Dear Mr. President

[Mythsaje]

So, it seems you believe that the best way to solve the health care crisis in this country is by giving more money to the insurance companies by instituting mandatory insurance. So basically what we want to do is inflict an already overburdened middle class with a larger load of debt than they currently have. Another bill they have to pay or, voila! if they get sick, they're screwed.

I'm truly disappointed in you and the members of the Finance committee for dodging any discussion of single-payer universal health care. You know, the kind of thing that takes the insurance industry out of the loop entirely and leaves medical decisions up to the citizen and his or her doctor? Cutting out the middle men? I mean, what is insurance but institutionalized gambling? You're betting you'll get sick and the insurance company is betting you won't. If you "win," you get sick, but part of your bill is paid by the insurance company. If you "lose," the insurance company gets to keep all your money. If you "win," the insurance company could try to weasel out of the agreement, which means you'd "lose."

To be perfectly honest, I'm seeing this whole thing as a giveaway. You're deciding to surrender the health and welfare of the American people to an industry that has nothing itself to do with health care. Or, perhaps, would it be more accurate to say that Congress is currently SELLING the health and welfare of the American people to the insurance industry?

Americans are already swimming in debt. Just getting a higher education all too often leads to extensive debt. Buying a house is a huge debt. When you add the credit cards (and their clearly usurious rates) to the equation, I shudder to think what might happen if suddenly all these people had to figure out a way to pay yet another bill just to keep themselves insured against injury or disease. Allegedly insured, anyway.

This isn't Health Care reform, Mr. President. It's not even health insurance reform. Because the only ones who'd be sacrificing in this case are the people themselves. The insurance companies would make out like bandits, and you know it. Is this why you were elected to serve the people of the United States? So you could hand over our futures to the insurance and pharmaceutical companies? Hasn't the insurance industry pretty much run the health care system? Aren't we in a crisis? So why do any of you seem to expect giving them MORE power and more money will make things any better?

And let's talk about those credit cards for a minute. I'm sure you're familiar with the term usury. It's in the bible. Basically it's the practice of charging unreasonable interest rates on loans. It's pretty much meant to apply to the Hebrew people with their own, considering that was the focus of the bible at the time, but it's clear that it was considered a heinous practice.

But, apparently, it's okay for Americans to do it to other Americans. And the underhanded ways the credit card companies trick people into falling into those interest rates are truly sleazy. The banks themselves have mismanaged millions of dollars of OUR money (given into their care) in questionable real estate practices, and we're expected to give them MORE money to save them from the repercussions of their own decisions. And, yet, we are not repaid for our largesse by any attempt to lighten the load they're willing to put on our backs.

Why is this acceptable? It seems acceptable to you, and two the two esteemed Democratic Senators from my state. It's not acceptable to me. Steal our money, gamble with it, lose it, and then come begging for more? And then continue exploiting us the same way they had been? C'mon, Mr. President. You know that's not right.

I'm not sure what myself and my fellow Democrats expected when we elected you. We hoped, somehow, that you'd fight for us. All of us. You know, the ninety something percent of us who aren't big insurance company execs and bankers. We thought we might be elected a real reformer into office, someone up to the task of fixing the "mistakes" of the previous administration.

Imagine our dismay when we're not even invited to the party. Health Care reform? Let's let the insurance companies work that out. They've been doing such a stellar job, haven't they?

So... We no longer torture, but we won't prosecute those who do. Except a few "bad apples" who seem to have had the run of the place up until now who'll make great scapegoats. Not the people who told them it was okay, and are still defending it to this day.

So... We're not leaving Iraq or Afghanistan anytime soon.

So... We bailout the banks and get a big raspberry in response.

So... We aren't allowed a voice in real health care reform.

So... What are you to us again?

Oh, yeah. The guy we elected to fix what was broken. How's that going, anyway?

A lot of us are hoping this is part of some elaborate scheme to pull a surprise move on the Republicans and get us the kind of legislation we so desperately need. But, frankly, it's hard to see what that might be.


Seriously... The President who gave us universal health care would be a hero, his legacy assured beside such great leaders as Lincoln and FDR. However, if you let this opportunity to strike a great blow for the citizens of this nation pass you buy, you will always be remembered for what you were rather than what you did. And that would be a shame.


Your humble servant,


XXXXXXXX

[Joanne98]

1. Bravo. K&R

[atreides1]

2. Excellent

[Stinky The Clown]

3. Perfect

:thumbsup:

[Dragonfli]

4. K&R

[Bluenorthwest]

5. Yeah, the Christian President seems to forget most of his book

Usury? Cool! Torture, if you had a note, fine! They only remember, suddenly and out of the blue, that they are 'religious' when it comes time to rationalize their own prejudices against minorities they don't like. They have a one note faith that fails to address anything of importance, and instead is only about dehumanization of others.