The speech given by the President last night was a pivotal event in our political discourse and important to the developing legacy of Obama's presidency. As expected, the speech made his position a bit clearer, but still not clear enough for some. The content of the speech provided some details to what Obama wants to see in a comprehensive health care reform bill, while leaving some wanting more. It also amplified some distinct issues of a general nature that seemed to reveal a lot about the character of Washington politics and the nation.
But before I wade into the vast ocean of political dialogue, dear reader, please indulge me a bit of housekeeping. Those of you that have read my few posts know that the origin of this blog is directly the result of being one of the millions affected by the recession in the form of job loss. I am pleased to report that after seven months of diligent searching, interviewing and resume rewrites, I have been fortunate enough to find a job. With that said, I must also give the disclaimer that any opinions expressed are clearly my own and not of any company, organization or movement that I have been associated with in the past, present or future.
There is a tremendous amount of ground to cover and perhaps too much for me to tackle in one blog post. However, I will attempt to summarize my views on a few subjects that I hope will help convey my thoughts on the current political landscape and a couple of the pressing issues of the day. So let's get started, shall we? :-)
Representative Joe Wilson
Not a lot to say here that has not already been said. The interruption and calling the POTUS a liar on national television in his face may have seemed like a good idea at the time...but I'm sure he wishes that he would have kept himself in check. I'd be interested to see how his political career fairs after this. I hear his opponent raised over $100K overnight.
The Games People Play
Those of you who follow me on Twitter and Facebook know that I was a bit put off with the way the Republican side of the house was acting during the speech, Joe Wilson's outburst was just the most outlandish. The collective waving of copies of Republican ideas and the intern-made signs is not new to any candidate on the campaign trail. I just had not seen that kind of behavior out of the distinguished members of congress during a joint session during a speech by the Commander in Chief. Thanks to my quick fingers on the remote and channel surfing abilities, I saw this spectacle a little better than if I had just stuck to CNN or MSNBC. I'm used to one side of the house sitting or being non-responsive to a president of the opposite party...but I can't remember seeing this kind of blatant disrespect for any presidential speech before congress. But I am also not the oldest leaf on the tree, so maybe it did happen. I'd love to see pictures or video if someone has it. What struck me as funny is that one conservative pundit remarked that it is a tradition in the British Parliament for speakers to be heckled. And all this time, I thought we were in America...
OK, I admit it! I want health care reform NOW!
If you've been keeping up, you know that I am a cancer survivor. I will reach four years post diagnosis in December of this year. My wife and I would possibly also have recovered from the serious financial hit that we took from the costs related to keeping me on the planet had I not been laid off. Mind you, I don't blame the company for the layoff...the leaders and board of directors did what they needed to do to keep the company viable (yes, it may be debatable...but it is what it is).
I am one of the fortunate ones. When I was employed, my wife and I both covered our family with company sponsored insurance. Yet, we still almost went into financial ruin behind my health care expenses related to my illness! So yeah, this is a bit more personal for me. If you have been blessed with good health up to now, you don't quiet get what I am saying. Treating my illness almost took away everything. I am so very happy that I am alive and kicking still...but the cost was pretty steep. I am thankful for the angels that came in and helped on a few occasions when I knew that I was going to have to look at my family and tell them that we were going to have to move because we can't afford to live in our house anymore. I am thankful that we always managed to find a way to survive...but it wasn't easy and by no means an experience I care to repeat.
When my insurance ended, I stopped going to the doctor. Not that I have really needed to, but I have skipped at least three check-ups and a couple of procedures designed to check my recovery. I pray that I am doing well, but we simply can't afford for me to go to my appointments on just one income and one insurance. Now that I am about to start my new job, I am almost certain that the new insurance will not cover anything in relation to my "pre-existing condition" and that because of this, I may have to justify every office or hospital visit in order to receive the care I am supposed to receive. Here I agree with the POTUS...the status quo is no longer sustainable and something needs to be done.
And to those of you in those higher tax brackets that fear that your taxes are going to go up because of any reform...what do you think has been happening all these years and what do you think is going to happen if nothing happens? Maybe your taxes won't go up, but the cost of paying for going to the doctor will continue to increase. We all pay for people who can't afford health care. It's built into the cost structure. I know people personally that only see a doctor in an emergency room and they only go when it is absolutely necessary, more because of the wait than the cost! And what is the stunner is that they probably could have prevented or treated what ails them with a simple office visit and a prescription. Instead, they get the same thing, maybe with more tests and meds thrown in...for free. All they had to do is wait until they were near death to go to the emergency room and we get to pay for their care! Am I the only one that sees something wrong with this picture?
But the biggest complaint I've seen about this whole debate is about the so-called "public option". Now don't get me wrong, I'm not sold on the idea either. I think that the reason that we have one of the best, if not the best health care in the world is because of competition and the money that can be made by specialists. Why else would people come from all parts of the globe to the US for treatment? Because our research and development, medical innovations and technology are among the best in the world. The fear is that this would all go away with the addition of a public option health care plan. I share in this fear, but I also know that some sort of check has to be put in place. I do not have a solution to offer...but I will reserve judgement until a final bill is presented. I can't speculate with limited information...
Two parties and no one is having fun...
This goes out to my friend Sherry B. - If you have read some of my past posts or comments on other sites, you know that I think the two-party system is hogwash. That is the nicest way I could put that. In my humble opinion, it has destroyed what the founding fathers originally intended and has made a mockery of our democracy. I could go on for another 12 paragraphs about this subject, but the main reason this exists is because of greed and money. You can't run a successful campaign in this country without bowing to the will of one political party or the other. I once toyed with the idea of being a Libertarian, but some of their platform is way to out there for me.
