Big showdown nears on health care reform in Senate
If you’ve seen any news to speak of in the last couple of days, you know that Senate leader Harry Reid is calling for a vote on whether they will allow discussion and a vote in the Senate on a health care reform bill. I think this vote to discuss and vote is coming tomorrow, Saturday, November 21.
Regardless of how you feel about all this health care rhetoric with all the half-truths, myths, and PR surrounding the matter, surely you can agree with me that it’s a sad day when something the majority of Americans want done cannot get done because of political squabbles.
Maybe we need to start all over on this health care issue and call it something different than “reform.” I’m reminded of the way tobacco sellers can take something as nasty smelling as your typical cigar — and transform it into something less offensive by naming it differently. (I’ve never smoked and have no plans to. If I DID smoke cigars, I would imagine I’d be more attracted to a product named “Swisher Sweets” than I would if they were named “Smelly Cigars.:)
The problem I have with health care reform, however, is that I cannot personally think of a euphemism more acceptable than “health care reform.”
I wish the politicians on both sides of the health care reform issue would get down to seriously representing the people who sent them to Washington, instead of padding their wallets and stroking the big insurance companies or posturing for reelection in some other way.
But I doubt that will happen in the real word where we live. As I said months ago, I’ll be astounded if any real, useful “health care reform” ever gets done in this nation. The politicians won’t do it. And certainly the insurance/medical/pharmaceutical cabal will never do it.