American Missive

LONG BEACH— Semantics are a tricky thing. One must be careful with the precise wording of ones point of view at risk of distracting the extremely articulate. Yet here we are with so many punchlines you can’t help yourself.

I owe the title of this missive to a response from the Freedom Thinker to a missive I had written. His got me thinking. In Freedom Thinker’s post “Medicare – The Elephant In the Room” he directs the debate towards the over all existence of entitlement programs and Medicare/Medicaid in particular.

My disagreement with the estimable Freedom Thinker is on the termination of these programs, or perhaps it is merely semantics. A simple cancellation would be disastrous to this country. As disastrous as allowing these programs to continue consuming the national budget. However, to remove these programs some manner of phase out would be necessary as these they are designed to tax the working to provide for the retired. Perhaps a restructuring of the benefits would be in order to provide for a more feasible phase out. The details of the order are open for discussion.

This brings us to the next point concerning Mr. Freedom Thinker’s post. In it he states:

Tennessee Paul states that Medicare and Medicaid being dumped wouldn’t solve the health care crisis. To which I respond, “What health care crisis?”

I’d like to take this moment to clarify, my response to Mr. Freedom Thinker did not include the phrase “health care crisis.” I spoke directly of the “current issues” within health care. I defined these issues as affordability of care and insurance. In fact, the current plan being “discussed” on capitol hill is “aimed”, either directly or indirectly at the issue of affordability. Affordability of the individual, the corporation and the nation.

But to the point, I agree with Mr. Freedom Thinker, there is no health care crisis. And I will delight in standing beside him to attack that straw man should he desire to hoist it up next to some one else.

The United States is not in a health care crisis. Or, at least it wasn’t. Democrats in Congress and Mr. Obama are pressing a wreckless bill. The Elephant in the room is Medicare/Medicaid and now that the Jackasses are attempting to address him a crisis is building. The bill is a mess and there may well be a crisis buried in it. A self made crisis. A crisis of national fiscal suicide and a crisis of ruining the current health care services for the sake of implementing pure ideology.

As to Mr. Freedom Thinker’s concerns of politicians angling for power, perhaps they have merit. I can see where one could view attempts to “cross the aisle” to work on the current bill as merely an attempt at political self preservation. That political instinct might die more with the recent decline in Mr. Obama’s ratings.

Unfortunately though, the Republican party has not presented a unified and unique solution for addressing health care affordability. It has become apparent over the last ten years that there are truly only two parties in this country. The leading party and the opposing party.  Depending on the inning, top or bottom, the party up to bat will always dub the pitcher as the Party of No. And from here the validity of Mr. Freedom Thinker’s concerns is merited as well. The opposition intends to oppose with the goal of regaining leadership. Rarely does it offer a logical counter solution. Perhaps it is time to lobby our congressmen to unite on an alternative solution that Americans truly do want.