Health Care Protests
So I've been irked by the town hall crashers, but until recently I gave it a pass. You know, free speech and all that Americana. But I started to listen a bit more to their chants, slogans and gripes and it hit me. First, let's take a step back: health care in America is abysmal. There's no arguing it. Anyone who says otherwise hasn't spent much time in the system.
Earlier in the decade I remember a doctor telling me it was standard procedure for insurance companies to deny or question the initial request for care. He told me this to explain why he listed some of my symptoms as chronic. "Its just the game we play." The majority of people close to my age, under thirty and out of college, can't afford coverage. If you find yourself roped out of corporate America then you should know the difficulties to find care. And of course, should you actually need significant medical attention, the insurers waste no quarter finding loop holes to deny assistance.
Its a broken system no matter how you slice it.
Protesters are generally a sign of vigorous debate, and a health care reform deserves that kind of conversation. But after listening to the opposition, the protesters sound more like rank agitators.
Their stated goal is not to influence the direction of debate but to shut debate down.
This I can't stand. The system is broken, there won't be a better moment to pass sweeping reforms that can give Americans decent health care for generations, in fact the topic of reform only comes up every fifteen years or so. This is the chance.
It pains me greatly to see people hoisting posters of Obama with a Hitler mustache instead of advocating opposing legislation. There's no good excuse. Republicans and opposition have outsized influence in the bipartisan minded Obama administration. Look at how much sway the three Republican senators held over the stimulus plan just by playing the game.
Therefore I'm afraid I can't give any sympathy to the town hall crashers... etc...
Earlier in the decade I remember a doctor telling me it was standard procedure for insurance companies to deny or question the initial request for care. He told me this to explain why he listed some of my symptoms as chronic. "Its just the game we play." The majority of people close to my age, under thirty and out of college, can't afford coverage. If you find yourself roped out of corporate America then you should know the difficulties to find care. And of course, should you actually need significant medical attention, the insurers waste no quarter finding loop holes to deny assistance.
Its a broken system no matter how you slice it.
Protesters are generally a sign of vigorous debate, and a health care reform deserves that kind of conversation. But after listening to the opposition, the protesters sound more like rank agitators.
Their stated goal is not to influence the direction of debate but to shut debate down.
This I can't stand. The system is broken, there won't be a better moment to pass sweeping reforms that can give Americans decent health care for generations, in fact the topic of reform only comes up every fifteen years or so. This is the chance.
It pains me greatly to see people hoisting posters of Obama with a Hitler mustache instead of advocating opposing legislation. There's no good excuse. Republicans and opposition have outsized influence in the bipartisan minded Obama administration. Look at how much sway the three Republican senators held over the stimulus plan just by playing the game.
Therefore I'm afraid I can't give any sympathy to the town hall crashers... etc...