Time For Action

It is with a heavy heart that I write this today. Senator Ted Kennedy died early this morning. When I first got into politics I started reading a lot about the top politicians of my childhood. When I started asking questions about Kennedy my parents told me he was too liberal. When I asked about Ronald Reagan my father told me to read more on Kennedy.
The one thing I have always admired about Kennedy was his capacity to help people. He didn’t let others deter him from what he believed to his core was a necessary obligation of a politician to help those in need. I see the world the same way.
I’ve been trumpeting the health care reform bill for several months now. I’ve listened to many concerns and they still sound like an excuse not to help those in need. This is what I’ve learned this week from people.
1. We can’t afford a trillion dollars for health care reform.
2. Medicare is a mess.
3. The government shouldn’t compete with businesses.

Here is my response to each of these.
1. We spent three trillion to go to war that proved to be an unjust cause. We killed people, had our own brought home in body bags, and tanked an economy so a president could avenge his father. Yet, we don’t want to spend money to help people?
2. Medicare is a mess? Really? Ask any senior citizen who uses it how much it helps them. In fact, take it a step farther and try and take it away from them. You will have the biggest fight on your hands. It helps people. Plain and simple.
3. The government isn’t competing with the health care industry! They are not going to build hospitals and hire doctors and pay for your insurance. Instead, they will set up a policy to help pay for care. You will still have a choice as to which doctor you visit. Why is this so hard for people to understand?

Here is a number that is staggering to me. I always heard the health care industry was the largest special interest group in Washington. Would you like to know how large? For every single elected politician in Congress there are six health care industry representatives. That’s right. They outnumber our politicians 6 to 1!! This is how serious the health care industry wants to keep things the way they are. They don’t want change.
Now, here’s where it gets a little interesting for me. As much as the health care industry, especially the insurance companies, doesn’t want things to change, they are also gearing up for the change if it occurs. This is a three-pronged attack. They have their representatives on the frontlines protesting every town hall meeting. They also have their number crunchers and top execs working hard to figure out a way to make money off the plan if it is passed. At the same time they are also paying lawyers to file lawsuit after lawsuit as to the validity of this law.
I’m asking you right now. Is anything the health care industry is doing helping you? Do you honestly care if they are inconvenienced by a reform bill? I sure as hell don’t. I’m sick and tired of them hurting people with their greed. They don’t care about you!! They simply don’t care. They care about lining their pockets and if that means dropping you off your insurance because you’re a liability they will do it and not lose sleep over it. It’s wrong! Plain and simple. No rhetoric can mask what they’ve done.
So, in the spirit of Ted Kennedy, I continue to trumpet the cause of health care reform. This needs to happen now. Too many lives have been shattered and others have died because of the decisions of somebody in a board room who doesn’t care about people. It needs to stop!
I strongly encourage you to call your Senators and let them know there are others who also have a voice. We know the crazy people at the rally have their facts all screwed up and we know the bill will help us! If you don’t make it known they will only hear one side. Please call them and let your voice be heard.

Kit Bond: (202) 224-5721
Claire McCaskill: (202) 224-6154

And for those who live outside Missouri, please call your Senators. You can find them at the Senate directory. Here is the link:
http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

Those Damn Canadians!!

I’m exhausted. I really am. I have been trumpeting the sounds and needs of health care reform in this country for the past month. I’ve argued, talked, debated, laughed, loved, and even socialized about it. Wait, I better not say “socialized.” I might get protestors at my door.
I’ve heard a lot of arguments about this proposed reformed. All of them are concerned about how we will pay for the program. It’s a legitimate question. All of them have also expressed concern for Obama raising our taxes in order to pay for it. Quite simply, the president has said he will not raise taxes on the middle class in order to pay for health care reform. Those who believe him might be put at ease. Those who don’t probably have a Sarah Palin For President 2012 button pinned to their lapel already. There’s no convincing them.
Another argument I’ve heard is the fear of socialistic medicine. This one is fun to me. I’ve heard from Americans far and near about how bad Canadians have it. They wait an average of 20 hours to see a doctor. They have to wait months to see a specialist. They die before they get the help they need. Really? Is that why there is a mass exodus from Canada into the United States?
I decided to do something different. I have friends and family members who live in Canada. I asked them about their health care and gave them all a chance to blast it out of the water as one of the worst they had ever seen. Here’s how it went.
I first asked my aunt about it. She and her husband have lived in Toronto for 30 years. I e-mailed her my questions and here is what she said:

