HEALTH CARE AND THE MORNING AFTER PILL

Note: Written 9/10, posted 9/11/09

Just like many fellow Americans I sat last evening and watching and listening to President Obama address a joint session of Congress regarding the troubled health care legislation. It is well known that your Commander has not been a big fan of President Obama, but I do want him to achieve beneficial actions for our nation. He can only secure those goals with a sharp reduction in the level of discord that has fallen upon our country.

Unfortunately, despite his strong oratory skills, last night’s performance did not hit a home run, but only moved the ball further down the field with much additional work required to cross the goal line. The American public is desirous of health care reform. Our health care industry is not broken, but it is in great need of improvement. One only needs to consider the proven fact that many world leaders have come to our shores when they required advanced medical assistance, and Canadians flood our hospitals when then require prompt medical care. We need several adjustments, but the polls clearly indicate that the public does not trust the government to provide a public option, despite what the president said last evening.

The level of discourse has become far too elevated to achieve a prompt successful piece of legislation. Both the left and the right are going overboard, but to classify citizens who are attending recent Town Hall meetings as un-American or members of an unruly mob is inaccurate and politically naïve. Charges of that nature remind me of the school yard bully’s power plays of intimidation.

I have a theory that one of the reasons for the harshness of the debate is that the voters of America are embarrassed. They bought Obama’s campaign rhetoric, and after less than nine months of the new administration they believe they have been conned. The abuse of the average citizen by repeated misuse of the so-called mandate has caused outrage in the ranks of the man on the street, thus he is extremely harsh and emotional. Nobody wants to admit they bought a pig in a poke, but they did and are embarrassed for their gullibility.

Tragically, Obama’s repeated arrogant, inaccurate statements caused one Congressman to inappropriately interrupt his speech, but the president’s track record of repeatedly telling the American public lies are a documented fact. He has made repeated statements that do no make common sense that are the root cause of the outbursts by a totally frustrated electorate. Logic tells us that you cannot add millions of bodies to the medical system coverage and not have huge increases in total cost obligations. That has been substantiated by the Congressional budget office. Mr. Obama talks a good game about non-partisanship, but the facts clearly prove he is trying to jam his way only through the process with his Democratic majority.

The biggest problem confronting health care today is our failure to address tort reform once and for all. That, of course, involves a powerful lobby for attorneys; guess what, most of our elected federal offices are held by attorneys. And, if that is not enough, most lobbyists are also lawyers. Until we get a handle on the influence that money buys in the Halls of Congress, we will only secure diluted half-baked results, and not real solutions. Money buys corruption, and money rules Washington today.

Today we have a government that is so divisive there is little evidence that any appropriate reconciliation can or will occur. Bi-partisanship is the most misused word in Washington today, because it clearly does not exist.

Once the speech concluded I sat in my recliner scratching my head trying to discern just how any corrective action can take place. There is so much mis-information flying around on both sides, and the electorate is so frustrated, I see bigger problems ahead.

I wonder why we do not enforce existing laws. If we enforced our immigration laws, we would substantially reduce medical costs associated with their care. Immigration judges permit lawyers to continue cases literally for years causing unwarranted expense for both sides. Violations of medical insurance abuse occur and not enough is done. Yes, these questions are political, but our government’s inaction just exasperates our problems.

This was President Obama’s 28th health care speech and I suggest that if he cannot sell his programs on this issue after that much effort, there is something seriously wrong with his proposal. I really believe that Obama is experiencing over-exposure on television. Did you, too, notice that he never looked the American people in the eyes, because he was too busy reading his teleprompter script. If he really wants to get the public behind his proposals, he should demand that all federal employees and Congress have coverage identical to that being forced on the American public. He should eliminate the elite status currently granted to his fellow government employees if he ever hopes to regain the public’s confidence.

My local newspaper ran a poll after last night’s speech and asked the following question: “Do you support or oppose the provisions for changing health care after listening to President Obama’s speech to Congress?”

Support 45%
Opposed 55%

Obama is always talking about his mandate, well this is another mandate and this one does not support his program. What ever happened to government for the people, by the people? Apparently, Obama is trying to force a “what I want is what I get” mentality…one way or another.

In conclusion I give the President’s speech a C+, because he failed to be specific enough for the average citizen to understand how we can pay for his programs with out increases in taxes or national debt. What really troubles your Commander is the continued utterance of “I, MY, and MINE” in every speech he utters. Maybe I just do not understand his real role, but I thought he took an oath to be the leader of ALL the people, and not just the leader of what he wants. Why does Obama insist on a reform bill that the American electorate does not desire in its current presentation? And let’s all remember that there is no written bill yet presented to America. I thought we elected a President who promised ALL bills would be posted on the internet for 30 days prior to vote and that he took an oath to govern in accordance with our Constitution, not as a dictator of policy.

COMMANDER GRANGER