Summer of Stupefaction: The Baffling Fight By Ordinary Americans To Defeat Healthcare Reform

[Joanne98]

"The best test of a civilised society is the way in which it treats its most vulnerable and weakest members."

- Mahatma Gandhi



That the majority of the rich and powerful in America, particularly those on the right, are vehemently opposed to universal healthcare and instead support the present free-market private insurance system is hardly surprising. Clearly they have nothing to fear, as it's highly unlikely that they will ever find themselves without coverage and they're certainly never going to be choosing between treatment and bankruptcy.

This stance - though truly despicable, completely devoid of compassion and totally self-absorbed - isn't really all that difficult to understand. It's simply the latest manifestation of that age-old philosophy: "Hey, I'm alright. Screw everyone else!"

What IS extremely hard to figure out, however, is the mindset of all these regular, ordinary working class and middle class right-wing nut-jobs who have been showing up all summer long at these town hall meetings chanting:

"Socialism! Communism! Stalinism!!"

Not to mention: "Obama is Hitler!!"

And: "Better dead than North Korean or Canadian!"

I mean, seriously, what's up with these people anyway? Don't they understand just how much they potentially have to lose?

They may be feeling quite secure about their insurance coverage today, but that could so very easily change tomorrow.

Wouldn't it just be so karmically perfect if, after battling so incredibly hard to defeat the implementation of a universal healthcare system, they found themselves unemployed, unwell and uninsured?

Now, obviously, I don't really want that to happen to anyone, but it is something that's hard not to think about when you see these people so passionately arguing against something that is - regardless of what they may have heard to the contrary on FOX News - for the long-term good of not just the nearly 50 million presently uninsured, but the whole country, including - at least potentially - themselves and their kids and grandkids.

A Communist Scheme?

You can, of course, argue that Obama's present plan is seriously flawed and that what the country really needs is a single-payer system - and I'd be the first to agree - but what these people are arguing against is not the specifics of this particular plan, they're arguing against the very idea of having any sort of government-run plan to begin with.


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http://www.opednews.com/articles/Summer-of-Stupefaction-Th-by-Mike-Cowie-090905-666.html

[corpseratemedia]

1. I think that's why Obama kept referring to the character of the country.

He would never (unlike me lol) insult the zombies directly for being so crass and inhumane toward the disabled, etc. (he does properly place the blame on the repugs and m$m), but he sees that we should as a country not be following the lead taken by least empathetic and characterless.

I don't know if he can change that through this legislation. Bullies respond to being hit over the head, hard (aka universal health care, not insurance). These zombies and their zombie reps are immune to discourse or anything civil.

I'm glad he mentioned the public option. I thought he gave a great speech. But when this bill gets worked on, no toadying to racists and corporate bullies anymore. They don't give a shit about character - this is a culture war, not a gentleman's disagreement.

[fasttense]

2. Or put another way.

As I have been saying: "A society is NOT judged on how well they keep their kings, but on how they treat the weakest among them."

And this America is treating their weak like trash.

[ShortnFiery]

3. Without Single Payer, we're just taking more money from the middle class and giving

it to the ultra-wealthy Insurance Companies. :(

Neither party is proposing a TRUE healthcare plan to ease the burden on the already stressed middle class.