It's Time To Tackle Healthcare -- Again

I never dreamt I'd be writing this post.  As my previous Facebook status showed, I was less than thrilled with the outcome of the Massachusetts election, as many were.  Clearly lots has been written on it (though probably less than what's been written about Tiger Woods and his bimbos), but I have to, um, maybe vent. And I've been told that I'm a decent writer frequently lately, and my girlfriend gets mad when I yell in her direction about politics.  Thus, the blog, and you, my audience (all 7 of you and 3 monkeys in the San Diego Zoo).  Also, this post may be disorganized.

The terrible aspect of this has been delved into all over the interwebs.  Kennedy's seat being taken by a Republican and that being the one that can, at best, hold up health care, and at worst, stop it is heart-breaking, demoralizing, and the equivalent of Stephon Marbury taking over for LBJ.

Some people like to say this is measuring stick on Obama's liberal policies, especially (obviously) health care reform.  To an extent, they're correct.  However, I'm big on the idea that it's holding the Senate and Obama accountable for not being progressive enough.  Obama didn't just win, he owned John McCain.  And Democrats don't just have a simple majority, they have a super majority.  And, according to most progressives, they have greatly underachieved.

But I don't think it's just progressives who are disappointed in that fashion.  I think it's independent voters, and even some who may have crossed lines in 2008.  America so badly wanted change, and Barack Obama was ready and willing to give it to us.  And we've had some.  But expectations were very, very high.  Realistically, expectations could've been met to one "very" but probably not two.  But what has occurred is that expectations, had they even been "high" with no "very" or "very very" in front would not have been met.

Some conservatives say "I told you so."  Some liberals blame Obama for reaching out too much.  Others side on the idea that career politicians have hijacked our government (see: the Nebraska Senator who managed to get his state's Medicaid entirely federally funded--he will never NOT get elected).  What Americans wanted was RADICAL CHANGE.  A break from the status quo, and that's what Obama and Dems and liberals--whatever--were selling.  And that is what we haven't seen.

So now Democrats are being held accountable for it.  And Americans are still going to want some type of change.  So they're going to go to the other fringe (assuming Obama is more to the left than normal).  We tried liberalism, let's give this libertarianism/Sarah Palinism/Glenn Beckism a try.  We saw the influence that had in New York's district in November (although it ended up good for Dems).  They will be a force, and the lack of measurable change will aid them.

This, however, doesn't change the importance of healthcare.  As someone posted on my Facebook status, Americans DO want healthcare reform, just not this package.  No link was given, and I'm not much into polls, and I just outright disagree.  (You were elected to govern, who cares about polls.  Do what you think is best.)  The current plan does two things which are absolutely critical, and I addressed this at great length before.  It requires companies to cover people regardless of pre-existing conditions, and does not let them pull coverage when an illness strikes.  The main point he made was "affordability and accessibility."  The problem is, there's not a plan that guarantees access like this one.  There's not another plan that guarantees affordability like this.  This plan will cost $90 billion a year for ten years.  Bush's last budget was a couple trillion dollars (didn't see the total, you can add up here).  That would be fore 2009.  That, my friends, is a drop in the bucket.  Look at those budget figures.  Click here.  $2 billion a week in Iraq.  We spend more in a year in Iraq than we would on healthcare with this plan.  I call shenanigans.

I made an emotional appeal to the people of Clyde the last time I discussed this.  Now, it's clearly a bigger issue than that.  No excuse for it failing is good enough, and only legitimate alternatives need be submitted.  Saying "you're doing it wrong" while not knowing how to do it is, well, worthless.