Last Summer during the August recess, I posted daily health care reform stories gleaned from different sources. I titled each day's entry as "Which Side Are You On...Day Whatever".
In light of the passage last night of a weakened, watered-down health care reform bill which is simply a foot in the door for eventual substantive reform, I am moved again to ask "which side are you on?"
The side of those who shouted epithets, racial, sexual, or hateful,
The side of those who threaten now to secede from the union,
The side of those who rest comfortably in a cocoon of employer-provided health care while 45,000 of their fellow citizens die each year because they have no access to health insurance,
The side of those who view health care as one more object of profit in capitalism's bazaar,
The side of those who see exclusion and call it fiscal discipline,
The side of those who see the future and avert their eyes,
or...
The side of those who see a wrong and try, however feebly, to right it?
Here are some reactions to last night's vote.
_______________________________________________
Once again, thanks to Baron Hill for following his heart.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
4 comments:
I know Baron followed his heart but the thought of people being mandated to purchase private health insurance is wrong.
The only reform that will work is universal health care with a single payer plan.
Baron knows this, the President knows this and deep down in their hearts everyone knows this.
Shirley:
I agree the single payer route is the way to go.
A no-compromise stance here would have likely derailed any hope of health reform for way too long. I believe this a case of half a loaf beating the alternative. That would have been bad enough but the prospect of emboldening the forces of hate and intolerance showing up now and given voice by Beck, Limbaugh and the rest of them would have been an even bigger tragedy.
The over-the-top opponents of health reform have sown fear, I fear what we, as a nation, might now reap.
John,
I'm sure you received the email from Dennis Kucinich explaining his vote. It was relatively the same reasoning as Baron Hill and yourself.
It's just frustrating that they left out the public option. But what can we do?
Shirley:
As you probably know by now, through a couple of minor glitches in the House version of the Health Care bill, it is headed back there for correction.
When it comes back to the Senate it can be amended as part of the reconcilliation process. During that process, it is my understanding, the Senate could include a public option. A fairly reliable whip count on that legislation shows that 52 senators would vote for such a change. I don't know how that would fare with senate leadership as far as allowing a public option into the amended bill. But, if it were included it would have pretty smooth sailing in the House on its return trip. So, stay tuned and keep your "Health Care for All" button at the ready. Perhaps you could ice up a bit of champagne just in case.
The spectacle of insults hurled at the 11 year old boy who lost his mother, the death threats and intimidative bile thrown at some House members who changed their votes to "aye", and the absolute abandonment of civility shown by the anti side in this debate may prove to be enough to bring the curtain down on the tea party's 15 minutes of fame. It may put some starch in the spines of those who have been cowed by that faction and thereby lead them to say once again, "Yes We Can."
Post a Comment