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So Many Goals Yet So Mired |
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by Sudhama Ranganathan
Email: uconnharassment (nospam) gmail.com (unverified!) |
20 Nov 2009
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When voters decided they were fed up with the status quo they did something about it. They began when in the the 2006 elections it was proclaimed loud and clear change was back on the menu and in high demand. People were force fed bunk from the Bush administration regarding a whole host of things not the least of which concerned the war on terror and its' direction. In relation Iraq was a giant mess and we are still dealing with and cleaning up the aftermath of that mistake. Then the 2008 elections ended and three weeks later it was miraculously pronounced we had been in a recession for at least a year when prior to that although Americans kept asking the answer was no. |
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Part of the mandate for change was to stop corruption. This included the lack of transparency of the previous administration seemingly bent on making that obstinacy partisan. The vast government takeover was another sore spot. It seemed in order to make up for the fact the Bush/Cheney administration ignored reports warning of terrorist attacks they went overboard implementing intrusive reforms more broad than was wanted in a free society.
The next was to fix the economy. Both the Republican and Democratic candidates were for the government bailouts from presidential candidate Obama (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXoY5F-uRc0) to vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txfqWzGMgmY) The economy was first and voters sought a cure that looked at the immediate situation, and solutions containing mechanisms for providing future stability.
Candidates from both party's discussed health care reform. Candidate Obama let his feelings be known in speeches, interviews and advertisements. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-aR3Gpsn4v4) The election's other big star, Sarah Palin, also backed health care reform and stated it in similar venues. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=heAibiOJ5NE)
Right now health care legislation is on the table, something both partys' main candidates ran on, and polls then and now concur is wanted. The biggest obstacle to implementing change seems to be failure to follow through on demands of voters. Both party's included health care in their lists of important reforms they would work towards as part of a vision for change.
So what exactly are we waiting for? Not to toot his horn for him, but as he and the other party promised, health care reform was introduced. There was a huge list of reforms people wanted and voted for. This included scaling back intrusions on American's constitutional rights to privacy. Currently there are so many issues to deal with truth be told health care is only one. However, if it is not passed voters will realize those who said they could bring change were probably mostly talk and don't have follow through.
Governor Palin advocated for it on the right. Senator, now president Obama, advocated for it on the left. Yet congress seems hesitant to act on the majority's behalf.
On who's behalf are they stalling? They say they are worried about votes, but there are only a minority of anti reform voters. In fact the numbers are so small one of the nation's major news channels advocating against reform and organizing anti-reform rallies resorted to repeating video shots from one large rally in place of actual footage from protests with far lower attendance. (http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/tue-november-10-2009/sean-hannity-uses) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8HeJuBcI3Y)
With all the money they've thrown at anti-health care reform we do know many moneyed interests in the heath care industry don't want it. They are lobbying like chickens with their heads cut off and pouring millions into attempting to keep this from happening. They set new lobbying records, and as this process is so laboriously still continuing the records aren't finished being broken. The advertisements are everywhere and as we don't have the money to compete us little guys - the majority- can't. But, we're watching.
We are also starting to get the picture. When you see an ad on TV supporting some wealthy corporate interest staying wealthy at our expense by this point we know it's as good as rubbish. Especially when it goes beyond the expense of our wallets to the expense of our very physical health.
If only these guys would hurry up and pass the kind of health care so demanded, perhaps they could get on with the business of showing us what change is supposed to mean. We wanted more than an economic fix and health care reform promised by both party's during the 2008 election. There's more to come and we want what we voted for.
To read about my inspiration for this article go to www.lawsuitagainstuconn.com. |
See also:
http://www.lawsuitagainstuconn.com
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This work is in the public domain |
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