Health Care Reform is not scary, but the actions and words of its conservative opponents certainly are. In two different ways:
1. Not only are conservative activists attempting to disrupt the town hall meetings that our elected officials are trying to hold, but also there are calls that seem clearly calls to violence, and, arguably, assasination:
2. The conservatives are filling the public space with lies. The elderly will be pushed toward euthanasia, which they will want since advance medical care will be denied to them. Or, as I have heard it put, “Obama won’t let them have it; he wants them to take a pill instead.”
So far the democrats do not seem to have found a way to cope effectively with the disruptions. It is much easier to destroy civil discussion than to have it.
But some people are at work answering the false charges being made. I’m attaching a copy of a conservative letter that purports to find all sorts of awful stuff in the house bill,along with a step by step refutation. If you are going to be talking to conservatives(e.g., students) at some point soon, you may find the documents useful.
b. Response to Republican Claims
Thanks to CVille Dem at TPM.
If you don’t know who Rick Scott is then you don’t know who is duping you. This is the false prophet. Scott is the money-changer you let into your temple. Scott is a big health care CEO (whose company by the way was fined $1.3 billion for fraud) who is financing the disruption of the town hall meetings. He is the temptor who has cause you to stumble into the gospel of hatred for your fellow man. His “salvation” (money) is to get you to server corporate profits instead of your fellow man.
One Master said “Feed my sheep,” “As ye do to the least of these my brothers, you do unto me.” Perhaps you can appreciate how that would be served by universal health care?
The other “master” says, “shout them down,” and “voice your anger.” Does that really serve your mission to be the spreader of the Good News?
I truly feel sorry for good-hearted people who have been drawn into the hatred of political extremism and who honestly think they are serving Christ, when in fact they are serving corporate lobbyists. What a shame!
Check it out: http://thinkprogress.org/2009/08/06/rick-scott-sanchez/
christianliberal:
‘I truly feel sorry for good-hearted people who have been drawn into the hatred of political extremism and who honestly think they are serving Christ, when in fact they are serving corporate lobbyists. What a shame!’
you’ve just described much of my extended family. i wish i could find it in me to feel sorry for them. for now, it just makes me sick to my stomach. (i admit, the thought that keeps running thru my head is ‘it only goes to show that being intellectually lazy is morally blameworthy’.)
the america I know is not one where people expect to live to be over 80 (like canada and australia) its one where they die in their 70’s due to lack of health care!
the rest of the world is torn bewtween laughing or crying about the USA and the completly stupid arguments that enter into the public debate.
GNZ, You are all right, of course, about the arguments. It is very hard to understand how people could believe the things they actually say.
I’m afraid there’s a difference among people in the US and where privilege in race, class, education and salary intersect, the health care can be great. Those of us who teach in universities by and large have great health care, as I expect you know.
I’m not saying this is overall at all good, and I’d certainly choose to live in a more just society.