“Hey Kurt, glad to hear from you. I hope all is well. To answer your question, yes I love my socialized health care. I have been blessed with three children and we have been through a lot medically. Bill had his heart attack four years ago and Julie was diagnosed with type I diabetes.
The longest we ever waited in a waiting room was about two hours. The longest we ever waited to see a specialist was about a week to 10 days. When Bill needed surgery following his heart attack he had it done within 48 hours. Since Julie is still a minor she doesn’t wait at all. Our system puts the elderly and children first. They usually don’t wait very long to see anyone.
I still laugh at Americans who look at our system and make fun of it. Americans spend WAY more than we do for health care and it’s still crappy. My taxes haven’t gone up for health care in five years and it’s still very manageable. Besides, doesn’t every American want to move to Canada whenever they elect a president they don’t like? Lol.”

Ok, so maybe you think, “She’s your aunt. You guys think alike. Of course she’s for socialism you commie, pinko bastard family.” That’s a bit harsh, but I hear it a lot. Well then how about trying this one from my friend Jason. He grew up in America and moved to Toronto last October for a new job. Here’s what he had to say.

“Dude you know me. I hate politics. Why you ask me this shit? To answer your questions yes I think it works fine. I haven’t lived here very long but I was surprised by my employer explaining the system to me. I always heard Canada hated their health care system. I’ve met one person who hates it out of the hundreds I’ve met.
I remember asking my employer about health insurance. They laughed at me and told me it comes out of my taxes. I didn’t quite understand. Last winter I got the flu and went to a doctor. I waited until payday so I could afford to pay for it. This is where my stupidity kicked in. I didn’t really understand what socialized medicine was about until they told me I didn’t have to pay for anything. I waited two extra days to see the doctor because I wanted to make sure I could pay for it. Dumb me. I could’ve just walked right in the day I wanted to see him.
I didn’t wait very long. I think maybe 10 minutes to see him.
When are you going to move here? I miss you man.”

I can hear my critics now, “But Kurt, you still hang around liberal people and influence them with your questions.”
Sigh. Ok, how about an Internet friend I’ve never met who just had a baby? I will post this verbatim so you can see my questions and answers during a chat session I had on Facebook. I’ll even leave the misspelled words in for authenticity.

Kurt
Can I ask you a quick question?
Besides that one?

9:51pmChristine
sure

9:52pmKurt
Do you absolutely 110% hate your health care system in Canada?

9:53pmChristine
no i love it, what would i do without it, would of cost me at least 40 grand to have my baby as i had a high risk pregnancy and had 5x the normal amount of checkups
i have surgery once a year...all covered

9:53pmKurt
Sigh.
Thanks.

9:53pmChristine
doctors appointments for myself and my son all the time, all covered

9:54pmKurt
I know. It's great. Do you wait 20 hours in a waiting room?

9:55pmChristine
no, the longest i wait is a couple hours
and when pregnant i went right in
and babies go right in
the only people that wait long are ones that go up with something common and not that important, like colds or flu-unless they are kids pr elders

9:56pmKurt
I have relatives who live in Toronto and they love hearing about Americans argue Canada's health care system. To quote my aunt: "They act like they know what we are all about and they have no idea."

9:57pmChristine
ya i dont understand whats bad about free?

9:57pmKurt
Because it makes us (gasp) a SOCIALIST country.

9:57pmChristine
you can pick your doctors, your specialists..whats the problem? you have to wait a bit longer? but you save soo mcuh, its a good trade.

9:57pmKurt
Which it doesn't, that's what the lunatics think.
I agree with you 110%.
Thank you for helping me prove my point.

9:58pmChristine
lol no proble, ttul

Then we had this little exchange when she commented on my status message.

