Dissent vs Discourse
Dissent vs Discourse
Every now and then ViewPoint takes a stand that is certain to antagonize many readers - and that statement alone might raise the question: why do it? Well, friends and faithful fans, we have tried to clarify the sticky point that ViewPoint is an opinion piece - not a poll analysis - not even the result of absorbing too many New York Times editorials! ViewPoint examines an issue that arouses interest in the media, that causes normally intelligent individuals to lose their bearings, that verges on verbal fisticuffs. So, here goes today's poke in your eye!
You probably have seen, or heard, that all over this country Town Hall meetings are taking place with large turnouts of ordinary citizens. The drawing card: President Obama's plan for a national program devoted to providing health care for millions who have no insurance, no existing plan to cover their families, no where to go when health issues strike parents or children. Earlier efforts to deliver a government sponsored plan fell victim to opponents who have never given up on opposition. And, that is where ViewPoint comes in!
We acknowledge that we do not know the details of the plan - we suspect that most of the attendees at the Town Hall meetings do not know details - we even believe that speakers with good credentials such as Senators, or Congressmen have not read the 1000 page outline of the plan. In other words, we are convinced that much of what is being said with passion and fury, is nothing more than the proverbial tempest in a teapot!
Now, let us get down to the essence of this piece. Why is the health care of millions of Americans of such demanding interest to so many individuals who normally might note a headline, or catch a sound bite on the news, then get on to the important affairs of the country - you know, who will be the next American Idol, or the Outstanding Model of The Year, or perhaps a sign of interest in the hurricane watch currently demanding attention! But wait. It is not just a government plan to provide health care for all Americans - it is a total review and revision of the way health plans that exist are funded, how and why insurance companies can, and do, consider health plans to be a most important source of financial benefit.
If you knew that the vast majority of attendees at the meetings were without Medicare, or had inadequate, or no insurance, or who have been denied insurance because of prior health issues, then you might recognize a true uprising of the citizens. Think of the pictures you have seen countless times in TV coverage of third world uprisings - thousands of citizens taking to the streets, demanding government action, threatening revolution or dissent at the polling booths! Are we on the verge of emulating the unsophisticated mobs who demand action - and frequently get it, albeit, often in the form of tear gas, water canons, or worse, by bullets fired!
Town Hall meetings are proper and necessary when action is called for. But must there be DISSENT - instead of DISCOURSE? Is it a fact of our political system that the party NOT in power has the right, or the need, to dissent, to object, to distort, to deliver more heat than light!
When people at the microphone scream that 'our constitution is being trashed' - that this is 'the way Russia works' - that 'the government is taking over' - are these speakers truly representative of the American Way? Such nonsense! Can they believe what they are saying?
Try to imagine what this country would be like if Medicare did not exist? Was the introduction of a national plan decades ago to provide medical treatment at so many levels a detriment to out comfort and well being as citizens? If you, or a family member, is on Medicare now, have you ever tried to estimate what the expense of the coverage would be if it came out of the individual's pocket. Is the annual cost of being covered by Medicare too much for the beneficiary to bear, an unnecessary burden? Is Medicare responsible for the National debt?
This administration has made a revision of the entire health care system in this country a major goal. It is not only a benefit to those who desperately need a safety net for their family's health, but it is a plain and simple concern that in the greatest country on earth there can be no way to justify an unending approach for those who lack any coverage whatsoever, by dismissing the need at these raucous meetings. For the fortunate millions who have health care that may range from minor
contributions to the most elaborate plans that cost plenty, but pay for every intrusion on perfect health from the removal of a splinter to replacement of a vital organ, they should be at the meetings as well as the dissenters to speak up for national health care.
Is there any concern on the part of the dissenters that the cost of health has skyrocketed in the last decade, that drugs cost too much, that high tech equipment expense is exhorbitent, that a 24 hour stay in a hospital costs more than a lovely vacation for the helpless individual who is paying cash, or watching the Medicare charges? If the Obama plan did no more than reign these costs it would be worthwhile for so many.
And, last, but certainly not least if your politics identify you as Republican, Conservative, Religious Right, or any party or group that opposes Democratic control of government, try to remember that the welfare of the country means that the care and feeding of all Americans is a shared responsibility - not just the the responsibility of the party in power. If you think you have a better way to benefit all, make it heard at the meeting - or by reaching out to your Senator or Congressman. It was that kind of approach during the elections last Fall that led to the Democratic sweep. So much better than street riots and the raised fist that should never happen here!
Richard Carlton
August 17, 2009
Issue No. 16
I hope to be able to see more good posts in the future
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