On March 21, 2010 the American people were handed a victory. Many are disappointed because it is not all we hoped it would be. We still have a lot of hard work ahead of us to drive down the cost of medical care. But this health care reform bill is a very remarkable and desirable reform non-the-less. The most egregious abuses of the health insurance industry will now be curbed. This victory is all the more remarkable because of the obstacles the Democratic Party had to overcome in order pass this vital reform. The Republican Party chose to represent the insurance industry rather than the people of this nation. In doing so, the Republicans waged an unconscionable campaign of outrageous fear mongering and outright lies. In addition to the lies and all of the procedural obstacles the Republicans erected, the Democrats also had to contend with the anti-abortion members of the Democratic Party. Like the Republicans, the anti-abortion Democrats used misinformation to push their agenda. Representative Bart Stupak and others insisted that the proposed bill did not prevent government funds from being used for abortions when the bill clearly did forbid the use of government funds for that purpose. This use of misinformation was a blatant attempt to further restrict abortion by preventing private insurance from paying for them. I found it odd that people like Bart Stupak could proclaim the morality of their agenda while using misinformation and holding the health of their fellow citizens hostage to that agenda. As Keith Olbermann points out, health care reform is literally a matter of life and death. It is estimated that forty thousand people died last year because their insurance carriers denied them coverage or because those carriers priced them out of the insurance market.
What this health care reform vote demonstrated is the basic decency of the people who truly want to serve their country. Bart Stupak and most of the other anti-abortion Democrats abandoned their campaign of misinformation. They also rejected the ends justifies the means argument of the lunatics who shoot doctors and bomb reproductive health clinics. Those anti-abortion congresspersons chose life! They voted for health care reform even though the reform was not all they wanted it to be. This took a lot of courage. It is going to cause trouble for them in their conservative districts. In fact, many of them risked their political careers to do the right thing. I really want to commend them for that. I have always been reluctant to use the “Pro-life” label because it implies that people who favor a woman’s right to choose are anti-life, and this issue is far too complex for that to be true. In this instance, however, I think that Bart Stupak and the other representatives who made such a sacrifice to do the right thing have earned that label. They are indeed pro-life. I will continue to oppose their efforts to restrict a woman’s choice, but they have more than earned my respect and my gratitude.
The difference between what those courageous Democrats did and what the Republicans are still doing could not be greater. The lock step partisanship of the members of the Republican Party is a clear indication that none of those elected representatives are following their consciences. They are not representing the people of this nation; they are representing a very powerful and greedy special interest. The Republicans are choosing huge campaign contributions over the health of their constituents. I hope they are enjoying those contributions because that money will not help them four years from now. By then the benefits of the Senate bill will be apparent even if the Republicans manage to defeat the badly needed fixes passed by the house. As the voters begin to reap the benefits of the reform they will remember who represented them and who represented the insurance industry. They will also resent the fear mongering and the lies of the politicians who failed to represent them. There is little doubt in my mind that the vast majority of the electorate will vote accordingly.
One has to wonder how the Republicans fell into this nihilistic trap. It does not and must not continue to be this way. Franklin Roosevelt’s progressive programs, including social security, inspired as much vitriol as the right wing is using today. There were, however, enough courageous and responsible Republicans to provide bipartisan support for the legislation needed to deal with the crises. The current polarization is not caused by the Democratic Party, which is trying to effectively deal with the problems now confronting us; rather it is caused by the irresponsible behavior of the Republican Party. Even a minority party must assume some responsibility for governing this great nation rather than trying to destroy a President who was elected by a very large majority of the people. To put it in terms the Republicans might be able to understand, they must abandon their unholy and self-righteous war. The people want and deserve a government that functions. They want a government that will provide leadership and will work to overcome the challenges we face. If one of the major parties is making it impossible for the government to provide that leadership and meet those challenges, the consequences for that party will be severe.
