The Big Speech - Part 2

Before I get started this blog, check out John Thune's new website offering fact checks, good blogs, and other info on healthcare reform that we can support.

I looked at five quotes from President Obama's speech in the last blog and I'd like to look at a few more here.

Quote #6: "Since health care represents one-sixth of our economy, I believe it makes more sense to build on what works and fix what doesn't, rather than try to build an entirely new system from scratch."

I agree. Unfortunately that's not what's going on. What we're getting is a complete overhall and possible governement takeover of health care. Rather than focusing on fixing the causes of our health care system problems we are on track to replace our current system with a whole set of new problems. Instead of fixing what we know is wrong, we're throwing it all out and creating new problems we can barely define. So, if Obama really means what he said, let's get to work and fix the problems. Let's not create new problems while leaving the old ones in place.

Quote #7: "Our overall efforts have been supported by an unprecedented coalition of doctors and nurses, hospitals, seniors' groups, and even drug companies -- many of whom opposed reform in the past."

This is a difficult statement to make as well as talk about. My take is that there are a few groups who have gotten on board because they know they'll get preferential treatment when the government gets in charge. They're just being financially smart to position themselves to still be around in 10 years. I wouldn't take all this support to mean they are ideologically on board with Obama. AARP is counted as one of those senior groups offering support and they are being hammered by their own membership as a result. I can't imagine the cries we'll be hearing from those Doctors and Nurses when they have to struggle agains their own government when trying to help their patients. Drug companies will get their money no matter what and most hospitals are already non-profit in their status anyway. Besides all this, it's the support of the American people that Obama doesn't have and that's the whole problem.

Quote #8: "But what we've also seen in these last months is the same partisan spectacle that only hardens the disdain many Americans have towards their own government. Instead of honest debate, we've seen scare tactics. Some have dug into unyielding ideological camps that offer no hope of compromise. Too many have used this as an opportunity to score short-term political points, even if it robs the country of our opportunity to solve a long-term challenge. And out of this blizzard of charges and counter-charges, confusion has reigned.
"Well, the time for bickering is over. The time for games has passed.
"Now is the season for action. Now is when we must bring the best ideas of both parties together and show the American people that we can still do what we were sent here to do."

I noticed a lot of smug looks from the democrats along with great cheers. I understand there are partisan politics at work but you can't pull this argument out for a couple of reasons: first, the democrats have full charge of Congress and, as they have pointed out over and over again, they can pass this thing on their own. That's as partisan as it gets. The reality is probably that they couldn't get it through even on that basis but there are some democrats with unusually large egos who want to lord it over the Republicans, and every American, that they hold all the keys, have all the power, and have a mandate to do whatever they see fit. This tactic is backfiring in dramatic fashion with the American people right now and an appropriate response will be to send the majority of these democrat senators and representatives packing. Now before you call that a partisan statement, I'll even admit that I would prefer a different democrat in their place if that was the only way to get them out. You can't run rough-shod over the American people. We're the ones that hold the real power in this country and every politician will do well to never forget that. Unfortunately some already have.

So the time for bickering is indeed over. The time for action indeed is at hand. It is indeed time for Congress to do what the American people have sent them to Washington to do. The American people are speaking loudly right now about what that is but I'm not sure our President, let alone a great deal of Congress, is even listening. So I would add to the end of this statement from Obama that it's time for this countries politicians to become more concerned with what the American people are saying and lead in that way.

I'll handle some more quotes in my next blog and I want to end this blog by saying this: We've been seeing a lot of our democrat politicians act like they think they know what's best for our country even if the people don't agree. There are times for leaders to do the right thing no matter what the people are saying and they often will suffer the consequence of being sent home in the next election. I realize that there are many democrats who honestly believe a governement-run health care system is the best thing for America. And, even though America has been speaking loudly against it, they are still going to push for it. I can respect the kind of honesty and integrity it takes to stick by your beliefs even though I respectfully disagree with their beliefs. I believe George Bush stood by this beliefs and, despite a lot of criticism, stuck by his guns and pushed to declare war on Terrorism. In the end it cost a lot Republicans their seat in Congress. That's a trend that is sure to swing back sooner rather than later given the current trends in politics. I am certain George Bush was sticking by his belief that he was doing what was best for our country. He was being honest with us.

I'm still trying to get a read on Barack Obama and I am uncertain about his honesty. Time will tell but I hope he honestly believes he is doing the best for our country. I don't agree with his beliefs and politics but I will respect him if shows honesty and integrity through all this. So far he's been using a lot of fuzzy logic, fuzzy math, and fuzzy politics to get his way. I'm very concerned about his association with radicals and his continual effort to get them into his cabinet and other positions of power.

In the end, we may determine that President Barack Obama did everything he could to change America in ways he thought was best for America. But I'm afraid that his idea of what America should look like is considerably different than what our founding fathers thought America should look like. I'm also afraid his idea is far different than my idea as well as the ideas of the vast majority of Americans. All Americans may disagree about what that picture really looks like but I don't believe there a great many who want to trade in capitalist democracy for socialism, fascism, or communism. All three of those, I believe, are to be found somewhere in President Obama's ideological picture of what America should look like.