Lessons to Learn

I met with my congresswoman, Jackie Speier, last August to discuss health care reform. As a longtime practicing physician, I have some insights into such matters. In fact, I know exactly how to reform health care in America to the delight of almost everyone. But I'll get to that later. I presented to Congresswoman Speier a blueprint for accomplishing such reform, but my ideas fell upon polite but deaf ears. My closing admonition to her was, "If the Democrats pass a bill that cuts Medicare benefits and raises taxes, you will all be out of office in 2010!"

Not only did she not explore my creative solutions for health care reform, but she supported the House version of a bill that clearly will make health care, and the country, much worse. By any objective measure, the current proposals will spend trillions of dollars, increase costs to every citizen, and weaken the economy even further. The bills in the House and the Senate are so preposterous that all of our elected Senators and Representatives supporting this curse have given themselves exemptions from being forced to participate in the catastrophe. Even Obama, when asked by a "journalist" if he would put his own family into the plan he was foisting upon the country, refused to commit to such an idea.

Now the Republicans are celebrating the election of Scott Brown to the Senate. Pundits are waxing prolific about the impact of this shocking development. It probably does reflect considerable anger from the electorate regarding the failed promises of Obama and the shameless corruption in D.C. But what no one is saying, not even the angry voters themselves, is that the exemption written into the bills for our elected officials is what really galls reasonable people on all sides of the health care debate. I don't think that many people are actually cognizant of this source of anger. Yet they know it when reminded of it. All of the other vocalized criticisms do influence us, but this cowardly and shameful tactic by our elected officials remains an indolent and subliminal pustule in our psyches.

Now the Democrats have a selection of disasters from which to choose: (1) pass the Senate bill in the House and hope to reconcile it with patchwork amendments in the Spring, (2) give up and do nothing, or (3) go back to the drawing board and create a new reform bill which will require bipartisan support. This last option would make them seem actually interested in America's welfare, but most of us still know that such sincere motives are as common as hen's teeth among politicians. The first option will still leave us with an abomination that damages society and leaves the elected elite exempt from harm.

Congresswoman Speier, as do all of her cohorts in the House, must campaign for reelection this year. What will her strategy be to impress her voting district? What will she present to us regarding her accomplishments during her first term? As far as I can determine, she has done nothing noteworthy of any praise during her service to the people. Indeed, her main claim to fame is that she was wounded in Guyana while accompanying a congressman who investigated what later became the Jonestown Massacre. You see, she was an apprentice politician in her youth and continued the path to a career politician. She never actually worked for a living and has no real understanding of the world outside of political assignations, corruption, and deal making. You can see the future career politicians today working in her office staff. They are neat, clean, mindless automatons learning to spout the party line. They are making contacts and learning the craft of deceptive spin and of telling everyone what they believe is desired to be heard. That is where she originated. She lacked the common sense even to understand that the health care bill she was supporting was suicide for her political career, as well as for health of the country. What will be her response to her Republican challenger who will undoubtedly ask, "Why did you exempt yourself and your family from the provisions of the plan you wished to inflict upon the rest of us?"