Republicans Stonewall, Democrats Dither and Nothing Gets Done

The recent dust-up between Obama and the Republican party in Baltimore once again plays up the fact that our government representatives are not only at odds with the American public, but also with each other. Despite the fact that we have a two-party system of governance, there is a basic requirement that they must work together in order to get anything of importance done. More often than not, though, we wind up with a system stuck in first gear as our elected officials engage in ego-indulgence, greediness and downright unethical behavior in order to feather their own nests. This appears to be the state of affairs at present, and people are getting sick of it.

While the exchange between the President and GOP can certainly be considered healthy, no forward movement appears to have been achieved. Republicans keep repeating that they have the plan to save the day, all the while complaining about "deficits". Why the sudden concern over deficit spending? Republicans accused the Obama administration for getting us into this hole, but the facts don't uphold this view.

The two wars that were begun during a Republican administration have so far cost this country $1.05 trillion dollars, with little if any positive return. Combined, they cost approximately $150 billion each year. Certainly, Democrats voted in favor of these actions as well, but the fact is that the Republican party was in control at the time. And let's not forget who was at the helm during the lightning-fast creation and passage of the no-strings-attached financial industry bailout bill.

When it came to health care reform, the GOP actively obstructed any positive outcomes for taxpayers, while consistently handing health care and insurance industry lobbyists whatever they wanted. However, an AP article published late last year spotlighted how, in 2003, Republicans pushed through a Medicare expansion bill that was completely deficit-financed. This bill, which the Democrates opposed, has added tens of billions to the deficit, according to author Charles Babington. How does the GOP defend this? Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, was quoted as saying, "it was standard practice not to pay for anything," six years ago. Oympia Snowe, R-Maine, opined that "dredging up history is not the way to move forward." Well, history is our teacher, and if we can't learn from it, how exactly are we to "move forward"?

When people voted for Obama, they were voting for change. What they got was intransigence, sophomoric displays of ego and constant, tiresome sniping. Can Obama move the country past this stalemate? Time will tell.

Massachusetts Votes for More Washington Inertia

Massachusetts voters decided, for the first time in almost 40 years, to send Republican representation to Washington in the form of Scott Brown, R-Wrentham. This was no ordinary race, mind you, as this is the very seat that our venerable statesman, Edward Kennedy, held for almost 50 years. If there is anyone more dissimilar to that great man, I would be surprised.

How did this happen? Sure, Martha Coakley ran a lousy campaign, which even the assistance of Barak Obama could not save. But this race was more than that. It was also about preserving a Democratic majority in Washington, as well as passing health care reform. Ted was indisputably popular, yet Brown is almost his exact opposite. He has vowed to vote against health care reform, one of Kennedy's lifetime goals. He is also arrogant. In his "Open Letter to the People of Massachusetts" he states, "We can send another (emphasis mine) rubber stamp to Washington or...we can elect an independent voice..." Well, I assume he's speaking of Coakley here, but he appears to also be referring to Kennedy. Brown sits on many key committees, yet I have yet to hear what good his "independent" voice has done for us. Someone needs to tell him that he is no Ted Kennedy!

This election has been labeled a "referendum" not only on the track record of Democrats, but also that of President Barak Obama. People are disappointed with the lack of promised change, they say. So--they elect a Republican? Who has been keeping real health care reform from occurring? The Republicans. Who started both the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq? Right. Which party has made the health reform bill about Obama, and not health care? Right again.

People blame Obama for making promises he could not keep, yet obstructionism, not lack of effort on his part, has kept real change from taking place. On the other hand, politicians always make promises during election campaigns; why should Obama have been any different? Decades and decades of corruption and ineffectual rule have gotten us to the point we are today. Expecting one man to change it all in a year's time is just plain ridiculous. By the way, do you remember any other President being called on the carpet only one year into a new administration? Perhaps there is more to this "referendum" than meets the eye.

Jimmy Carter Speaks Out on Racism

It's finally happened. No less an important personage than Jimmy Carter has, at last, voiced what many of us have been giving considerable thought: Many of Obama's critics are fueled by racism. Almost immediately, right-wing talking heads popped up to state unequivocally that there is no longer any racism in America. Is this a case of "Methinks the (conservatives) doth protest too much" or what? Next, they'll be claiming there's no sexism, ageism, anti-Semitism or discrimination against gays.

One would have to be living in a cave to believe this statement. Of course, the ones saying it don't believe it either, but in the time-worn American tradition of "if we say something ridiculous often enough people will believe it", they are saturating the media with this nonsense. Most of the most vocal deniers are white guys. Personally, I'd like to see a few more black people speak up, preferably those who make less than six figures a year.

I agree with Jimmy. Every time we turn around Obama is getting lambasted for one thing or another. Now, Clinton also took a beating when he tried to reform the health care system. He was harangued by the Republicans for pretty much his entire two terms. But let's face it: He really did give them fodder for the mill. His tendency toward philandering, and his refusal to hold it in check, really helped the Republican cause. I often wondered how such a smart man could act so foolishly.

There are no such skeletons in Obama's closet, however, and I'm sure a thorough search has been conducted. He hasn't lied about anything and he's actually gone out of his way to set the record straight when rumors get out of hand. He's trying to fulfill campaign promises, for which Presidents are often chided for not doing. He's been criticized for giving a speech to schoolchildren, just like his predecessors have done without such scrutiny. He's been called a socialist, Nazi, the believer in "death panels" for the elderly. And for attempting to expand access to medical care, no less. Then there's the Joe Wilson factor. Can you think of any other President (read: white) to have suffered such disrespect?

