Health Care Reform Fallout

As it appears now, health care reform will pass this year. It may not be the perfect legislation for a reform of this magnitude; however, it is an important step that will produce vast sweeping changes to our nation amid economic concerns. The primary fallout from this legislation will be that a small percentage of the public will be mandated to buy insurance, meaning another bill to pay. Some consumers will receive subsidies but, unlike other mandated regulations we pay for now, this one will actually benefit us. At the reform summit the other day, the president compared it with the benefits we get from existing regulatory agencies like the FDA making sure our medicine or food inspection is continually enhanced.

Without a doubt, as soon as this legislation is passed, the Republican legislators will pounce upon their Democratic opponents in their pursuit of votes in the upcoming election. They will battle passionately for months, their attacks designed to strengthen their electoral chances for the house and senate, until the day after the election when their fervor will fade away. The worst part is that their grandstanding will dominate the news. Much like we had to watch three weeks of twenty-four hour coverage of Michael Jackson’s death on the so called major news networks as if they were unaware our brave soldiers are still risking their lives in two wars we’re fighting. I guess gossip news sells more advertising than war, except when they show bombings in the initial wake of war. Now that sells ads! No, that’s not the worst part. The worst is that they will amplify their fear mongering over this reform legislation until they see their constituents begin to fall silent in support of their representative’s position as it takes effect. What is essential for the Democrats after passage of this reform is to adopt strategy from the Republican playbook to counter the fear mongering that is expected to firm up their support for re-election.

If we’re lucky the upcoming elections will result in heavy losses on both sides that hopefully will bring sorely needed new voices to this arena that might help fix those two bodies of government that are severely broken. The incumbents have forgotten their purpose; that is, to serve and cooperate on ways to make this country even greater than it is today and the best it can be tomorrow for all its people.

interest to benefit the country as a whole, and many are only in for themselves, power, money, fame and an ego trip. Your statement is right on, "If we’re lucky the upcoming elections will result in heavy losses on both sides that hopefully will bring sorely needed new voices to this arena that might help fix those two bodies of government that are severely broken. The incumbents have forgotten their purpose; that is, to serve and cooperate on ways to make this country even greater than it is today and the best it can be tomorrow for all its people."

Much of congress needs to be dumped in the upcoming elections! ALL of the citizens of this country need to WAKE UP! Many are asleep at the wheel!

Yes, there are the most progressive elements of our party who have signed statements of intent to vote for what HCR has (or will) morphed into, just to have "something" accomplished. But I don't see how the Blue Dogs and those whose elections are truly on the line will go along with this, especially in the House.

would be very interesting...

This from today's paper;


Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.)


"For the rest of the year we're going to be involved in a campaign to repeal it," Alexander said on ABC's "This Week," adding that campaign would begin "the day it passes."

Do I know how those obstructionists operate or what !

Just bumping this up to show how it will come to be.
We'll have to put up with months of these white collar
trash whose salaries we pay do nothing constructive beyond
campaigning to save their cushy jobs.

The only difference is, if it doesn't pass, the Democrats will have nothing with which to counter their attacks.

I love how casually you write off the financial concerns of those who will be forced to buy the defective products of this pirate industry. Another bill to pay. Just like that. Not 'where will the money come from', just another check to write. The politicians say 'they have to go into their pockets' as if the pockets had money in them by nature.
Another bill to pay, from what you frame as an endless pile of cash, easily answered with a sigh and a signature. Not a burden, not a threat to stability. Just another check to write...
Those silly people, whining about spending just a wee bit of their huge amount of monthly reserve! How dare they suggest that shakedowns are not reform! With all that money on hand! In this golden economy!

Quote;
"The primary fallout from this legislation will be that a small percentage of the public will be mandated to buy insurance, meaning another bill to pay."

The reference to paying another bill was meant to be facetious, like we really need ANOTHER bill to pay. If you didn't get the gist of the rest of what the editorial says, we need to get them all out because we're ALL being screwed with every new piece of legislation that comes out of Washington via the big corporations who own you and me.