The need to fix this situation is greater to me than health care or any other issue, however, I doubt it will ever happen and I'm pretty sure it won't happen in my lifetime. Of course, I am hoping I am wrong about this, just as I didn't think America would actually elect a black president while I was still breathing. One can only hope...
So what are we to do, we who do not affiliate with either political party or those of us who are independent conservatives or independent liberals? Do we form our own party? Do we organize and present our own candidates? While on the surface, that sounds like a great idea...it can't happen.
For instance, I've always considered myself an independent. When I was younger (and not a tax payer), I was pretty liberal in my political thought. But as my income and responsibilities grew...I started paying a lot more attention to what the government was taking out of my checks and what they were doing with it. So it may surprise some of you (and others not so much) that I have grown into and independent with conservative tendencies. But that does not mean that I am a fan of "the conservative agenda". But when it comes to my money...I'm wary of anything that will mean more money going out of my pocket and into the pocket of any bureaucrat.
Contrast this with some who believe that the government should step in to make the lives of the people better. But with great power comes great responsibility...and the loss of some personal freedom. Sure, we are willing to say it is OK to tap the phone of a terrorist, but I don't want some government agent listening to me whisper sweet nothings over the phone to my wife. You can't have it both ways. And this is not the American tradition and is a slope towards a lack of democracy I am not willing to move towards. But this is just my opinion.
So again, what do we do? We independents have unprecedented power...we just have not fully realized it yet. We can be the deciding factor in most elections once the lemmings of either party have already voted their straight party ticket. We can make them change. We can do this. Yes we can! All we have to do is keep thinking for ourselves, ask the critical questions and vote based on the issues. We have unprecedented access to information in this day and age...there is no reason for any of us to be blinded by the dazzle of some candidate or be spoon fed information by the evening news. We can choose to take the blue pill and wake up in our beds and make up whatever lie we want to justify supporting the status quo, or we can take the red pill and see the rabbit hole for what it is...and do something about it. We keep doing that...along with advocating the removal of corporate sponsorship of political campaigns...and we might finally have change we can believe in. Not all this rhetoric.
BTW...can someone tell me when and where in the constitution it was decreed that only Democrats and Republicans could run for office?
The elephant in the room
Within the past few weeks, we have seen angry people shouting at politicians over the issue of health care and taxes and the government in general. We have had our president compared to Hitler, the anti-Christ and just about every communist and socialist dictator that has ever existed. "We want our country back!" and signs calling for the death of anyone who dares threaten our liberty, presumably and specifically Obama's. We have even seen and heard a pastor of a church say that he prays for Obama's death.
With the exception of one, maybe a couple of other rare instances...the face of these protesters has been the angry white male. In fairness, I cannot say that this is typical of the entire demographic, but it is prevalent enough to be of note. I have not seen every town hall meeting and as of yet I have not seen a demographic breakdown of those that attend these tea parties, but there does seem to be a severe lack of people of color participating in this way. This is not to say that people of color have not organized and protested before. We all know that to be the case. But this seems to be something new and we collectively don't really know how to deal with it.
I would agree that the race issue isn't a factor in all of this if it weren't for those, even in the upper reaches of our government, who still believe that Obama is not truly a citizen. "Birthers' as I have heard them called, are mostly of one race, as are the tea party folks and those who are vehemently opposed to health care reform. Add to this your Limbaugh/Glenn Beck/Joe Scarborough/Sean Hannity claims that are believed by their loyal minions...and the conclusion seems to be pretty clear. Race is playing a role in this debate.
While I truly believe that these are not the views of the majority of Americans, my fear is that there may be one in that number that will take it upon himself or herself to rectify the situation. The CIA and FBI recently reported that the number of threats against Obama has exponentially increased over the last several weeks and that the number of threats to his well being has reached unprecedented numbers for any American president since they have started tracking the statistic.
It has always been a bit of an "inside joke" among blacks that the first black president (who clearly was not Clinton, BTW) would have to dodge bullets his entire presidency. However, the joke is no longer funny. While I intellectually have to support the freedom of speech, even for the Klan, I can't condone the reckless and irresponsible way that some in the media and even those I consider friends have thrown around this idea of threatening the president. What was unthinkable in the past several administrations is common place now. And it makes me fear for the man's safety and the future of our country. Is it any wonder that the man many believed to be the one mostly likely to be the first black president, Colin Powell, refused to even consider running for the office?
For the first time, I can look at a child of color and say with conviction "You can be anything you want to be..." without silently restraining myself to not say "...but be President of the United States." We face tremendous challenges today and in the future, and it will take all of us...no matter the color or gender...to work through this. If that means that somewhere there is a small Jewish girl who is learning lessons and growing up to become the President of the United States that leads the country out of war and poverty, creates sustainable economic growth and greater national security, I truly hope I am alive and sane enough to cast my vote for her. It is my hope that there are others out there who feel the same way and will help turn the direction of political discourse back to one of civility and reasonable and respectful opposition.
BONUS! Conspiracy theory special!
Is it me, or have we all been so caught up in this debate that we have kind of let the wars go unnoticed? I expected a huge uproar from people in this country about the deaths of Afghan civilians in the US-led NATO attack on some hijacked gas tankers. It is barely mentioned in the press. Of course, if you watch BBC or any other world news channel, you know that there is a LOT of coverage of it. Could this be a way to distract us from the fact that we haven't left Iraq just yet and the armed forces in Afghanistan (and to some extent Pakistan) have been stepped up. Kind of makes you wonder if we are being distracted on purpose, doesn't it?
Thanks for reading.
T
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