Abortion, socialism, this, that, and the other. That is all of the bull I've heard since Friday. As I am typing this, Rep. Eric Cantor (R-Virginia) is saying America is at a "crossroads." He says the "trillion dollar" healthcare bill has caused "fear" among Americans. Well, it certainly has and Mr. Cantor has had a large part in creating that fear. So have his cohorts John Boehner, Mike Pence, and Michele Bachmann.
Then again, the bumbling Democrats, such as Harry Reid, have done next to nothing to soothe the fears that lay among the American people. Instead, Harry Reid, instead of trying to corral his troops, offered them sweeteners that have been dubbed the "Cornhusker Kickback" and "Louisiana Purchase." While Nancy Pelosi has not been the greatest general in the House, she has been much better than her counterpart in the Senate. I never thought healthcare would get this far after the disastrous town halls in August and the long, drawn out Senate debate.
Then again, the bill could die during the vote tonight. One never knows how these Congressmen will vote when push comes to shove. People change their votes at the last minute all the time.
I just want to know why Republicans are opposing this health insurance reform package. In case you did not know, this is not health care reform, this is health insurance reform. This type of package normally plays right into the Republican playbook: increase the power of private industry. Private insurance companies only stand to gain from this bill. Coverage, their business, gets mandated on the people. For that mandate, they face some new, token, regulations. It is just states that mandate auto insurance. The auto insurance companies have no incentive to lower cost with mandate coverage because they know you have to buy insurance. So, either the government forces you to buy some type of auto insurance or you voluntarily attach yourself to some leeching beetle. This health care insurance package is the same thing. Now, the health insurance companies will have no incentive to give me lower cost. In fact, because of all these token regulations the health insurance companies now have an excuse to raise prices and screw me, again. If there was public outrage over price increases, the federal government could just bailout the insurance industries just as they have many other industries.
Picture: Nancy Pelosi, John Boehner
As I begin this section, John Boehner is screaming "hell no you can't" say this bill was not conceived behind closed doors. He is right, but when are any Congressional bills conceived out in the public eye? Never. So he needs to shut the hell up himself.
Boehner now says "this is the people's House." It is not. It is the House of Big Business, Big Bailouts, and Big Bullshit. "Over the last year," I have watched Congress fall apart. Then again, can I say it was together before? No, I cannot. Boehner says one political party is shutting out another from a major national discussion. True, but the GOP rammed through the Iraq War and Boehner did not mention that. Boehner also did not mention that the GOP rammed through tax cuts for rich and massive pork laden prescription drug program.
I hate to just rip on Boehner, but the guy should keep his mouth shut if facts are not going to fly out. I am laughing as I watch a raucous House session because not one Congressman today has made sense. There is so much bullshit flying around I am surprised anyone in that chamber can see.
Now, Speaker Pelosi, is standing up and delivering the final speech before the vote. I cannot wait to see the bull fly out her mouth. "Just think" we will be joining the ranks of failed leaders is what she should be saying. Instead, she is quoting some nonsense from the Declaration of Independence. Nonsense because if any of that crap was true, there would never have had to be a Civil Rights Act because people would have taken the Declaration to heart. Instead, pandering, posturing, and hand offs occurred. That is basically what is happening now. Real insurance and healthcare reform is being handed off to a future generation (maybe mine) that will do the same thing: pander, posture, hand off.
As I finish this rambling piece, I wanted to focus on the "socialist utopia" some Republicans have said the Democrats are creating. If Republicans really understood what a "utopia" is, there would be no opposition to this bill. As Merriam-Webster says, a utopia is "a place of ideal perfection especially in laws, government, and social conditions." Everyone would then be equal, just like the Founders said in the Declaration of Independence: "all men are created equal." Oh my God, crap your pants. Were the Founders all Socialists? No. But, I know that they did not believe what they said because they owned slaves and worked indentured servants to death. Should we start to believe in this principles? Or, should we be just like the Founders and just have those words be bullshit that means nothing?
Filed under: Politics
Tags: democrat, democrats, health, health care, health care reform, health reform, politics, republican, republicans
In a word, this outburst was GREAT. Did you take some truth serum earlier.
I actually signed up on Chicago Now to send this to you. If we are being honest, I'm deleting it later
but you have now secured a place on a mental list of fantasy party dinner guests that I compile.
Congratulations and thanks again for a great article. You must still be breathing fire!