Health Care - Worth Taking the Time to Fix
Yesterday, thankfully, it was announced that the health care bill will not be voted on before the August recess despite President Obama's time table to do so. (You can't blame the Republicans anymore, the Democrats have a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate so all the delays are from their disagreements) This is only a good thing, in my opinion, no matter what side you stand on.
If health care is as important an issue as it is claimed, then we the American people deserve for any bill promising reform to have had the time devoted to it to try and ensure it is well thought out. There are many issues yet to have been addressed, including how much exactly this will cost, how we will pay for it, who and how covered procedures and medicines will be determined, what sacrifices we will have to make, (and there will be, despite vague answers) and more. This are not easy and light issues. As of yet, I have not heard satisfactory answers to these questions. His news conference Wednesday certainly failed to offer them. To try and push such a bill through without these questions having been addressed and explained to the American people, who should have a chance to respond, was ludicrous on the part of the President.
The problems of our nations health care have been around and developing for years. How then can you argue that a bill must be passed so quickly, that a couple more months cannot be given to try and ensure the bill is good? Many point to President Bush as having used the politics of fear to push through legislation in the wake of 9/11. I point to President Obama as using the politics of fear to push through health care and other legislation that dramatically changes the nature and role of our government. Obama is afraid if he doesn't get his bill passed soon, Americans will begin to realize that it isn't the silver bullet he promised. The economic crisis that burst forth open last October was not related to health care. (it was caused by over-borrowing, and is being fixed by over-borrowing) And yet, the President seems to connect the two and use the financial crisis as a pretext for rushing through health care reform. If President Bush used fear tactics, President Obama has used them from the beginning of his presidency.
If health care is as important an issue as it is claimed, then we the American people deserve for any bill promising reform to have had the time devoted to it to try and ensure it is well thought out. There are many issues yet to have been addressed, including how much exactly this will cost, how we will pay for it, who and how covered procedures and medicines will be determined, what sacrifices we will have to make, (and there will be, despite vague answers) and more. This are not easy and light issues. As of yet, I have not heard satisfactory answers to these questions. His news conference Wednesday certainly failed to offer them. To try and push such a bill through without these questions having been addressed and explained to the American people, who should have a chance to respond, was ludicrous on the part of the President.
The problems of our nations health care have been around and developing for years. How then can you argue that a bill must be passed so quickly, that a couple more months cannot be given to try and ensure the bill is good? Many point to President Bush as having used the politics of fear to push through legislation in the wake of 9/11. I point to President Obama as using the politics of fear to push through health care and other legislation that dramatically changes the nature and role of our government. Obama is afraid if he doesn't get his bill passed soon, Americans will begin to realize that it isn't the silver bullet he promised. The economic crisis that burst forth open last October was not related to health care. (it was caused by over-borrowing, and is being fixed by over-borrowing) And yet, the President seems to connect the two and use the financial crisis as a pretext for rushing through health care reform. If President Bush used fear tactics, President Obama has used them from the beginning of his presidency.
posted by Gregarious at 6:02 PM
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