Well, it's done. The House of Representatives passed the Health Care Reform Bill by a margin of 219 to 212. I normally like to stay away from controversial issues, but this has gotten too big to ignore. Even though it is less than an hour since the bill was passed, there's already a slew of opponents to the bill in uproar. People aren't playing nice either. You've got people on the floor of the House slinging insults at one another (someone called Stupak a baby killer) and protesters hurling racial slurs at lawmakers in support of the bill. I can't say supporters of the bill are helping much. I don't feel comfortable with the slim majority this bill passed by.
First thing that annoys me about all this is the plethora of ill-informed people spouting their opinions. If you don't really know what the Health Care Bill says, why are you so fired up? Just because Glenn Beck says something doesn't make it true. And just because you consider yourself a liberal and Democrats are in support of the bill doesn't mean you should automatically support it either. Don't let politicians polarize us as they have Washington. Also, don't think you have to be staunchly for or against. You can support passing the bill without agreeing with the whole thing and you can disapprove of passing it without condemning the whole thing.
No matter how important an issue is, there's no need to demonize the opposing position. Supporting the Health Care Reform Bill basically means you support the government mandating national health care and health insurance for most Americans. It doesn't mean you've acquired a forked tongue and intend to invade Poland next. Opposing the Bill simply means you don't want the government interfering with health care and health insurance and instead you'd rather choose what coverage you get and pay for it yourself. It doesn't mean you've decided to weed out all the poor people by letting them get sick and die.
Regardless of your position on this bill, the effects aren't going to be noticeable right away anyway. This bill takes effect in 2014. A lot can happen in four years. So why don't we all just have a drink and call it a night.
3 comments:
It's difficult to be moderate these days. You end up vilified by the far Left and Right. I haven't read the fact about the bill, I just remember hearing the heated arguments on the glorious Tom Leykis show. Even then that's what I've heard from a radio show. No matter how much I love that show and it's life advice, it's still a show. A talk show too, like every show on Fox News.
This is no different than during the campaign people received emails stating that Obama was not a citizen or was a Muslim. (As if the latter disqualifies someone's leadership skills.) People believed whole heartedly, and most still do to this day. I understand not liking the President or the Reform Bill, but please do so based on fact, not heresay. It saddens me that so many people act as such. Almost everyday something happens that makes me want to move away from everyone.
Catch-phrases, rhetoric, and jingos are so much easier than research and being informed. Our country has become so intellectually lazy, it is determined to eat itself alive.
I agree with your line of thinking - you don't have to love or hate all of it. And you don't have to get nasty when you disagree with something. We don't keep Fox or CNN or CNBC or any of those shows on at our house. Too much backbiting and soundbites. Health Care is serious and seriously effects peoples lives and cannot be boiled down to a thirty second sound clip (nor can any other major issue - war, poverty, the environment). The hubs and I listen to NPR in the car to get our news and b/c we disagree (I'm liberal, he's conservative) we just don't talk about it. No need to teach our kids the way to debate is to yell and backbite. Great post!!!
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