I tried (not too diligently, I might add) to find the video to put on my blog but didn't find it. Either way, the gist of it was that Obama is being secret ("informal"). He continues to counter that Obama's campaign comments of keeping it all out in the open were simply for election purposes. Cafferty then goes on to bash Nancy Pelosi, who I have no idea who is. Wow, I feel so left out of the loop! But then, it's difficult to follow all the political nonsense anyway (with so-and-so disliking so-and-so because of such-and-such proposal that is unfair to the whos-and-whatsits and government is TAKING OVER! all that nonsense).
Now, I don't know much about the health care reform bill and I admit that I probably should. It has all been rather confusing to me. I personally am for a national health care program, such as can be found in Sweden or Britain or Canada. I feel that, as a society, it is the responsibility of everyone to care for every one else. The taxes that working people would pay for the health care would provide care for those who cannot work (such as the young, elderly, severely handicapped and ill). Like I said, I do not know the details of the Obama health care deal so I can't say it's good, bad, or ugly.
I haven't, however, spoken to one person who feels that his proposed health care is a good thing. But, not one of those people have given me a specific detail as to why it is bad. I suppose I will just have to try to keep up a bit better so that I might have an idea as to what's going on.
The video, though, if you can find it, was aired on CNN, and has some interesting language. I say interesting but it's not like there was profanity. It just didn't seem like a normal newscaster's speech. It's been so long since I have watched the news and such so I was a bit surprised to hear how he talked- on public television. But then I was shocked, beyond words, when I watched President Obama make a statement, on national television, and he wasn't wearing a ... tie. Perhaps I'm a bit old fashioned in this respect, eh? I don't know.
I can tell you a few reasons that so many people are up in arms with Obama's plan. I'm not usually one to discuss politics because you can't usually change anyones mind, you just make yourself angry. But here are the reasons I feel it is wrong.
ReplyDelete1. If you don't purchase health insurance, the government can and will impose a fine. If you don't pay the fine, you can go to jail.
2. As I understand it, if you don't have insurance after a certain date, you will not be able to buy it privately. You will have to go through the government and go with the insurance that they provide.
3. Medicare and Social Security are bankrupt. If the system that is already in place is already bankrupt, where is that going to leave the new system, the people on it, and the people paying for it?
4. In the 'old' bill, there was a provision for the government to provide money for abortions. Whether it is in there now or not, who knows. The bill wasn't allowed to be read until it was voted on.
5. Canada and Britain have both had citizens and representatives on the news telling us that this is a bad idea. Both have waiting lists for life-saving procedures. I will take longer for some to reach the top of that list than they have to live. The system that is in place is too taxing and cannot fulfill the needs of the people it is there to help.
6. America was built on capitalism, not socialism. I don't want the government deciding when and where I can see the doctor. I don't want them deciding what procedures I can have and what I can't.
*Now, please, don't get me wrong. I think the system needs a huge overhaul. I just don't think this is the way to get it. We have gone from Uncle Sam to Uncle Scam.
I hope that none of this came off sounding argumentative. That was not my intention. You had mentioned that nobody had given specific details, so I thought I could shed some light.
Thank you so much Paula!! I really appreciate what you have said. I can't argue for or against it because like I said, I don't know enough (next to nothing, I am afraid) about it. Thank you!
ReplyDeletePaula, I'm totally with you. I was going to explain some of what you touched but I couldn't have done a better job.
ReplyDeleteBlossom, our system no doubt needs reform, but what the president has managed to pass is not the solution. It has a superficial appeal (we'll get everybody covered), but the underlying way of doing it and the price to pay are not well explained.
For one thing, not even politicians and lawyers know at this point all the plan involves, they are still 'deciphering', but we know very well the FRAME and the MAIN points, and with that knowledge we can form an opinion. As you say, by reading the general points that Paula describes, one can see how this is a very expensive and limiting option that is only going to leave our 'health credit card' so to speak in the hands of the government who is in return going to 'impose' how we get health care.
In Europe when I'm from, medicine is for everybody. Great, right? NO. The government only has so much money that after they take it in concept of taxes from you they redistribute for medical care. Are you with me? Then hospitals have quotas, meaning after certain number of operations, government is not paying more, so you get a line for your surgery. If you are not too ill you wait, and if you are very ill you wait too ;-) My MIL is currently waiting four or six weeks for some injections in her eye because she had blood clots. That's not urgent, no doctor is available before that time.
Secondly a doctor yesterday on the radio explained the new health care plan is FORCING them to belong to groups because the requirements and paperwork to practice under the new plan are too much to keep up with if you are in a small practice. Again we see a socialistic measure, as when they did away with small merchants because they are not competitive, and forced everyone to be more of a Walmart kind of guy. We are going to have the same, big hospitals and no specialized and small private doctors anymore, they have to go under the 'umbrella' of the big brother hospital which will do things 'again' the way big government imposes, not necessarily the way they, after all their years and expertise believe medicine should be practiced.
