Monday, March 22, 2010

So this is what disenfranchisement feels like.

How do you feel today?

Do you feel like your voice has been heard in Washington? Do you feel like a vital and necessary part of your country, that your input is well-recieved? That your opinion concerning the direction your country should take is being considered thoughtfully by those whom you trusted enough to send to Washington?

If not, then welcome to Change.

Yesterday's vote for Obamacare in the House was truly historic, but for the wrong reasons. Granted, our health care system could use some improvement. You could accurately say that about nearly facet of our society. Polls have shown that most Americans do indeed want some kind of health care reform.

Just not what we got yesterday.

We Americans are a practical lot. We tend towards the best and most effective solution to a problem. Such is the case with health care reform. However, logical solutions seem lost on our current leadership. For instance, one solution to the rising cost of health care would be to place limits on frivolous lawsuits. As has been well documented, these lawsuits are the prime cause of skyrocketing malpractice insurance rates. The actions of a few greedy lawyers have a direct impact on the price of health care for everyone, but due to the money and influence of the trial lawyers' lobby in Washington, this solution (a provision to reduce or restrict lawsuits) is not considered viable. We were told early on that this was not to be an option, for the very reasons I just outlined. Over. Zip. Zilch. Nada.

Score: Trial Lawyers 1, American public 0.

Another common sense solution that was disregarded was to use the free market to reduce costs by allowing interstate competition between insurance companies. We've seen this work quite well for the auto insurance companies, so it's not like this is some pie-in-the-sky fantasy. Again, this idea never gained any traction as a method of cost containment.

Score: Pelosi 1, Common Sense 0

As more details were discovered about this healt care bills' provisions, the more public sentiment turned against this bill, but not the notion of reform itself. America told Washington to slow down and take a good  look at the alternatives to a massive government takeover of one-sixth of our economy. Then we said, stop altogether, this is getting out of control. Finally, when protestors took to the Capitol steps to register their discontent, they were totally ignored.

Score: Radical Marxists 1, America 0

Do you feel disenfranchised yet? If not, you should. Your wishes have been roundly and blatantly ignored by President Obama, Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi.

You are now a subject, not a citizen. You have no voice against the power of elites in Washington who are now empowered to do your thinking for you. You ideas are considered irrelevant, your opinion worthless.

When your opnion is worthless, so is your citizenship.

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