Andy Harris Railed Against healthcare during the campaign…but he now demands it

Andy Harris fought the Democratic sponsored healthcare throughout the campaign, but he wants his federally sponsored healthcare as soon as possible. He is somewhat irritated that there is a 30 day gap period where he will be uncovered. Politico has a fascinating story on the new congressman: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1110/45181.html

Do the Republicans Want to be Known as the Grinch that Stole Healthcare?

For the past 14 months the Republicans have demonized the healthcare bill. They have portrayed the president as some kind of lunatic socialist whose sole mission was to destroy the American way. With the help of Fox news, Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck fanning the flames of fear daily they thought they could derail the change the president promised, but they have been unsuccessful. Now there cry has gone from Kill the Bill to Repeal the Bill. So their new mission is to take the promise of healthcare for the uninsured away from them. So that’s the new strategy. David Axelrod, chief adviser to the president has said he welcomes this fight in the fall. The Republicans will go from being the party of NO to the Grinch that Stole my Healthcare.

Rep. Randy Neugebauer is the Latest Republican Loud Mouth

Last night Rep. Bart Stupack was addressing the nation and his congressional colleagues regarding his intent to vote for the healthcare bill but he was temporarily interrupted by a heckler. The heckler called him a “baby killer”. The gallery was packed and initially no one claimed responsibility until now Rep. Randy Neugebauer a third term Texas Republican has claimed responsibility. Of course like any good Republican he has issued an apology. He said “I have apologized to Mr. Stupak and also apologize to my colleagues for the manner in which I expressed my disappointment about the bill,” Neugebauer’s statement said. “The House Chamber is a place of decorum and respect. The timing and tone of my comment last night was inappropriate.” So now all is right with the world. Wrong? This is a pattern of dangerous behavior by Republicans let us not forget Rep. Joe Wilson when he called the president a liar while the president was addressing a televised joint session of Congress, but he too apologized. They say it and then say they are sorry. Words are potent and they can be very dangerous.  Bill O’Reilly used to call Dr. George Tiller the “Baby Killer” and you know what happened to him.

Eating Healthy “Ain’t” Cheap

Americans are getting fat. We are in the midst of an obesity epidemic, but what’s the solution? Eat healthy. That sounds so easy, but take a trip to the grocery store. Blueberries are said to be so good for you that eating them daily can increase your life expectancy, but they cost $3.49 a pint. Strawberries cost $3.99 a pint.  So what do you do if you are trying to stretch a dollar? You buy EasyMac or Ramen noodles. They are not good for you but they are cheap and filling and that’s one of the reasons Americans are getting fat. Too many people do not have the luxury of looking at the long term effects of their eating habits. They are simply trying to feed a family during tough times and $3.49 for a pint of blueberris is simply a luxury that too many Americans can not afford.

Is America Headed for Civil War ?

 Disrespect for the President, talk of secession, tea parties all signs of the division within our country. When Barack Obama was elected in November I really felt proud of our country. The country had crossed a barrier that I did not think I would live to see, but there is also a group of Americans that never thought they would see that day and they experienced grief in the face of my elation. I thought we could move forward but that does not seem to be where this country is heading. Many times I have voted for presidential candidates that did not win, but I always regarded the victor as my president. So when I see Americans saying he is not my president or American citizens and Congressmen questioning the validity of his citizenship, I again see we are not moving forward. One of the things that vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin did successfully and continues to do is help in divide America. Throughout the campaign she championed the us against them strategy. She talked to her followers about how our president did not love America. She was part of this movement that feels emboldened to disrespect our president. We have governors talking about the possibility of seceding from the Union. We have Rep. Joe Wilson call the president a lie during a nationally televised Joint Session of Congress. He later apologized, but still claimed he was right. The interesting thing about Wilson is he is a son of the south. He grew up when segregation was the legal law of the land, in a time when a white child could call a black grandfather “boy”. He was a protégé of Strom Thurmond, a staunch segregationist who later had a “political” change of heart. So this is the pedigree that Wilson brings to his congressional chair. So for him to feel it is alright to scream out at the president is understandable because this president is not worthy of the same respect that his 43 other predecessors deserved. Today in Washington DC there is a Tea Party convening. Fox News has been central in coordinating this event. When did it become alright for a network to sponsor organized anarchy? Sure networks cover events. All networks will have correspondents to report the news but Fox is responsible for creating this event. They will talk about the fact that they are against the Obama healthcare strategy, but there is so much more at the core of this. You can turn on Fox News almost anytime of the day and they will be bashing Obama. This is seemingly their singular mission, and Tea Party meetings help them further their cause. In 1992 during the LA riots Rodney King asked this simple question, “can’t we all get along?” I am starting to wonder. For years we have been told there are two Americas, one black and one white, but the distinction is not that simple. Barack Obama was elected by people of all hues so this is not just a black issue, but his blackness is an issue. What are we going to do? Where is this leading us? Who profits from this kind of anger? This is not something organic somebody profits from this and when you answer that question you will know this will not end.

