23 January 2011 Some of the citizens are more important than others

I’ve come to believe that people who run lights, speed, assault our ears with their phone calls or car stereos, who tailgate and otherwise behave rudely and/or unsafely have a false sense of their own importance in this culture and world.

Nowhere is this more evident than in the House of Representatives during the past week. The Republican dominated House committed a colossal waste of taxpayer money by introducing, “debating,” and voting on HR2 – a bill to repeal the health care reform act passed by both houses and signed into law last year. There is no chance that this will progress to become a law. However, the GOPers caved in to the teavangelists and voted this monstrosity into existence; thus reinforcing the shift to a two or three-tiered health care plan that any third world officials would be proud of.

This “repeal” calls for the nation to return to a health care system controlled by insurance companies that engage in patient dumping, place limits on care, refuse coverage for patients who have paid premiums for decades and refuse to cover anything they can claim is a pre-existing condition. In short, the GOPers\teavangelists want to continue the present system of health care delivery that features 50-100% premium increases, hugely obscene bonuses for company executives, and denial of care.

Congressional office holders are provided with many fringe benefits that re-enforce their sense of self-importance. They have office staffs and budgets, free parking at National Airport, their own dining rooms, transportation reimbursement, junkets, and lest we forget their own special nature, a fantastic federally funded health insurance package that they’ve created for their selves.

On 19 January 2011, the House voted to “repeal” “Obama Care.” Then, to rub everyone else’s nose into their self-importance, they rejected a motion by the Democrats to make the “repeal” contingent upon members of Congress giving up their own private insurance package. In other words, Congress would have to sign up for and live with the limitations of whatever plan they saddled the American public with. Highly unlikely, and they affirmed their importance by refusing to accept the limited plan they want to put into effect instead of Obama’s plan.

I am particularly grateful to our local TN district 1 representative. Mr. Roe, voted for repeal and then voted against requiring Congress to give up their own plan. Mr. Roe, professing to be concerned for his constituents, has voted to place them and keep them in a two-three-tiered system of health care delivery. Mr. Roe has proclaimed that he will relinquish his Congressional plan, but fails to point out that he is entitled to Medicare – thus pretty much uninsurable by the insurance companies – can count on professional courtesy from many physicians, and has the Veterans Affairs system as a last resort.

If Mr. Roe is so willing to share the health care delivery options available to too many of his constituents, we’ll look forward to seeing him lining up in the dark for a chance to be treated by RAM volunteers in the stables at a local fairground.

Links below summarize the nature of both HR2 votes and Rep Roe’s votes.

http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h112-2&tab=summary

http://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/house/138899-house-rejects-democratic-effort-to-derail-healthcare-repeal-bill





http://roe.house.gov/VoteRecord/



RAM is a highly committed volunteer organization that is trying to provide health care to the un-insured while simultaneously pointing out the flaws in our current tiered system.

http://www.ramusa.org/index.html

While this ill-conceived GOP\teavangelist gift package for the insurance companies looms in the wings, while millions of Americans die for lack of timely, affordable, and available health care, the GOP\teavanagelists will continue to run red lights, speed, text while driving, and will not exhibit any concern for their fellow citizens. They may have attacked the “educated elitists” while campaigning. However, they are perfectly willing to become members of their own elite. Watch out for them at red lights. They’re important and they have insurance in case they hit your car with theirs.