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The Debate is Over Democrats - It's Time for Seppuku
Health care reform is in the world's largest
crapper - the arena of American debate. And it's time someone flushed.
Discussions held in prison between two inmates and a shiv over who gets the top
bunk are more respectful than what's currently passing for the conversation on
health care.
Today a friend's Facebook status sparked a vitriolic back and forth between strangers. It was peppered with few facts and sported mostly insults. During the course of it I was told by a self-proclaimed 'jerk' and his family that 'death panels' are in the health care bill even if they aren't called death panels (democrats are too sneaky to call them what they are), that Americans don't go hungry because there are 'obese homeless' people and that I can't possibly pray to God, I must pray to Obama.
I'll admit error in engaging others in debate on Facebook knowing full well that a social networking site can not possibly resolve our differences - but I had to try. I had to try and convince the unconvinced that health care reform is needed, that everyone should be covered and that private companies are polluting our thoughts (not too mention our collective health).
I had to try what I know to be foolish.
While it may be foolish to engage on Facebook, it's even more laughable to think a sensible debate can take place at town hall meetings when a sitting senator who dares defend our president being American is jeered, where anti-reformists accidentally drop their guns or, worse yet, strap a gun to their leg outside a church near a presidential town hall meeting while carrying a sign reminding people that once in a while you have to 'spill the blood' of patriots.
At least on Facebook no one gets shot.
Still, if we can't debate, can't conversate and can't convince one another to stop trading insults instead of ideas, what do we do? Who do we turn to? Who, and more importantly what, will lead us out of this stifling stalemate where health insurers continue to make enormous profits off of the sick and cancer patients' parents must chose between providing for their entire family and the life of one child?
The answer to ending all this contrived madness is, ironically enough, a self-inflicted silver bullet - political suicide.
If republicans shout 'death panels' give them a democrat-sanctioned 'House hanging'. If conservatives complain about 'Obamacare' invite them to witness the 'Senate death squad' sacrifice its leadership.
Democrats must stop debating, stop listening and stop pretending as if this will ever be an issue that can resolve itself through bi-partisan channels. Stop pretending and start acting. Enact the best legislation. Mandate coverage. Reinstate single payer. Heck, adopt a socialist health care system, although I doubt even Nancy Pelosi has balls big enough for that. Just adopt legislation and accept the consequences.
That's called leadership and it's what we hopeful Americans elected you to do.
(My apologies for spelling seppuku wrong in the original title, the damn internet lied to me again!)
Today a friend's Facebook status sparked a vitriolic back and forth between strangers. It was peppered with few facts and sported mostly insults. During the course of it I was told by a self-proclaimed 'jerk' and his family that 'death panels' are in the health care bill even if they aren't called death panels (democrats are too sneaky to call them what they are), that Americans don't go hungry because there are 'obese homeless' people and that I can't possibly pray to God, I must pray to Obama.
I'll admit error in engaging others in debate on Facebook knowing full well that a social networking site can not possibly resolve our differences - but I had to try. I had to try and convince the unconvinced that health care reform is needed, that everyone should be covered and that private companies are polluting our thoughts (not too mention our collective health).
I had to try what I know to be foolish.
While it may be foolish to engage on Facebook, it's even more laughable to think a sensible debate can take place at town hall meetings when a sitting senator who dares defend our president being American is jeered, where anti-reformists accidentally drop their guns or, worse yet, strap a gun to their leg outside a church near a presidential town hall meeting while carrying a sign reminding people that once in a while you have to 'spill the blood' of patriots.
At least on Facebook no one gets shot.
Still, if we can't debate, can't conversate and can't convince one another to stop trading insults instead of ideas, what do we do? Who do we turn to? Who, and more importantly what, will lead us out of this stifling stalemate where health insurers continue to make enormous profits off of the sick and cancer patients' parents must chose between providing for their entire family and the life of one child?
The answer to ending all this contrived madness is, ironically enough, a self-inflicted silver bullet - political suicide.
If republicans shout 'death panels' give them a democrat-sanctioned 'House hanging'. If conservatives complain about 'Obamacare' invite them to witness the 'Senate death squad' sacrifice its leadership.
Democrats must stop debating, stop listening and stop pretending as if this will ever be an issue that can resolve itself through bi-partisan channels. Stop pretending and start acting. Enact the best legislation. Mandate coverage. Reinstate single payer. Heck, adopt a socialist health care system, although I doubt even Nancy Pelosi has balls big enough for that. Just adopt legislation and accept the consequences.
That's called leadership and it's what we hopeful Americans elected you to do.
(My apologies for spelling seppuku wrong in the original title, the damn internet lied to me again!)
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A simple solution with a simple message would go a long way toward resolving this debateless debate.
August 11, 2009 5:32 PM | Reply | Permalink
I think it's actually seppuku, but we get the point ...
August 11, 2009 9:46 PM | Reply | Permalink
Time to take the profits out of health care.
Take the full leap and get it into effect before the next presidential election.
Once people have it... once people see the truth of it... then it will be hard for the insurance companies to regain any power...
They know this of course. That is why single payer was so demonstratively shut out of the discussion.
Look for tough elections with republicans backed more strongly than ever by insurance and pharma money.
I still think a straight shot to single payer would be easier on us all over the long haul. The way congress and the president are going about this is going to cost more, take much longer to gain meaningful reform, and leave us with much more suffering than necessary in the meantime.
August 12, 2009 1:18 AM | Reply | Permalink