The fait of our two party system is now in the hands of the Republicans. If there are any brains left in that party, those intelligent people must take control. They must take a page out of Bill Clinton’s playbook and move their party toward the center. They must provide bipartisan support for the things that need to be done. If they do this, they will be able to take some of the credit for what we accomplish. If they fail to do this, we will need a third party to emerge and replace them. There will and should be some honest disagreements. If those disagreements lead to give and takes based on the facts, we will have a good government again.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Who Does The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Represent?
Tell the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to get stuffed! I know that is harsh, but they have it coming. Their campaign of lies against the health care reform bill is detrimental to your vital interests. One of the major factors putting our businesses at a disadvantage when competing with foreign companies is the price of health care insurance. All of our manufacturers complain about it. Yet here you have the U.S. Chamber of Commerce working against reforms that will help lower those costs. They are not promoting your interests; they are protecting the greedy practices of Anthem Blue Cross, et al. I picked Anthem Blue Cross as my example because they are trying to raise their rates in California by a whopping thirty-nine percent. If you look at the insurance carriers in your state, I am sure you will see equally egregious increases, and the insurance companies are raising their rates at the very time that they are reporting record profits. What more proof do you need that our health care system is in desperate need of reform?
The bottom line is that what is good for the economy is good for you. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce always rails against even the most reasonable regulation of any business, but who are we talking about regulating here? You are not the ones who engaged in the reckless behavior that almost threw us into another depression. You are not the ones who are denying health care to your fellow citizens and are jacking your rates up to the point that the cost of health care is draining our economy. The regulations we are talking about will not hinder your ability to make an honest profit. In fact, they will help you. The cost of health care is greatly decreasing the real income of your customers. The less they have to spend on goods and services the fewer products they can afford to purchase from people like you. It is not just the price you are paying for health care that is biting you; it is the price everyone is paying. It is in your interest to lower that price.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has always had this problem. They have always placed the interests of the giants ahead of the interests of everyone else. AIG, Anthem Blue Cross, and Goldman Sachs do not need their help. Those giants already employ highly paid lobbyists and are perfectly capable of telling their own lies. Health care reform is just the beginning of the battle to get our economy back on track. There are other very important reform measures coming up. We must have regulations that will prevent Wall Street and the banks from engaging in the dangerous practices that nearly caused another depression. Furthermore, we cannot allow banks to continue charging such high fees that checking accounts and credit cards have become more profitable for them than honest loans. Businesses need credit to grow. The untruthful advertisements the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is running against the health care reform bill is a clear indication that they will use the money you pay them to oppose all of those needed reforms. Doing so is not good for the economy or for you. You need to let the U.S. Chamber of Commerce know how you feel about them opposing your interests. The best way to do this is with your feet. Walk away from them, and give them the finger on your way out the door. Let them know that you will not pay them another dime as long as they oppose your interests!
The bottom line is that what is good for the economy is good for you. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce always rails against even the most reasonable regulation of any business, but who are we talking about regulating here? You are not the ones who engaged in the reckless behavior that almost threw us into another depression. You are not the ones who are denying health care to your fellow citizens and are jacking your rates up to the point that the cost of health care is draining our economy. The regulations we are talking about will not hinder your ability to make an honest profit. In fact, they will help you. The cost of health care is greatly decreasing the real income of your customers. The less they have to spend on goods and services the fewer products they can afford to purchase from people like you. It is not just the price you are paying for health care that is biting you; it is the price everyone is paying. It is in your interest to lower that price.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has always had this problem. They have always placed the interests of the giants ahead of the interests of everyone else. AIG, Anthem Blue Cross, and Goldman Sachs do not need their help. Those giants already employ highly paid lobbyists and are perfectly capable of telling their own lies. Health care reform is just the beginning of the battle to get our economy back on track. There are other very important reform measures coming up. We must have regulations that will prevent Wall Street and the banks from engaging in the dangerous practices that nearly caused another depression. Furthermore, we cannot allow banks to continue charging such high fees that checking accounts and credit cards have become more profitable for them than honest loans. Businesses need credit to grow. The untruthful advertisements the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is running against the health care reform bill is a clear indication that they will use the money you pay them to oppose all of those needed reforms. Doing so is not good for the economy or for you. You need to let the U.S. Chamber of Commerce know how you feel about them opposing your interests. The best way to do this is with your feet. Walk away from them, and give them the finger on your way out the door. Let them know that you will not pay them another dime as long as they oppose your interests!
