The issue of universal healthcare in the USA has been debated for close to a year by our representatives in Congress. You might think there would be some clarity to the arguments by this time, but the constant flurry of spin, innuendo, lies and outright nonsense has left the American people in the wonderland of the confused. Today, on the eve of a critical vote for healthcare, the polls indicate Americans are just about equally divided on this monumental topic. Congress has failed to show meaningful leadership!
It’s unfortunate because there are significant problems hidden behind the debates. Healthcare costs have raced out of control for over 20 years. In fact, the radical increases have fractured the budgets of the majority of our countrymen. Efforts to understand the anomaly have been frustrated and relief from the staggering costs has been elusive. Add to this disparity the fact that over 46 million people are uninsured and the need for reform becomes painfully apparent.
On the other side of the debate is a solid block of legislators who believe that the present proposal is full of hidden agendas which will ultimately result in higher and more uncontrollable costs. This group claims corruptive influences in the form of special favors has tainted the legislation. They have injected fears of lost benefits and restricted medical access for those presently insured. They have raised concerns among the elderly about planned death initiatives. They have effectively presented a case against reform.
No one misses the fact that the proponents and opponents of healthcare are divided by party affiliation. For the diligent observer, one can easily surmise how this succinct division can occur. Our representatives are so beholden to their respective parties that their only allegiance is to the position adopted by the Democrats or Republicans? If so, what is the fate of the representative government? What happens to our country when an issue is not resolved in the interest of the greater good, but rather on the basis of political affiliation?
This scenario is not new to American politics. The concept of divide and conquer has been successfully used by both the Republicans and Democrats to split and confuse the masses. In turn, the electorate has shown their disdain by fleeing the two parties and choosing to become Independent. Unfortunately, this gesture of contempt is unproductive. If our leadership is poor, they must be replaced. If the two parties are in collusion, they must be destroyed. Representative government is dead and only the fanatical intervention of an aroused citizenry can restore a responsive leadership!