I Want the President to Multi-Task Like He Promised

During the election President Obama said the president needs to be able to do more than one thing at a time. That was one of the reasons I voted for him. Now I say do it. Over the past few weeks the only thing that seems to be on the agenda is healthcare. Healthcare is a very important issue, but the economy is another important issue and it is simply getting lost in the mist. With almost 10% of Americans unemployed it is an issue that can not be backburnered. In fact it is probably the main reason that the president got elected. So let’s stop the death panel talk and start directing our attention back to the economy.

President Obama Will Pass a Healthcare Bill, but Who Will Know What’s in It?

 Today I heard President Obama assure Americans that his healthcare proposal does not include euthanasia. What? Why would he have to say this? Because there are so many people distorting the plan for their own political gain. Americans have never had any problem voicing their objection, but in the past it was done after the facts were presented. When George W.  Bush was president I disagreed with most of his policies, but I read them and I listened to him, but now we have a vocal group who wants to drown out the President Obama’s message. The sad thing is his healthcare plan is going to come up for a vote probably by the end of the year. So while these groups are slapping each other on the back congratulating each other for breaking up another rally what they are really doing is as the old folks would say “gagging at a nat and swallowing a camel.”

President Obama Do You Want to Get a Good Healthcare Plan or Do You Just Want to Do It Quickly?

When I have an important decision to make I do not want to be rushed. When I am signing a contract I want to read it and not merely sign where instructed. Earlier this year Congress passed the Stimulus Plan. We were told we had to do this or civilization as we knew it would cease to exist, and we believed it. We have learned that haste makes waste. We bailed out AIG and then we watched as they paid out exorbitant bonuses. Treasury Secretary Geithner looked like the proverbial deer in the headlights when the bonuses became common knowledge. Now we are being told the president wants a Health Care Bill before the congressional August recess.  Mr. President what is the rush? Today marks the six month anniversary of the Obama presidency and we know that the president has an aggressive agenda and he possesses the ability to multitask, but this time let’s read what is actually in the proposal. Let’s not just sign at the dotted line. In these troubled economic times we have to really look at what is nice versus what is necessary. Universal Healthcare is needed but we need a good proposal that we can afford.  One of the reasons this country is suffering now is we bought things we could not afford. We needed immediate gratification and we got exactly what we wanted and we never thought of the cost. this time we need to know the facts to make an informed decision and that process will take time.

The Healthcare Industry or the Profit of Pain

A few years ago I was watching a Chris Rock special. He asked the question,”when was the last time doctors found a cure for anything?” He said in the past doctors had found a cure for polio, whooping cough and other diseases, but now there did not seem to be any cures being found. He said they are not finding cures because they have found “profit in pain.” That is so true and lately I have seen more and more ads that exemplify this truth. As the baby boomers age more and more drug companies are trying to pick their pockets. As a viewer of the nightly news I have seen the cures for erectile dysfunction almost every evening, but lately the disease that is getting more airtime is Alzheimer’s disease. The first one was the confused woman wondering through the bowling alley, and then came the anguished daughter and the fragile mom, but last night broke the mold. This one showed a woman looking for her keys and her husband was in the kitchen. She is looking all around asking what did I do with my keys. Her husband opens the refrigerator and finds her keys. He retrieves the keys and shows them to her. He looks at her and she looks at him and they both know she must have early onset Alzheimer’s. What? This is fear run amok. When did losing your keys qualify you for prescription drugs? Couldn’t it be plain ole forgetfulness? No it has got to be something that requires a prescription. There is real profit in the pain.  We are being manipulated by the drug companies. Every twitch should not send us to the doctor asking for the latest drug that we have seen on a commercial. It was marketing genius years ago when prescription drug makers started advertising to the masses. They are laughing all the way to the bank, but we have to stop allowing the incredible power of suggestion  make us believe that when they say a symptom we have got the illness. We have to remember healthcare is not about healing it is about profit and as Rock said there is “profit in pain.”