Thursday, March 11, 2010
The Mandate
I hate to keep harping on the same subject, but I have to do it. The Democratic Party was given a mandate. With this mandate comes responsibility. The voters spoke loud and clear. They want and deserve significant changes that will solve the problems we face. The Democratic Party cannot afford to come up short. It cannot conduct business as usual. It must respond to that mandate by vigorously pressing its agenda. Attempts to include the Republican Party in coming up with solutions have been a dismal failure. Further attempts to compromise mean more delays and legislation that does not accomplish what needs to be done. I am not just speaking for the base of the party. Everyone who voted for President Obama knows that we are at a cross roads of our history. The challenges we face are grave. We must stand up and move forward. We must overcome the obstruction and irresponsible behavior of the Republican Party. We must draw a sharp contrast between what they represent and what we represent. We must be the party of the people rather than the party of the special interests.
The vast majority of people do not object to health care reform. What they object to is a bill that does not do what needs to be done. You cannot mandate insurance coverage for everyone without controlling the costs of that insurance. The surest way to control those costs is with a robust public insurance option. It is that simple. Similarly, we cannot have a lasting economic recovery and allow our financial institutions to indulge in the reckless practices that got us into this mess. We must have new regulations to prevent those irresponsible practices. Those regulations cannot be watered down tokens that look good but are easily circumvented. We cannot allow banks to charge such outrageous fees that checking accounts are more profitable than honest loans. Small businesses and prospective home buyers need those loans. It is also time to put an end to the predatory practices of the credit card companies and other big businesses. Our government must reclaim its legitimate role as the honest referee who keeps unethical and powerful interests from taking unfair advantage of the people of this nation.
I know that change is never easy. I can understand the trepidation of the blue dog Democrats, but being a good politician means more then merely getting elected. Politicians have a duty to govern well. They have a duty to represent the best interests of their constituents and this nation. Their constituents may not understand the proposed changes. They may be afraid of what they will get, but they certainly know what have been getting thus far. And what they have been getting is a major reaming! No responsible politician should ignore that! It is time to show some moral courage. It is time to get out there and sell your constituents on the changes that have to be made. Future historians will judge you by your efforts to do that. They who serve their country well do not do what is easy; they do what is right!
The vast majority of people do not object to health care reform. What they object to is a bill that does not do what needs to be done. You cannot mandate insurance coverage for everyone without controlling the costs of that insurance. The surest way to control those costs is with a robust public insurance option. It is that simple. Similarly, we cannot have a lasting economic recovery and allow our financial institutions to indulge in the reckless practices that got us into this mess. We must have new regulations to prevent those irresponsible practices. Those regulations cannot be watered down tokens that look good but are easily circumvented. We cannot allow banks to charge such outrageous fees that checking accounts are more profitable than honest loans. Small businesses and prospective home buyers need those loans. It is also time to put an end to the predatory practices of the credit card companies and other big businesses. Our government must reclaim its legitimate role as the honest referee who keeps unethical and powerful interests from taking unfair advantage of the people of this nation.
I know that change is never easy. I can understand the trepidation of the blue dog Democrats, but being a good politician means more then merely getting elected. Politicians have a duty to govern well. They have a duty to represent the best interests of their constituents and this nation. Their constituents may not understand the proposed changes. They may be afraid of what they will get, but they certainly know what have been getting thus far. And what they have been getting is a major reaming! No responsible politician should ignore that! It is time to show some moral courage. It is time to get out there and sell your constituents on the changes that have to be made. Future historians will judge you by your efforts to do that. They who serve their country well do not do what is easy; they do what is right!
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Where Has Public Service Gone?
