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What has happened is the equivalent of getting a meat lover to crave White Castle sliders instead of a thick prime rib for the same price or less. But that would take more than lulling. That would take bamboozling. Just like we have been bamboozled into craving, even begging for, a public option that is not only anemic, but won't take effect until 2013.
This past weekend we've heard spokesmen for the administration say again that the public option is, itself, optional. In addition, we learned that Rahm Emanuel will be the White House representative to the small group, meeting behind closed doors, charged with hammering out a surrender, I mean "compromise".
Rahm "hold my seat until I can be Speaker of the House" Emanuel is a get things passed kind of guy, a get Democrats elected kind of guy, a take the money and run (moderates for office) kind of guy. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to matter if what is passed will solve the problem or even get us back on the right track, or if who is elected is the best person we could elect to represent us, or which vermin (it's okay, I have Michael Savage's permission to use the word) is giving the money to elect the lesser of two evils to pass the lameass laws, just so we can say we did something.
And saying that we did something, as happened with the nearly worthless credit card bill, seems to be the goal. Once again, we are at the pass something/pass anything stage of the game. Despite significant Democratic majorities in both chambers, a Republican party in disarray, and a clear message from voters last November, this administration, instead of leading the fight for single payer health care, is making us beg for the (screw the) public option?
As we enter the 9th year of a military somethingorother in Afghanistan (did I miss the declaration of war?), we do hear questions like "What is our purpose there?" or "What is our exit strategy?" but one rarely hears "Can we afford it?" Yet, how many times have we heard, "Can we afford health care reform?" Tax cuts for the rich and Big Business, no problem. Planes that the Pentagon says they don't need or want, no problem. But, doing the right thing and providing health care for all Americans - that's a problem. Considering that this country balks at paying for a DNA test, not previously available, that could prevent a wrongful execution, the murder of an innocent person, who's surprised?
It is long past the time to declare health care as a right of all Americans. THAT is something we should crave! President Obama should say exactly that - in plain, clear, simple non-legalese English. Health care is a RIGHT of all Americans. But that would conflict with his insistence on budget neutrality, according to him and his experts. The truth is that single payer, universal health care for every American is not only the right thing to do, but it is the best way to achieve budget neutrality. Unless we can get administrative costs down and profits out of the equation, there's no way this reform can work.
In contrast to the Obama campaign rhetoric, there are more lobbyists in Washington than ever before, buying more influence than ever before. Every lobbyist made it to the table; shamefully, single payer wasn't so lucky. We are squandering the best chance we will have to pass single payer for decades, probably the only chance. And, as a result, we will continue to throw people who need health care under the bus, as well as alienate voters from the Democratic Party, which would have benefited from real reform.
Didn't I hear something during the campaign about making the wealthiest Americans pay their fair share? Not only haven't we raised taxes on the top ONE percent who earn 23% of income, but we are STILL MAKING PEOPLE PAY FEDERAL INCOME TAX ON UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS! That was a Reagan invention, but I guess the Obama economic advisors like it, too.
If this administration can't bring itself to do the right things, maybe a part of its next stimulus package can be to construct pneumatic tubes from hospitals to funeral homes, for when an uninsured person trespasses by seeking medical care. That would kill three birds with one stone - create jobs, decrease the pool of unemployed, and keep health care costs down. I better stop there. I don't want to give the Republicans any ideas.
I'm sorry if this seems a bit harsh on the administration. I still have hope that President Obama will be a great president, just as soon as he jettisons his cabinet and remembers why he won the election. Other than his Supreme Court appointment, his finest moment as president, things wouldn't be much different with a President McCain. This isn't change; it's barely fine tuning. The term "business as usual" comes to mind.
As for Rahm Emanuel, I don't mean to single him out for all of the blame but, you have to admit, Axelrod's Lullaby just doesn't have the same ring to it as Rahm's Lullaby. Nevertheless, you don't have to be a crime scene investigator to know that Rahm's fingerprints are all over the administration's health care dealings. He is the White House insider most likely to win a Nobel Prize for Pragmatic Exuberance, should that be instituted, in addition to serving as President Obama's Chief of Staff, although I'm not sure why, unless the goal is to fill swear jars.
Hey, if he swears as much as they say, let's put swear jars everywhere he goes. Maybe we can pay for health care that way.
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