First off, let me apologize for the length of this post. It’s a complex thought that’s taken a long time to form. As such, I’m probably leaving out a good chunk of it. I hope you enjoy the read, and while you may or may not agree with my point of view, I hope it will help you be better informed so we can all make better choices, me included. It’s all summed up pretty well in the last paragraph, but that probably makes more sense if you read it all. Sorry for the rambling…
So I have been a little under the weather since last Wednesday. So my plans for the weekend? Eat, sleep, and when I can’t sleep, be lazy. That equates to watching TV. National pastime right? I know. So what did I watch? Normally I’d say it’s not important, but it all feeds into the thought I want to share later on. Now, I must also say, I was disheartened to hear that the House had passed a “Healthcare Reform” bill. I’ll explain why I was disheartened later in the post. In summary though: It doesn’t reform healthcare, but insurance, and doesn’t address the underlying issues, and is thus doomed for failure (again, I’ll address it later on).
The first show was from the History channel. It was focused on the Berlin Wall and it’s history. It shared how the wall was built, how it evolved, and chronicled different stories on how people would sneak across to their freedom. It then detailed how the regime crumbled and how the people came flooding through. The joy on their faces was undeniable. While I remember that day, I think I was a little too young to understand the importance of it. One of the statements of a man who made it across before the wall fell really stuck out. To paraphrase:
“Those who have freedom don’t know what it means. You can’t know what it means until you don’t have it. There is nothing more important then one’s freedom.”
Ok, so that really butchers his statement, but gets the point across.
Next was an episode of Home Makeover. Cheesy I know. But it’s amazing to see how people’s lives can change so drastically when a few people come together to serve their fellow man. It gives one hope in humanity.
Finally was a documentary following the rise, the deception, and the greed that was Enron and it’s fall. It talked about how the company was ran, what it did, how it made it’s money, how it killed itself, and some of the fallout from the whole debacle. Really quite sad. Again, a general feeling came from watching it. It was amazing what people are willing to do in order to serve their own short term self interest. Rather then act ethically and set a long term sustainable organization in place that could carry them for the long run, they built a short term sinking ship because it could line their pockets faster. It didn’t matter to them who they hurt or how they did it, as long as they got what they wanted. It was a sad and depressing show. One of the tenants that they focused on was how they continued a dog and pony show to keep the wool pulled over everyone’s eyes so they could run their scheme. Even worse, its something they couldn’t have done on their own. Instead it took other companies and people helping them. Everything from auditors, banks, government officials, lawmakers, and much more for it all to shake out the way it did. Why’d they go along? Again, for their own short term benefit. No wonder cooperate America has a black eye.
Now, I want to talk about the healthcare bill. While I agree the industry could use a overhaul, I don’t think the current methodology is the correct methodology. Let me first discuss the bill and issues with it, then I’ll tie it all together…
What’s the main argument for the reform? The healthcare industry is broken, charges too much, and as such roughly one third of American’s can’t afford healthcare. I have to assume the question was then asked, why can’t more American’s afford healthcare? Well, the answer was simple, they can’t afford insurance, so we’ll make that more affordable. It appears that no one asked the correct question of “why can’t more Americans afford insurance?” After asking such a question, I’m sure there would still be some reform for the insurance industry, but the majority of the reform would have been focused on such things as:
- Getting more people into the medical field to increase the number of doctors and nurses.
- Address the high cost of medicine.
- Address the high cost of medical equipment.
- Address issues with medical malpractice.
I’m sure there’s more, but that’s just scratching the surface. As is, I’m already watching insurance costs go up without the reform, I can only imagine how much it will go up with the bill in it’s current state… Besides, a lot of people say, insurance is paying it, so I’m not. So I simply have to ask, where’s the insurance company (or government) get the money to pay for it? That’s right, from you’re pocket.
My next issue is simply on the handling and spin surrounding the bill. It doesn’t matter if you are in favor of reform or not, but it seems as if those who don’t agree with certain measures such as the public option where automatically labeled as being against America and the poor who can’t afford healthcare. I find that sentiment to be appalling and insulting. What happened to having a healthy debate?
Speaking of debate… So since when is it a healthy debate when a bill stalls for months with little or no movement, then all of a sudden a few days of push gets it through. It simply shows a lack of knowledge or of caring of all the finer points of the issues. If an issue is big enough to be worth spending $1 Trillion+ on, then it’s worth more then a few months of trite banter and then a week of pushing it through because you wont have the votes next year. heck, if it’s worth that much, maybe it should take a couple of years of experts working on it to get it right, or at least break it down into smaller more digestible chunks. If it was a good bill, wouldn’t there be people from all parties supporting it instead of an almost strictly party line vote? (more on that question later) How much analysis has been done to see what it would and would not affect. What are the side effects? Both positive and negative. Even being truthful about the downsides to the reform would give one more confidence. It can’t be all roses.
A simple one: How in the world are we going to pay for it?
One more issue. Minor as it may be. Next time, call it what it is. It’s not a healthcare reform bill, but a insurance reform bill. Don’t be insulting and try the switch and bait. I’d imagine the more people realize what it is addressing (once they get past the name) would have issue with it as well… Maybe that’s where the name came from.
Ok, so what does this all mean? What do a few random shows and a House bill have in common? Why should we care? Why not turn it all off and just watch some good ol’ football (like I am now while I write this…).
I think it has to do with the perception and the treatment of the citizens of the US and how they are being treated. Not just by the government, but by corporate America as well. While there are many who are just trying to do what is right, to lift up their fellow man, there are many who are acting more on their own short term interests. They are willing to sell their morals in order to gain what they see to be fame and power. They have forgotten what Freedom means. They have forgotten how important it is to protect. As such, they are willing to make decisions that will impact our freedom from here on out, whether it is our financial, political, or any other freedom. Rather then focus on what is right, what will add and make the country better, they focus on the quick vote, the quick buck, and the sound bite that comes with it. Much like Enron, they are willing to sell the lie, and do it well enough that everyone will believe it, no matter what the cost. This I believe, is a direct attack on the threads that we must protect to keep this country great.