Our Democracy is on life support
Where is the outrage?
How can Americans stand by and let organized mobs shout out and drown out the information on the proposed medical plan the congress is considering.
Anyone who cares about the First Amendment should be opposing these outbursts that are making a mockery of town meetings.
Granted, this same First Amendment provides that our country should have free speech.
But since when are we content with those unruly people, hired or not, organized or not, drowning out what we have a right to hear?
If this happened at our local city council or school board meetings, the rest of us would insist that they wait their turn, sit down or get out. We simply would not stand for it in a public meeting.
I do not buy the self-serving explanation of the conservatives who say this small number, whom they secretly admire, has their right to speak out.
They say the message of these town hall meetings is that many more than a few oppose this proposed health care legislation. Let’s face it, in the words of one conservative, if we can defeat President Obama’s health plan, it will be his Waterloo.
Come on people, this is politics as usual and we are sitting idly by on the sidelines falling for this idea that disrupting congressional town hall meetings is just the American way.
What has happened to civil discussion of issues based on facts and not rants? How much longer should we put up with shouting guests on talk shows that insist their way is the only way?
No wonder our Democracy is on life support as we by our silence affirm the disgusting politics in a nation that is supposed to be the guiding light for civil discussions of issues based on the facts.
A little Hyperbole there, Don. Democracy survived through the 60′s and all those public protests. I think a little hullabaloo at some rinky-dink town meetings isn’t going to threaten Democracy as we know it.
Now if we had something going on like, oh I don’t know let’s say the President’s Administration asking people to turn in their friends/neighbors/acquaintances by forwarding personal correspondence that disagreed with what the Whitehouse deems to be the truth – then I might start to be a little concerned.
I agree. I did get carried away and Democracy will survive, but I get tired of people just ho-humming when their rights are being tramped on.
And I’m tired of the 24-7 news media hacking away at every outburst, then asking “experts” what it means and soon asking the president what he thinks?
This kind of programming must be acceptable, because otherwise these networks would take them off the air. Ratings, my dear Watson, ratings.
Who eve thought I( a disciplel of the free press would be so outspoken?
Thanks for your comment.
The civil discussion promoted by a large portion of the media, including most of the so-called ‘credible’ newspapers, amounts to treating all arguments equally, regardless of merit. So, Sarah Palin’s “death panel” crack is handled as a valid rebuttal to an academic who has spent decades studying health care. Now, I might disagree with these well-organized shills for Insurance Inc., but they seem within their rights to make noise in public. Ultimately, their method might not stand up to pressure if the media – including local weekly newspapers – would devote time, research, and space to the issue, and put in on Page One, without the typically mollifying “he-said, she-said” safety dance. Seems worth a try at least?
24×7 news cycles = Love/Hate relationship
Just a reminder this bill was written by lawyers for lawyers. Why do you think it’s over 1000 pages? The reason I’m sure is so that it takes 5 to 10 years in court, paying countless lawyers, to decipher all the changes in languages. Some more tax money not well spent. Billions and still not get it right.
Most people could write the whole bill in 2 to 3 pages, mine only took one, and if requested I will print it here.
Just to prove a point. How many people could sit down and read 1000 pages and tell someone what was in it? If I had to guess, it would be more like 5 or 6 times before you would get everything comprehended 90%. Yea, opps, missed something.
Have every lawmaker swear on a bible before they vote on it that they personally have read the bill, not just this one, but all bills put before them.
Government for the people by the people. Lawmakers should have to follow the same laws that they forced on their districts. In this case, they should have to carry the same healthcare that they tell us to have.
Agreeing with Burke… “he said she said” stories rule the day because media outlets don’t have the ball(oon)s to allow journalists to dig in with their heals and report on the “findings of fact.” Instead, the corporate media outlets propped up by their own special interest groups — advertisers — settle for reacting to news rather than making news. It isn’t news that Palin and others outrageously make claims of “death panels,” it’s news that in the 90s there was the exact same language used in a bill that was supported by 47 Republicans in the senate.
And I’m not trying to turn this into a Dems vs. Repubs delio, because that’s the overarching problem. Our nation can’t afford a so-called two-party system if there are 1,000s of parties worth of special interest groups that control both political parties whenever they have an itch they want scratched.
Politicians need to stop selling out and Americans need to smarten up. We are quickly becoming the laughing stock of the world with these “death panel” debates.
These people would not have to shout at these meetings if they felt they had representation, with the media forgetting what journalism is and simply reporting the Democrat talking points, people are angry and have a right to be heard. The outrage is hear, it is well deserved. Where was this argument when people were attacking these same folks over the war in Iraq. The tide has changed and the American population is starting to wake up from its slumber of allowing the transfer of wealth and civil liberties to the lowest common denominator. Enough is enough and these folks are hearing about it. I think it is a good thing. For decades the liberals have had the upper hand and controlled the American conscience, it appears that perhaps that is changing and I hope the momentum continues, liberals have stepped to far and I am glad finally we are fighting back.
“We” aren’t fighting back, as the outrage expressed at these towns remains the voice of the minority. The majority reserves it’s outrage for failed democratic attempts to achieve heath care reform. Again, I beg Americans to realize their potential for intelligent thought. “For decades the liberals have had the upper hand and controlled the American conscience” We need to distance ourselves from that two-party small-minded thinking. For decades Americans have failed to envoke their political conscience and instead have hidden behind meaningless party platforms. Throw “socialism” talk out the window and throw “bush lied people died” thought out the window and find real solutions to real problems. Demand intelligent and independent politicians — or in other words the opposite of the Sarah Palins of both parties.