On this March 21, 2010, the votes have been cast by our elected 'representatives'. The passing of the 2000+ page Health Care and Education Reform Act of 2010 is definitely historic. It's extremely unlikely that anyone knows everything contained in the bill. Over 2000 pages? Seriously? Our country was founded with a few rather simple, but very powerful documents. Documents that have been the foundation of this country for over 200 years. In the past 24+ months, the party in power (the Democrats) have all but ignored these founding documents. George Washington, Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson are probably rolling in their graves!
Will this be the end of the United States? Probably not. We'll get up tomorrow and at least for a while, we'll live our lives in much the same way as we did yesterday and the day before that. Should this legislation really surprise anyone? Again, probably not. President Obama pretty much did what he said he would do with 'Healthcare'. You and I can (and should) certainly question the method and provisions required to pass this bill. The so-called Corn Husker Kickback IS in the bill. That's currently the law of the land (as soon as the President signs it into law. Could it be removed by some 'repair' bill? Possibly. Will it? Who knows? The real question, is WHY? WHY would you pass a bill if you KNOW that there are provisions of the bill which are plain wrong? What are you saying about the overall system when you need to essentially bribe people into voting in favor of the legislation? It's just plain wrong!
You can't blame the Republicans on this one either. I take that back, you CAN blame them since THEY could have done something under George Bush (pick one) to actually pass tort reform. The Democrats did not need even one vote from the Republicans to pass anything (and infact, they didn't get one).
Just so it's clear, I do agree that reform IS needed. Healthcare reform. This bill does some of that. It does many, many more things which are so fundamentally flawed, that, as a whole, it needed to be voted down. I am in favor of same-sex partners being able to visit their partner while in a hospital. Very few people would say they are against that. (I personally could careless about what two people do in the privacy of their own homes. That should be their choice. Going even further, go ahead and do whatever you want to in public, so long as it doesn't interfere with other people living their own lives.) I am in favor of providing an option to those who are not able to receive private insurance (note that I don't think that option should necessarily be equal to the same care I would receive if I'm paying out of my pocket). Most people are. I am in favor of covering pre-existing conditions and removing waiting periods when moving jobs. However, it's WRONG for the government to MANDATE healthcare coverage the same way that many states mandate automobile insurance coverage. If you CHOOSE to not have healthcare coverage, that should be YOUR choice. YOU should be allowed to NOT participate in a healthcare plan, just as you should be able to choose to eat bratwursts and fried cheese curds 3 meals a day. If however, you make that choice, no way in hell should I be forced to pay for your poor choices. But, even with the laws that were on the books prior to the vote, we would not turn away that person who was having a heart attack if they called 911 or showed up at the emergency room. They would have gotten the surgery even if they didn't have insurance coverage. The hospitals were required to treat these people, at least for emergency care.
What exactly does "Healthcare Reform" have to do with "Education Reform"? Why not call it the "Healthcare and Anti Baby Seal Clubbing Reform Act of 2010"? The two are equally unrelated. Healthcare reform and education reform are two very different issues and both should stand on their own merits. I wonder just how many people actually realized that education reform was included in this bill. The television and radio shows sure seemed to skip over that part.
One fact that has become apparent through this process is the elected politicians have stayed true to their history (not their campaign ads). Vote carefully. Research your candidates. READ HISTORY! Read the works of Thomas Paine (Common Sense is a good start). Actually READ the Constitution (of the United States) and Declaration of Independence. ...life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness (was originally property). I urge you to support candidates who are true to their values. Candidates who understand that the Constitution of the United States exists to protect the citizens from the government. Our country was founded through the oppressive behavior of the British Government. Our government was not formed to grant rights. It was formed to protect the rights of the citizens. It doesn't take a Constitutional scholar to read the relatively plain words of our Constitution.
Bart Stupak is a fool! Some people thought you had a spine. Do you actually (honestly) think that an Executive Order has standing against a law? "Hey Barty boy, go ahead and vote for this and I'll just wave my magic wand and fix it all up later". Sure...
David Obey's days in office are numbered. Even if you don't live in his district, we need to get behind Sean Duffy http://www.duffyforcongress.com/. As someone said "the house will be in order" after you are voted out this November.
Jim Doyle knew it was going to be bad, so he didn't even bother to run this fall to drag this state down any deeper into the abyss. We need to unite behind Scott Walker http://www.scottwalker.org , a proven leader in the Milwaukee area. (He is) Someone who has made tough decisions to keep the budget in check. (This leads me to another point--big screen TV's. My wife and I have chosen NOT to purchase a new flat screen TV at this time. The money's not there, even though the prices are dropping like rocks. We have a 28" TV in the living room that works just fine. I bought it new in 1996 when I graduated from college. When it breaks, we'll replace it. Maybe we'll do that sooner, if the money is there. However, people who send their kids to school for the school (READ taxpayers) to make them breakfast, should not be allowed to have luxury items such as big screen TV's or cell phones. It might not be popular, but it's a necessary cut.)
For all those who voted for Obama because McCain 'isn't any better', really? Do you really think we'd be here today if McCain was President (yes I voted for McCain, but in all honesty all of those choices sucked)? Long-term, maybe it's a good thing. A wake up call to America. Awake you sleeping giant! Call for term-limits! No politician should spend their entire life in Washington. Doing so causes them to be controlled by the special interests who might do them a favor during an election run rather than having them vote as an elected representative of their district.
So in the words of Joe Biden "Stand up Chuck"! Stand up and fight for this country. Fight for a solution that isn't big government. Fight for a solution where "We The People" are heard and represented. We have the power. Support leaders like Paul Ryan. Vote out two-faced millionaires who preach 'green' but fly in private jets. Vote out those who criticize 'big industry', but cheat on their taxes. Speak and ACT now, while we still have the freedom to do so.