People love to hate each other. They can be taught not to, but it takes time and work. Denying that discrimination still exists is not going to alleviate the problem. Hopefully, Jimmy Carter has been the catalyst for a discussion about racism that will help this country move forward. Can we learn from this? Yes We Can!

Obama Tells Congress Like It Is

Last night, Barak Obama addressed the U.S. Congress and the nation to "set the record straight" on the issue of health care reform.  Since then, the talking heads have been discussing ad naseum every little detail of that speech, not that that's unusual.  There were a couple of unusual things about this speech, however, not the least being that Obama made it at all.

Obama, as he himself admitted, is not the first President to attempt this Herculean task.  Truman tried in the late 1940s as did the Clintons, disastrously, in the early 1990s. The difference between those former heads of state and Obama is this:  He's not backing down.  Not that I blame the other two for doing so, considering the flack they encountered.  But this is a different time, and Obama is a different person.  He gets out there and tells it like it is, in no uncertain terms.  If he says he'll "be the last" President to reform this nation's health care system, well, dang it, I believe him.

The other unusual occurence was the lack of courtesy shown Obama by  Republican Representative Joe Wilson.  I can't remember any other congressperson acting out in such a manner during a Presidential address.  Even Clinton, who was hounded non-stop by Republicans during his two terms in office, was never publicly shown such disrespect during a televised speech.  And all Obama is trying to do is reform the health care delivery system not for himself or those in congress, but for the American populace.

Even after the speech's concessions (it looks like the "public" part of "public option" is out) the Republican rebuttal by Rep. Charles Boustany still exuded peevishness.  Not willing to admit that the administration had ceded ground, Boustany's speech mostly bleated that both parties should "start over".  Well, sure.  I guess if I was getting paid whether or not I delivered any results, I'd feel that way, too.  What we need is for these guys to stop wasting taxpayer money and get the job done.  Let's hope Obama's speech will have that effect.

Conservatives to Obama: Stay Away from Our Kids

The wailing and gnashing of teeth by conservatives in response to Obama's speech to the nation's schoolchildren seems to be another attempt to discredit the current administration.  Not content with spreading disinformation about his health care reform plan in order to incite pandemonium where understanding should prevail, they have now moved to the other end of the age spectrum to try to make school-aged children fear their President.  Or, more specifically, the parents of those children.

Once again, I am in awe of the maelstrom they have been able to foment on the flimsiest of ideas.  The notion that schools are no place for the "indoctrination" of young children is a  case in point.  Let's see...we take a large population of blank slates and fill them with knowledge and new ideas...well, I guess Republicans are using a different dictionary than I am.  I wonder:  How would conservatives characterize their preoccupation with re-instituting creationism and school prayer in public schools?  Another is the idea that Obama is trying to push a "socialist" agenda.  Don't these naysayers know that the "public" in public school means taxpayer-funded and therefore available to all?

Obama is not the first U.S. President to address schoolchildren in this manner.  Both Reagan and the elder Bush did, as well.  But for some reason, this time is different.  What, for heaven's sake, is wrong with exhorting kids to work hard and stay in school so that they can help both themselves and their country?

Not all Republicans have joined in this ridiculous campaign.  Laura Bush, a former schoolteacher (and First Lady!) lent her support.  Others, after reading the text, withdrew their opposition.  It still rankles, however, that this latter group had the egotism to screen Obama's speech at all.

When Obama first took office, there was much talk of the end of bipartisanship and touchy-feely speeches about everybody working together.  Well, the honeymoon is over.  There is a boisterous contingent that would love to see this administration fail, and will use any method they can to make it happen.  I guess that what happens when a politician has the nerve to try to change the status quo.

Public Option: Here Today, Gone Tomorrow

One of Barak Obama's key campaign proposals was the overhaul of the current health care system.  Like many others, he recognized not only the need for change in this area but also the American citizen's desire for it.  Back then and even as recently as this past July, a publicly-funded insurance alternative to the current system was a cornerstone of this proposal.  Then the ranting and raving started (not that there's anything wrong with ranting).  This important piece of the puzzle went from being, in Obama's words, "...the best way...to force insurance companies to compete and keep them honest", to, less than one month ago, "...not the entirety of health care reform (but) one tiny sliver of it".  What happened?

Well, to put it simply, the Republican Party happened.  Or, more precisely perhaps, pressure on the GOP to scuttle this proposal in favor of "health insurance cooperatives" in lieu of a government-sponsored, single-payer system.  Do you smell a lobbyist here?  Now, I don't know that such a system wouldn't work, and I know that other countries use them with success.  However, according to T.R. Reid, author of "The Healing of America", his research of these co-ops has shown that the heavy hand of regulation is what actually makes them workable.  In other countries, these co-ops are not allowed to refuse coverage for pre-existing conditions or deny payment for needed care.  If they try, the insured gets the next month's premium for free.  Now, there's a concept!  They are also not allowed to raise premiums on their own; if they do, they face steep fines. Have you heard of anything like this falling from the lips of those pushing this notion, though?  I sure haven't.

I admit that, besides this core issue, I'm in the dark as to what else is being considered in the arena of "health care reform".  Besides prescription drug negotiations to close the "doughnut hole" in Medicare, I really don't know what other reforms of our health care system are being discussed, and I've actually been paying attention.

Since no real reform seems imminent without a public alternative to private insurance, I think that all the other stuff (whatever it is) should be pushed to the back burner, at least for now.  Change coming in small steps is usually more palatable to most people, so, I say, just concentrate on the public option segment right now.  Too bad if the insurance companies and  "big pharma" don't like it--it's the one thing that will make the biggest, most positive change in the lives of most people.  And, ahem, isn't that supposed to be what this is all about?