They should have REALLY liberated medicine, not take full control of it. Do you know that right now we don't get to treat directly with the doctors, and that's the problem. Our insurance pays and we don't really know what we pay and for what. And we are even limited to some insurance companies, and that's part of the problem. If we had a company as we have car insurance, and we could be free to shop for health insurance, the market will take care of itself, as it's the case with the car or any other insurance where we know which is our company, the service it gives, and how much we pay and what covers.
Another good measure will be to put those high risk or with expensive condition patients in a 'national pool' so it will compensate instead of in a group of 100 people 96 pay high insurance because 4 happen to have expensive treatments, that's why those who are not in big corporation jobs have to pay so much for their insurance. There is where the government SHOULD do something so they will pay a normal average money for their health care.
People should be taxed the same for insurance, and right now we are unequally taxed as well.
After this plan they will tax you and you'll see in your restaurant check an additional 4% tax so the employer can pay the employee. All the services and products will increase to accommodate that new payment. So we will pay taxes and business and product taxes so they can in return pay the government for all to be covered for what they want us to be covered and treated.
Like Paula, I don't want to sound argumentative, I just wanted to express 'some' of why I know this government is not out to HELP people but to CONTROL people, and I've heard senators use that word OPENLY, believe me.
Thank you, Silvia. I appreciate your input into this. It makes much more sense now why this is a bad idea! I took a sociology class (two actually) the last few months and it seems to me that sociologists are promoting almost total government control in all aspects of our lives, in an attempt to make our lives 'better'. But as you two have shown, it's not always going to turn out for the 'better'.
ReplyDeleteI really like Thomas Jefferson's statement: "A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have". People (like me!) need to be informed more as to the programs and policies that they are enamored with from other countries- how are they really and truly affecting the people- before trying to implement it here. One thing I kept saying in my sociology classes is that this is the United States, this is not Britain, or Sweden, or Canada...the things that 'work' there will not necessarily 'work' here.
Thank you again, Silvia and Paula for your words.
And as you point, we Americans have always stood out for our free thinking, truly responsible way of life. The French at the time of our Independence admired our nature of really working and being what we wanted to 'be', not limited by position (nobility or not) in the social rank, or by contacts. Another thing we have and other countries not that pronounced it's our generosity. We are a charitable nation, with people who GIVE. That's because most of us are believers.
ReplyDeleteIn Europe atheism is rampant and with it demoralization, depression, and SOCIAL CO DEPENDENCY, people learn to live depending from the government and now look at Greece, they have collapsed and are asking the European Union for a 'bail out'.
The moment it's more 'profitable' to not work and ask, than to work and be responsible (relying in God ultimately) for you and your family, you have people who have sold their freedom for security, and that security is a false impression because as you say, the government ends up taking it ALL.
Some people in this government TRULY think they know better than each of us, and we, the Americans who believe in our founding fathers, like that beautiful quote from Jefferson, do not think other human knows more or better than us, but we believe that truly GOD created us equals in freedom, not equals in riches or abilities. Some have a problem with that, we don't. If my neighbor is rich why does he have to distribute his riches. I trust that he will do good with his money, if not, it's very much his problem. The government SHOULD help us have fair rules in the capitalistic game, not try to change the game completely. If you read the Bible there's always been the poor, the rich, the hard worker, the lazy, and God never said we have to provide for any. He provides for us, we serve Him, and we do good.
I don't really like the idea of others managing my health, my paycheck, my life, and redistributing what we so hard work for to be and have.
You know that in recent years in America next to nothing was paid in taxes, but in a few years (and rapidly with this government) we are escalating to a highly taxed nation (such as Canada, many European countries). And how badly managed that money is, it always ends up in the hands of those who lie and fake to get those benefits.
I'm so glad you are taking classes and educating yourself.
I have to go, but I conclude telling you that when I was in my twenties in Madrid, I was a socialist, because it sounded to me that they wanted the BEST for others, until I came to live to the States, became an American citizen and now I can tell with pride that I come from that line of thinking as the FOUNDING FATHERS envisioned this country of ours, and having been there and here, and how our government now wants to be more like them instead of vice versa, is not very hopeful to see.
But I have HOPE. I know there are MANY who still have the guts to think and you may disagree with me, but bring forth honest arguments and we will have a conversation to educate each other. You know how Jefferson and Adams differ in many things, but they both shared this freedom of thought and basic understanding of responsibility, honor, hard work. I don't see that much more in the elite of politicians, but I still see it in the common people.