Christine Marie Pullen
You Americans are whack! Sorry but most of you are.
There is nothing wrong with having universal health care. It would do nothing but benefit your country as a whole. You are only as strong as your weakest citzens. You guys are all so PROUD and STRONG. But your sicker...you die younger...your POOR!
Yesterday at 10:04pm • Delete

Kurt Jarvis
Oh yeah, well, we stole hockey from you guys! Take that!
Yesterday at 10:09pm • Delete

Christine Marie Pullen
Ya, but we can afford to go to hockey games here.
Yesterday at 10:10pm • Delete

She really got me on that last statement. Maybe they can afford it because they are not pumping money into a health care system they can’t afford. Hmmmm…
So there you have it. Three different perspectives on the God awful Canadian health care. I only hope we don’t become one of these countries. It would just be horrendous.

Drowning Out Freedom of Speech is NOT American

I was a newspaper reporter once upon a time. I used to sit in on many meetings with many different opinions in the same room. We had nut jobs speak about things they didn’t know anything about and we had genuine people debate the facts at hand.

I didn’t always agree with everybody, but I learned quickly that those who had a point would wait to speak then make their point. Those who didn’t have a point would simply make noise and try to disrupt. It reminds me of a saying: when you have your facts you pound the facts. When you don’t have the facts you pound the table.

There’s a lot of table pounding going on in this country over health care reform. These mobs (and I will call you mobs until you act otherwise) gather at town hall meeting after town hall meeting with the sole purpose of not allowing the meeting to happen. Then they say we are under a Hitler-like regime because Obama wants to reform health care. Well, folks, I have a new term for you idiots. You’re Corporate Nazis!! And I will stand by it.

Here are some bullet points I don’t understand or want to bring to light about these groups:

1. These groups are being stirred by the pharmaceutical companies pretending to be community organizers. They have websites, money, and busses to help prove their point. They claim it’s all a grassroots effort. Really? I know tons of people like you and me who can afford big busses to roll into these gatherings and hand out literature.

The truth is it is corporate funded. Insurance and drug companies did this 15 years ago when Hillary Clinton tried to reform health care. They succeeded. What makes me laugh is these people bring up our forefathers who gathered at meetings and liken their cause to those who founded this country. Funny, I don’t see Patrick Henry being bought!

2. Patients United Now is one of these groups. They also led the charge back when Hillary tried to reform back in 1994. Here’s what they say on their own website:

“We are Americans just like you. We believe patients and doctors should make health care choices, not Washington bureaucrats.”

They are NOT just like us. They are a Republican and corporate-backed organization whose sole purpose is to fan the flames. The main organizer of this group worked for Coke Industries (the number one private energy company in the country) for almost 10 years. He is high up in the Republican Party.

3. These mobs are only going to get worse. We’ve already seen an incident in St. Louis where the two sides clashed, several people were arrested, and a couple of people got hurt. When you try to bar them from attending the meeting they cry foul saying it is a violation of their Constitutional rights. I say once you show hostility and try to disrupt the actual meeting, you should be escorted out promptly. A second thing you can do at these meetings is have an agenda and stick to it. Allow a section for public comment and limit their time to speak. There’s no law against any of these and those who are there for purposes of gathering information should be allowed to be heard just as much as these ranting nut jobs.

4. Calling Obama Hitler has been the last straw for me. As much as I hated Bush’s decisions I never compared him to Hitler. I called him A LOT of names, but I would never disrespect the office of the presidency enough to compare someone occupying that office with the worst killer in modern history. Again, it shows how childish these people are and how much they need to grow in the debate of the ISSUES!!!

5. I want the Republican Party to declare these mobs to be hazardous and demand they stop as they stand now. I think it would be fine to encourage those with passion on both sides of the issue to attend these meetings and be heard. I am not trying to stop anyone from talking, but there is no reason why we can’t have a spirited, civil debate. This is the America I know and love. Mob violence has no place here.

6. I admire any American who stands up for what they believe in and takes it to the level of becoming active. These people are disrupting meetings from being heard. This is NOT American. I find it ironic they talk of Communism yet they don’t want anyone but themselves to speak at these meetings. Hypocrisy anyone?

7. I do understand that health care reform is a big issue. People should care about it. However, they deserve to get their facts straight and let others be heard without intimidation. This can’t happen when they continue to pound the table and not listen to real information.

I'm going to end this with an actual debate using the words of the group I'm criticizing.

"We know America needs real health care reform focused on delivering affordable, quality choices to all Americans"

They said the same thing in 1994. Has it changed for the better since then? Nope. It's gotten worse. It's your call America. Allow the corporate world to continue controlling the costs of your health or do something about it!!