Here is the recent article I wrote and ten responses to it.

Republicans and Health Care and ten responses.

 

I spent some time recently with a number of Republicans. I asked them what they thought about President Obama’s health care reform. The answers were most interesting to me.  One young man, a pre-med college student, said he didn’t know anything about it as he was studying hard to get into medical school. One man who is in the health care business and receives government and insurance money said he was against as it was too expensive but didn’t know much about it.  Another man who lives on social security and Medicare said it was just too expensive and that we could not afford it.

 

A woman said it was too expensive and would hurt the economy. I asked her about the forty-six million children and adults who have no insurance.  She avoided that issue and repeated that it would hurt the economy.

 

These are good people, smart and thoughtful.  I guess they are brain washed by the Republicans as I am by the Democrats. So we need to do all we can to support the president’s health care reform package.

 

RWC

 

Here are ten responses I got to my blog about Republicans and Health Care.

 

1. How disappointing people are.

 

2. That pretty well sums up the depth of knowledge and reason among the American electorate.  Most responsible politicians agree that healthcare reform is essential.  The Republicans are jumping on board now with business focused compromises hoping to avoid having to deal with more extreme change.  It seems that the President is willing to compromise to some degree, as he is letting Congressional Democrats and Republicans hammer out mutually acceptable legislation.  The bill will be less than the President wants and hoped for, but it will be a start in the right direction.  I no longer sense that the Republicans are adamantly opposed to some measure of healthcare.  Rather, they are resigned to its inevitability.  What the final product will ultimately look like is hard to tell, but it looks likely to pass.  The Republican and right wing media are stirring up the public by saying that they will have huge tax increases to pay for it.  Not true, but the sooner it passes, the sooner the average American will experience the reality.

 

3. "These are good people, smart and thoughtful." They may be, but they certainly are not good citizens. Democracy depends on an informed electorate. They have not bothered to

gain even a rudimentary knowledge of the issues involved. No wonder such people vote for McCain and not for the far superior person who was elected. Throughout a long life I have seen Republicans consistently act to benefit the wealthy and disregard the needs of the poor. Their opposition to the President's health plan is simply the latest example.

 

4. I don't think you should characterize yourself as having been "brainwashed by democrats." You are thoughtful and concerned enough about the issues to read up and understand them, unlike the people you mention. It is interesting that the person who thought the plan was too expensive was himself receiving "single payer" aid through Medicare. We should be pushing  harder for a single payer system, as that is what we deserve. It is a right of citizenship that our wealthy industrialized country should provide to all of its citizens. Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, the V.A.,  all work very well, even though the Federal Government provides those services. Expenses would go down if we widened the pool of recipients to include young people who are healthy, not just older people, poor people, and vets, who almost by definition have more health issues than young people. A tax on the very wealthy, whose taxes have gone down dramatically under Bush, and whose incomes have risen exponentially, would cover some of the costs. An end to needless, useless wars, military expenditures, and corporate subsidies, which the Republicans gave us, would save a huge amount. The Republicans have nothing to say, so they make stuff up.

 

5. The responses of these people does not indicate that they are "smart and thoughtful" about the matter of health care reform and progress. Evidently they have given the matter little or no thought at all and their opinions are based on hearsay. Is that smart?

 

6. The responses of these people does not indicate that they are "smart and thoughtful" about the matter of health care reform and progress. Evidently they have given the matter little or no thought at all and their opinions are based on hearsay. Is that smart?

 

You may be "brain-washed" consequent to your political affiliation, but you are "smart and thoughtful" enough to realize that a nation with our resources should be able to provide affordable health care for all its residents.

 

The President's proposed health care program no matter how well planned will not be perfect, but something needs to be done and this is a step in the right direction. That is common sense and compassion, which coincidentally have been the hallmarks of this President's policies.

 

Aside from the millions who have no regular health care, there are probably also many like myself. I am healthy, largely because I take care of my health. Typically, I get professional medical attention about twice a year. For this I pay approximately $7,000 per year about 25% of my total income. Is that reasonable?

 

Party differences: The differences between today's Republican and Democratic Parties are more than superficial preference. Whenever I look at lists of Congressional sponsors for legislation for protecting human rights, for helping those in need, for environmental safeguards, for building and maintaining infrastructure for transportation and commerce, for natural lands and historic preservation, for anything that fosters the common good both for the nation and for the world, almost all are Democrats. Republican legislators either ignore these issues or actively work against them. Why? Because the policy of the Republican Party is apparently driven by greed, fear, and ignorance.

 

7. I've seen several reports of people opposed to "gov't run health care" but delighted with Medicare.  The "good . . . smart and thoughtful" people you have encountered are all too typical of the people who are not good enough to care what happens to other people or smart enough to see how Republican politicians are  making fools of them!

 

8. I am so tired of the " opinion without facts " attitude of the Republicans.

 

9. his may interest you: we went to Castle Mey, the late Queen Mum's only house - a doll's house, you could move in tomorrow - and that day her cook of many years was holding forth in the kitchen. When he learned we were Americans, he railed at our delay in doing something about health care. (He also had some things to say about us and Iraq). I hope his souffles were as sound as his politics. Cheers, as always.

 

10. This health care matter is as bad as war.  What we are doing ( I mean not doing) is insane. So far society seems to be able to ignore the massive suffering and death we endure because they don't see it as a personal problem.  When we finally get a Pearl Harbor, health care will no longer be socialized medicine, too expensive,  foster abortions, have the government kill old people, etc.

 

Eventually we will make some decisions about what we can do and start doing it.  Meanwhile there is not only suffering and death, but a massive waste of money.

 

I wish it were merely Republicans responsible for this.  It's just mainly Republicans.