I don’t blog much, but I saw this on washingtonpost.com , and posted a comment about it. Since the Post and/or it’s author evidently doesn’t like criticism and didn’t post my comment, I’m putting here.
http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/guestvoices/2009/08/honoring_kennedys_health_care_legacy.html
This was the essence of my reply:
Dear Mr. Gehring and Washington Post:
Shame on you for trying to use Senator Kennedy’s passing to guilt people into supporting your leftist, irresponsible agenda. For weeks Americans who dared to question or disagree with the goverment’s plan, or even, had the temerity to ask for details about how this 1500 page multitrillion dollar behemoth would even work, got called “mobsters” “unamerican” “nazis” and so on. Even aside from the fact that blithely calling those who don’t agree with or question you “nazis”, which totally disgregards how evil and monstrous TRUE nazis were (these were folks that would carry jewish babies to the roofs of hospitals, and throw them off while soldiers down below would try to catch them on their bayonets, for fun), any public official that forgets they are not kings an queens, but people that WORK FOR US, should be tossed out in the next election if not sooner.
Anyway, Mr. Gehring, to hide behind your orginization in order to preach your lefitist views, then try to guilt us into what you want, is shameful. And to you Washington Post, you should be ashamed for publishing it. First, I would like to remind you of a simple fact. Americans DO NOT OPPOSE HEALTH CARE REFORM! We are simply nervous of, and questioning the details of, this plan that is, in our view, being pushed through in a rush, without careful consideration of the costs, the consequences, and the effect on our already damaged enconomy. Most of the lawmakers, and the president himself, ADMIT they don’t know the details of how this plan in its final incarnation, will even work! Further, what’s the rush? Even if this thing is ratified it won’t take effect until 2013!
Mr Gehring, and Washington Post, I would like to ask a few questions that, for reasons that I don’t understand none of the lawmakers or the president have answered. First, instead of creating another gigantic goverment office, why not amend and give better oversight to the programs already in place? Remember when Medicare, formerly for 65 and older only, was amemded to cover the disabled? Next, the entitlements we have now, which in fairness, should be preserved, are already in severe financial trouble. Why would we create a new one costing, probably trillions, that we will not have to spend–we can’t really cover the programs we have now! Where will this money come from? Hello? The simple fact is, if Medicare was not a federal program (e.g. they can “print money”), it would have folded years ago. How will we pay for a new entitlement? Taxes? With so many peoople not working, how’s that going to work? They cant pay taxes now! “Make the “rich” pay just a little more?” The “rich” carry the brunt of the tax burden already. Do you know what happens when it gets really intolerable? They leave their state for one more “business friendly” or they “outsoruce” most of their manufacturing and support to countries where labor costs are lower. Oops. Thanks Senators, looks like you lost us enough jobs already with your taxes.
Finally here’s my last question. For true “health care reform,” why doesn’t our beloved big goverment step in, have meeting with big insurance, big pharma, and, for example, REGULATE them, e.g. no more uncapped premiums, no denial for “pre existing conditions” enable consumers in every state to purchase basic health care policies at group rates, (a true “co op” model that leaves the goverment OUT), require reasonable tort reform, and so on? Look Senators you regulate every other part of our lives—you tell us where we can smoke, who we can marry, how much “trans fat” is to be in our food, the type size of fonts on hospital ID badges, what sort of light bulbs we should be buying and on and on and on. Why can’t you regualte the insurance industry to give the people a fighting chance? Oh, drat I forgot, they pay you too much money. How will you pay for that G5 and your mistresses’ pearls, if you shut them out?
Finally, here’s my comment. Shame on you Mr. Gehring, Washing Post, other big media, and other folks on the left, for attempting to invoke the name of a great man who isn’t even BURIED yet, to guilt or manipulate us into suddenly backing something you know damn well that most americans do not support at this time. Mr Kennedy himself would proably be ashamed of you. Though many people disagreed with him on politics he was a geat man, who truly believed in what he favored, that what he espoused would be better for America, and he served this country selfllessly for almost 50 years. He is loved and respected and you should be ashamed for cheaping his memory like this.
Besides it won’t work–you don’t want to hear this I know, but most Americans are still sort of centrist, and a bit conservative. Mr. Kennedy simply was not that influential on the larger national stage, great as he was, as far as something like this. Everyone is not like the folks in San Francisco and New York City. Sure your ploy will work there, but not for most of America. I’ll say it just once more, shame on you. And Mr Gerhing, trying to bring the churceh into it, I have a final question for you, sir: What would Jesus say?
Bruce W