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Town and Country - Adams and Jefferson
By Margaret Bassett (about the author) Page 1 of 1 page(s)
For OpEdNews: Margaret Bassett - Writer
It's no secret. Various regions of the nation do not react the way other regions would like. I've heard about greedy New York bankers since I was big enough to talk. They are the antithesis of hayseed yokels who don't know what the country needs. Which is, of course, good healthcare insurance.
Be that as it may, Blue Dog Democrats, as a group of 51, are certainly rankling columnists and pundits. In the old question of Blue States versus Red States, there develops chatter of how Blue Dogs are turning Blue States into something resembling bilious chartreuse. Their Republican counterparts, who call themselves a Study Group, get off easier because they are just Republicans. In principle, they have similar guidelines for running the nation--little expenditure for domestic programs and a strong defense.
By acknowledging that there is a large number of such Representatives in the House, how can we "liberals" do what they accuse us of? Tax and spend. Here I want to say I'm a Democrat who believes that spending trillions on war and preparation for future wars has siphoned off national treasure to the point that any new initiative to extend Medicare beyond the current age limit is an uphill battle. Yet our leaders say the current system of having companies pay for their employees is taking the national economy into the dumps.
So who says a person's employer is the one responsible for his/her health? It has always been a "owe your soul to the company store" kind of issue.Yet we went along with it, because we were given little choice when times were flush. To bring the matter up to date, let's ask who's in charge of an individual's health? The president says you can continue to have insurance if you change companies--and there will be no penalty for pre-existing conditions, nor waiting time. Just how is a company going to keep many of it's employees? Unless one is a prime candidate for another company--or past the age of having young dependents--he/she still may not feel free to leave. This is simply because the new job may not have the same insurance company. Will insurance companies have ways to deliver on the president's promise? How many pages of "whereas" paragraphs will there be in the bill? Maybe it is appropriate to ask, "How many government offices will be involved in making the rules for the whereas-es?
This may seem like I'm picking on the ethics of the insurance companies or on government efficiency. Maybe I am, because I remember how much time it took to get the pill bill put into practice. Eight district offices were set up under the Bush administration. Someone who has direct experience could describe this bit of bureaucracy better than I, since I have a donut hole for coverage.
All of the above is about trying to determine how administrative promises can turn into actuality for the working American. Those without jobs for whatever reason--except for those who are into a Medicaid category--are covered by What? My guess is that many persons have the Blue Dog blues and no insurance, and want national coverage. (However, in online comments, I've actually read words like "shoot 'em" or "take those states out of the United States.")
Who are Blue Dogs? First, many acknowledge that they represent poorer districts. That makes sense. If there is little wealth, the young look to the Guard for a livelihood and those older look to working at outsourced correctional facilities. There are only so many buyers of new I-Pods in an area like that.
I took the list of 51 Blue Dogs who were on their role during the current term and found that 11 states were in the non-chartreuse category. California came in first and Pennsylvania, second. This is not a proportionate comparison, for I did not find the number of Congressional seats for each state.
The chartreuse division--those urged to secede--lists 18 states, all in the Mountain West--which are rich in minerals and mostly poor in population--and also Southern states. From that vast territory come names of Blue Dogs which make the nightly news.
My question to those who call themselves "progressive" is: How do you fit Democrats into a closely defined category in a Republic?
I've heard tell that several states, combined, have only the same number of citizens as New York City alone. There, the Senate is considered to be non-representative of Americans. Should we rewrite the Constitution? Change from a Federal to a Parliamentary system? At a time when we are looking for quick legislation, rewriting the Constitution in such a surgical manner is not feasible.
Presidents Adams and Jefferson had a falling out over some of the same issues. Commercial and Rural--Town and Country. A creative tension over the years exists, even though those two made up just in time to die.
I hope that if you are an American you realize you are due good health care and an insurance policy reasonable in its premium cost. Whether you are Blue, Red or Green--Republican or Democrat or something else, you deserve it.
So let's pick on the greedy insurance and pharmaceutical companies, lay off innuendoes that Americans are unpatriotic if they don't see things our way, and do our darnedness to get something on the books.
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