Believe it or not, I do not like railing against the Republican Party every week. Do not misunderstand what I am saying here. I am a registered Democrat, and I would still present arguments. I would still tell you why I think the Republicans are wrong about particular issues. Doing so is a vital part of our system. An honest debate is healthy. Even in an honest debate, however, both sides will exaggerate, embellish, and try to get you to ignore facts that do not support their arguments. That is to be expected. Part of the reason why debates are important is because both sides will point out when their opponent is exaggerating, embellishing or ignoring facts. There was a time when elected officials called themselves public servants. They had an appreciation of our history, and they were concerned about how future historians would view them. They were not overly combative for the mere sake of partisanship, and they tried to avoid telling outright lies because they knew those lies would be exposed. It was, after all, a time when a high value was placed on education, science and knowledge. It was a time when the news media was expected to provide a public service by imparting accurate information and by presenting the facts in a fair and impartial manner. Whatever happened to this concept of public service?
I am not just waxing nostalgic here. I realize our politicians were never perfect. The Republican Party has always had a problem with the lunatic right. We can see it in the witch hunts of Senator Joe McCArthy, and we can see it in some of the extremists who supported Barry Goldwater. The Democratic Party also had its extremists on the left. The difference between then and now is that honest reporters, like Edward R. Murrow, eventually stepped up to the plate to expose Senator McCarthy, and other reporters, like Walter Cronkite, exposed the lunacy of the extremists on both sides of the political spectrum. That seems to have gone by the wayside. Today the main stream media seems to be going beyond all reason to avoid offending people buying the products they advertise, and you have other media types serving up partisan slop without any regard for the facts. The bottom line is that politicians have become so contentious that public service and reason have been forgotten. Why should liberals like me and the good people of MSNBC be the only ones who are pointing out the obvious lies, blatant hypocrisy, outrageous vitriol, and the absurd conspiracy theories that are used to whip up the fears of people who will not check the facts. Where are the moderates who should be demanding public service from their representatives and Senators? And why are they not demanding more information and honest debates of the issues so vital to our country?
I should not have to give you examples, but I will. The Washington Post ran an article by Orin Hatch ranting about the Democratic Party’s use of the reconciliation process to pass health care reform. Mr. Hatch’s rant was obviously disingenuous and hypocritical. We know this because he supported the use of reconciliation to pass bills favored by the administration of George W. Bush. Yet this respected newspaper let the rant stand without even mentioning Mr. Hatch’s support of reconciliation in the past. Ideally, the Post should have run an editorial discussing the reconciliation process and the filibuster rule that is making both parties resort to reconciliation. At the very least, the Post should have pointed out Mr. Hatch’s inconsistency in regard to reconciliation. This example is a minor when compared with what the Washington Times did. The Washington Times ran an editorial by Kerry Picket. In this editorial Mr. Picket stated that the Missile Defense logo bears a striking resemblance to the Iranian Space Agency logo, the Obama Presidential Campaign logo and the Pepsi Cola logo. Mr. Picket opined that even if the resemblance between the Obama campaign logo and the Missile Defense logo was inadvertent, the Missile Defense logo should not be allowed to resemble the campaign logo. What Mr. Picket did not reveal is that the Missile Defense logo was designed and approved during the administration of George W. Bush. The omission of this vital piece of information creates the impression of one more absurd conspiracy theory. I am expecting Glen Beck to embrace that theory at any moment.
The examples I have given are only examples of what the print media is doing. Television is even worse. This contention that there is a liberal media bias is nothing more than poisoning the well. It is an attempt to disparage the source enough to make people ignore the information. If you are stupid enough to indulge in the mind rot of Fox, there is no hope for you. The vast majority of the people in this great nation want the facts so that they can make informed decisions. They should not have to go to liberal organizations like MSNBC in order to get those facts. The facts are what they are. They can be verified and confirmed. Responsible people will acknowledge them and argue over what they mean in regard to our policies and actions. The liberals are presently much better about doing that than the conservatives are. There are still some conservatives who are responsible enough to do it, but it is becoming increasingly difficult to find them. Most conservatives are too busy pandering to the Fox noise crowd. You deserve better than that. Regardless of whether you are a liberal, a conservative, or a moderate, you deserve more information and that information must be accurate.
