It’s a bit hard nowadays to like a politician. Why should we? We are being pummeled with innudendo, govspeak and lies that would color every one with the same dark umber that means we cannot trust them to do the work we sent them to do. The French rose up with pictchforks and guillotines to solve their bad treatment of the masses. And that begs the same question, are we headed for that kind of determination?
But, let me not make sweeping condemnations, since there are some that deserve real kudos for trying to sort out the good and pass it on to the people.
The problem is that we should be able to give those same kudos to ALL the people in government. Why are we assaulted by the Stupaks, the Rangels, the Inhofes, who have all stated in one way or another that the only rules are theirs, and that all should bend in the hot wind and settle on the discomforts they offer.
Our good republic is daily marred by the commentators who fashion all news in grossly distorted terms, beating the dead horse of past presidents and others, when they should be offering well-conceived remedies for the problems apparent. The arousal of angst is their curse upon mankind. They are supposedly blessed with good information which they, to a man/woman, turn bad. Ann Coulter, Sean Hannity, Bill O’Reilly, Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh and their many spawn delight in turning up the hate and giving ulcers to the common man in the street. Nothing is as bad as these doomsday prophets would have you believe. So while they laugh all the way to the bank, you call your doctor for feelings of depression and a psychosomatic illness you cannot fathom.
Where is the firm ground the medical industry once stood upon? Perhaps it is not one doctor, cost adjuster, insurance firm, hospital or Medicare administrator—but taken as a whole and each justifying the filthy lucre needs of the other, the system is a whirling gig of cyclic inflations that are killing the American public, and a Congress that is trying to wrestle the whole stinking mess to the ground.
Can we step back and take a deep breath? Can we return to the civility of the past? Is there a Democrat or Republican among us who will rise above the name-calling, the demagoguery and the mob enthusiasm?
Is there still respect for life? Is there enough love among us to allow us to drop the guns, step down from our moral high ground and shake hands? Are we so sure of ourselves that we can treat other humans like animals, and not expect that same kind of treatment in return? Is what we brought about in the past 200 years all so cheap we can just throw it away?
Whoopeedo
In your list of haters you forgot to include Ed Schultz, Al Franken, Janean Garofalo, Doug Basham…there are many others, but your focus on conservative talk is no surprise to me… only you guys can voice your discontent with the government, when we do it we are spreading hate…. Am I right?
The sad fact is that the talking heads regardless of their political affiliation use the political rabble as a means of entertainment for their own monetary gain. When the news anchors are paid millions and live in 10,000 sq ft or larger mansions within the enclaves of the political powers of the DC beltway there will never be any sincere nonobjective reporting. All I know is that the health care industry is completely out of control regarding costs and if nothing is done shortly we will be soon in deep shit.
This from London today about health care, Gunder:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/7419451/Close-hospitals-and-wards-to-improve-patient-care-say-NHS-managers.html
The NHS is going broke so fast, they want to close hospitals and clinics and have people EMAIL THEIR DOCTOR instead of seeing him.
Wow…there’s a step forward.
Yeah, a lot like the for profit system here that raised rates this year, on average 21% and still leaves 50 million uninsured. How’s that working out?
Hmmm Mine hasn’t gone up at all….working great, thank you..
Neal, YOU are a doomsday prophet. The site that you offered only says that technology is getting better and that SOME hospital stays are no longer needed. Then you have the gall to say that your med costs have not gone up at all. How sweet it is to be on the moral hill and look down upon the unwashed.
Gunder, you have it right about things being out of control. But, it is not only the health-care industry. Our Congress is beyond help. I’ve witnessed the goings on and juvenile histrionics afoot in DC, (not limited to either party) and it is the scariest thing this side of WWII. There are a few trying to take the right actions, but they are so far outshined by the infantile actions of the many, that they cannot make headway. No wonder, so many are stepping out of politics all together. I am so afraid that all the condemnation will fall onto the party in power, and civil behavior being what it is, will backlash against even the good things that are happening, relyiing on the disproven theory that if we throw the bums out, all will be well. House cleaning is sometimes good, but how do we know we are not getting something worse than what we have?
Where is the outcry about guns and violence? It is not just Hispanics shooting each other up. And in spite of the campaigning by certain candidates, the baristas are not killing anyone. Gun shows come to town, pass out their killing machines to ANYONE, and what happens–to their credit–a few protestors at the corner. The Tea baggers do their Muslim prayer maneuver to the flag, America, the WAR, and the Constitution and then want to tear down the Department of Education. They are no small group…they filled the Convention Center. WE better be paying attention. They probably are not big enough to carry a candidate–but they can pull enough votes to require another Supreme Court decision, and what with the justices we now have, that would be a mockery of American character. Where did I find Strobel passing out campaign literature? At the gun show.
I want my gun nuts twitchy and Over-Caffeinated. They will take care of each other.
streeter is unwashed??
I thought something smelled fishy in here…..
So, Neal, I take it that your answer to Whoop is…”no”…
Whoop axed me a question?
“axed”…neal, are you trying out ebonics as a second language now? As for your great health insurance rates, what plan do you have? You realize that you and jason are apparently the only people in America whose premiums haven’t went up, which can only be explained three ways.
1. You’re both actually health insurance lobbyists, and are paid to comment on a liberal blog to help spread falsehoods about universal health care, and you get huge discounts for crappy coverage in return. Or
2. You’re rates truly haven’t gone up, which can only mean they are gouging you for so much already, they’d feel guilty if they bled you out any more. This is not likely, since private, for-profit, insurance companies have no conscience- a requirement for the emotion of guilt. They have an awful lot in common with the GOP in that area. Or,
3. You’re lying. Much like your benevolent health insurance companies, their high-paid lobbyists, and the GOP protection machine in place to make sure a pathetically large portion of the American population remains uninsured.
So, who is your carrier? What are you paying? What are your deductibles and co-pays? Are are you making this up again?