Health Care Bill will cut the deficit, but that maybe based on hope rather than fact, providing everything goes as planned. We should know by now that not everything goes as planned!
Well, it’s time to "fish or cut bait" as the old saying goes. Will the Democrats be able, through somewhat obscure procedures, to pass the Health Care Bill in the House and Senate? If they do, will it get repealed once the Republicans regain control of Congress and the White House? In the meantime, what about us......the people who have to put up with this bullshit? Throughout history, Americans don’t ask very much from their government. They want lower taxes and a government which does not interfere in their daily lives. They also want an even break as to reaching "The American Dream." What they have is a Congress that is bought and sold by Corporate Amerika, who continues to pick their pockets. Health Reform is essential in recovery from this Recession, as it continues to eat away at everyone’s income and will continue, even if this Health care Bill is passed. I’ve been fortunate to live through a period of time in this country where the average person had a good chance to have "The American Dream." Our children and grandchildren will not be as fortunate as we drive recklessly into the Twenty-First Century. Can you, in good faith, look them straight into their eyes and tell them that better times are ahead for their generations?
If you would like to read more, please click here.
Tom C.