We need to bring back the concepts of journalistic integrity and public service. The facts must be exposed for all to see, and we must base our decisions on what is real rather than on what we merely imagine or are inclined to believe because of some ideology.
I am not just waxing nostalgic here. I realize our politicians were never perfect. The Republican Party has always had a problem with the lunatic right. We can see it in the witch hunts of Senator Joe McCArthy, and we can see it in some of the extremists who supported Barry Goldwater. The Democratic Party also had its extremists on the left. The difference between then and now is that honest reporters, like Edward R. Murrow, eventually stepped up to the plate to expose Senator McCarthy, and other reporters, like Walter Cronkite, exposed the lunacy of the extremists on both sides of the political spectrum. That seems to have gone by the wayside. Today the main stream media seems to be going beyond all reason to avoid offending people buying the products they advertise, and you have other media types serving up partisan slop without any regard for the facts. The bottom line is that politicians have become so contentious that public service and reason have been forgotten. Why should liberals like me and the good people of MSNBC be the only ones who are pointing out the obvious lies, blatant hypocrisy, outrageous vitriol, and the absurd conspiracy theories that are used to whip up the fears of people who will not check the facts. Where are the moderates who should be demanding public service from their representatives and Senators? And why are they not demanding more information and honest debates of the issues so vital to our country?
I should not have to give you examples, but I will. The Washington Post ran an article by Orin Hatch ranting about the Democratic Party’s use of the reconciliation process to pass health care reform. Mr. Hatch’s rant was obviously disingenuous and hypocritical. We know this because he supported the use of reconciliation to pass bills favored by the administration of George W. Bush. Yet this respected newspaper let the rant stand without even mentioning Mr. Hatch’s support of reconciliation in the past. Ideally, the Post should have run an editorial discussing the reconciliation process and the filibuster rule that is making both parties resort to reconciliation. At the very least, the Post should have pointed out Mr. Hatch’s inconsistency in regard to reconciliation. This example is a minor when compared with what the Washington Times did. The Washington Times ran an editorial by Kerry Picket. In this editorial Mr. Picket stated that the Missile Defense logo bears a striking resemblance to the Iranian Space Agency logo, the Obama Presidential Campaign logo and the Pepsi Cola logo. Mr. Picket opined that even if the resemblance between the Obama campaign logo and the Missile Defense logo was inadvertent, the Missile Defense logo should not be allowed to resemble the campaign logo. What Mr. Picket did not reveal is that the Missile Defense logo was designed and approved during the administration of George W. Bush. The omission of this vital piece of information creates the impression of one more absurd conspiracy theory. I am expecting Glen Beck to embrace that theory at any moment.
The examples I have given are only examples of what the print media is doing. Television is even worse. This contention that there is a liberal media bias is nothing more than poisoning the well. It is an attempt to disparage the source enough to make people ignore the information. If you are stupid enough to indulge in the mind rot of Fox, there is no hope for you. The vast majority of the people in this great nation want the facts so that they can make informed decisions. They should not have to go to liberal organizations like MSNBC in order to get those facts. The facts are what they are. They can be verified and confirmed. Responsible people will acknowledge them and argue over what they mean in regard to our policies and actions. The liberals are presently much better about doing that than the conservatives are. There are still some conservatives who are responsible enough to do it, but it is becoming increasingly difficult to find them. Most conservatives are too busy pandering to the Fox noise crowd. You deserve better than that. Regardless of whether you are a liberal, a conservative, or a moderate, you deserve more information and that information must be accurate.
We need to bring back the concepts of journalistic integrity and public service. The facts must be exposed for all to see, and we must base our decisions on what is real rather than on what we merely imagine or are inclined to believe because of some ideology.
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