Midpack. You make good precise points. It is unfortunate, but it seems we are caught up in a system, both gov. and individuals, where we will not look at other avenues until "everyone is bleeding profusely". It is a shame we have to go that route. The idea of forethought seems to be a total stranger to us.
I think I know the causes and effect of our dysfunctional government, and know that without some radical procedural changes enacted there, our only strength without these changes lies with us as voters but only if we are united in cause, educated on the subject matter and rational in terms of how it's paid for.
(Phew, that sounds real attainable.)
But, I go back to my original statements. Many people are uninformed because they get all their "so called information" on TV. They are told what they should think, and how "it really is" , and they question no further.
I think those that opposed Obama's plan fell into three very different categories.
1. The totally uninformed (example a family member of mine I tried to discuss the situation with on many occasions, would fall into this group.)
2. Those who have always had good health care provided to them from their employer, and have not yet been "touched" by the travesties lurking behind the door.
3. Those that do take an interest, who actually knew what was in the bill and saw the eventual pitfalls in it's current form and would like something different.
Actually, I correct myself, #3 could apply to those in favor of health care reform as well.
The only area or issue I can see some universal
agreement about is the Wall Street (financial regulation) issue, and that is very diverse in opinions of how we handled the crises. But at least we all agree that the current system is not a good one, and needs to have some serious changes made. That's because we have all been personally touched by the issue, and in some cases devastated.
A not so funny story, but true.
As silly as it sounds, my sister and brother in law and I no longer speak. (not my choice) OVER POLITICS. Can it be true?
While the health care debate was raging, we got together one night and they said they wanted to talk Politics (Uh Oh), because they wanted to see if they could understand our (my son and I) thought process. Much to my protesting that I thought it better that we don't go there and avoid that subject, they insisted. They assured us that all would remain calm and civil and that surely we could talk and share as adults.
Fool that I was, I caved. I remember when it came to the issue of health care and I asked them a directed questions about the bill, they really didn't know anything about it. They were just against it, and all I heard were TV sound bites coming from their mouths.
After being cut off half sentence in any factual matter I tried to present, I asked her if she would just read a couple of books on the subject that I would give her, and she answered me with "I don't need to read any books to know".
I offered to read any of her right wing (for lack of better words) books in exchange, and then we could come back to the table and talk again. Needless to say, it did not end well, and here I sit over a year later, with a much loved missing sister in my life. How stupid.
My point in telling you this story is how discouraged and frustrated I feel to see a nation so divided among itself on such an important issue, and how self destructive this can be for us when some people refuse to even look at new possibilities. I don't have any procedural changes to fix that one, except eliminate all "opinion news" from the media and go back to the old way of reporting news. But alas, that would be too boring for our over stimulated cyber media minds now, and they sure would lose ratings - real fast.
I accept diversity of opinion. It the Democratic way. I just wish there was a way of making sure that these opinions were based on actual fact and knowledge and willingness to accept something new.
There will always be diversity, but perhaps a little less sometimes if we educated ourselves a little better and considered decisions we make in terms of how it relates to the whole of our society, as opposed to a select group and have some real fact backing up our decisions.
