Healthcare insurance "reform" bill passes?

November 8, 3:19 PMSan Antonio Public Policy ExaminerRobert Ruiz

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Texas Red: a cratered landscape of prisons, deplorable public education, lack of healthcare and politicians and majority population intent on keeping it that way


                   “In the current Congressional debate over health care legislation, many references are made to 'classic American values' -- terms like liberty, equality, and justice. But how do terms such as solidarity, efficiency and quality fit into the structure of the debate? In this segment, Ira talks with Thomas Murray, head of The Hastings Center, a nonpartisan bioethics research institute, about the values Americans hold dear, and how those values influence out health care policy decisions. What values should we, our health insurers, and our doctors look for in a health care system?”

                  There’s a great deal of talk about how un-American it is to provide a public option. Conservatives insist it is “socialized” medicine but are hard-pressed to define what that is. What it is---is a term first widely spoken by a racist, sexist B movie actor  coming out of what is arguably the most conservative decade in American history. What is truly amazing is just how many compassionate conservatives who benefit from “socialized” medicine (Medicaid, Medicare and military treatment facilities) want to deny any form of assistance to the poor and defenseless.

                 Science Friday (TPR.org) is an excellent program. It keeps listeners informed and current on the latest in science, medicine and technology. Yesterday, host Ira Flatow and guests Thomas Murray and Len Nichols discussed healthcare and values.

                 The U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 3962 (healthcare “reform” short on reform) yesterday Saturday 7 Nov 2009. No republicans were scheduled to vote in favor of the bill for a variety of reasons. Notwithstanding one GOPer did vote for the bill. This of course is no surprise. That congressman's  Louisiana district is predominantly non-Goper and was thus his vote was more self-preservation than an intent to do the right thing.

                Among the most contentious of the reasons some Americans give for opposing the public option and in fact any healthcare or healthcare insurance reform at all is that they are very happy to have the healthcare they enjoy and don’t want anyone to change it. 
 

              Another reason is that some Americans, mostly a lot of self-described compassionate conservative religiosities are livid, outraged that an “illegal alien” might benefit from this healthcare reform or that, God forbid, someone might have an abortion.

               Ira’s guests discussed how these reasons do not square with “American Values” or even with the text upon which compassionate conservative religiosities base their beliefs.
 

               In particular the bioethicists mention that historically from the time of our Founders it was considered very “American” to help the poor and disadvantaged.
 

              The guests also discuss Leviticus in which the creator instructs those who own land not to glean their land of all it offers and instead leave some of the crop for the poor and the alien. Now, that’s compassion---of course, not the GOPer conservative brand but real compassion.
 

             Please also watch this youtube video.

              Given the dismal state of healthcare in Texas it is appalling that both its U.S. senators (Cornyn and Hutchinson) are on record as opposing the Obama Administration’s efforts to provide affordable health care especially in the form of the public option.

             More appalling still is that both Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson and Senator John Cornyn qualify for one of the best insurance plans around---the Federal Employee Health Benefit Plan (FEHBP). However, as wealthy as both are that is not an issue---for them. So what they deny to their constituents in particular and Americans in general they enjoy--- quality health care.

           It is telling that these two senators know that their constituencies are comprised of a majority folk whose core beliefs are just like theirs---selfish, hateful, petty and bigoted. 

          In a state of 24 million people that is a scary thing. By the way, It’s worth mentioning, again, that this is yet another reason the Founders did not stand-up a “democracy” which they defined as tyranny by majority---and tyrannical the majority are.

            Frighteningly the Supreme Court’s moral majority is poised to weigh in on the side of a dysfunctional, tyrannical democracy.  
 

For more information:  Conscience of a Liberal

39 House Democrats who voted against the party's health care bill

Texas Red and the public option

Health care overhaul ignores illegal immigrants