You know, I really like America. It's not a perfect country, by any means, but it strives towards glorious ideals of equality and freedom. I think most Americans realize that shutting down the government during a fragile economic recovery is a bad idea. At least, I hope they realize it. It is stupid, stupid, stupid.
Many people are blaming the Republicans for this imminent shutdown of the government, and I agree with them. Republicans, you know that Obama is not going to let you defund his signature legislative achievement. I understand you think it's a bad bill. So why not make it better instead of repealing it? Do you have any constructive ideas about health care? I haven't heard anything except "Repeal Obamacare." If I'm missing something, let me know. Right now many people in this country don't have health coverage, and if they have a medical emergency, the rest of us pay for it. What do you propose to do about it? If you have no better solution than the Affordable Care Act, why do you even think you deserve to be in Congress? How about coming up with an alternative instead of bashing those who are trying to solve a problem?
However, I'm also annoyed with, and fully willing to blame Democrats too. Democrats, Obama-care isn't perfect, and a refusal to delay or amend it is just as pig-headed and stupid as the Republicans' refusal to fund the entire government without removing Obamacare. There is no law so perfect that it can't be improved - maybe you can come up with some way to compromise with Republicans?
Unfortunately both sides are convinced that they are utterly right that I don't think a compromise is anywhere in our future. Will we ever be able to get our country working again? I'm just so frustrated with both sides right now that I can not even express it in words!
Maybe Jed Bartlet can express it best:
"Then Shut it Down," Jed Barlet, The West Wing
Many people are blaming the Republicans for this imminent shutdown of the government, and I agree with them. Republicans, you know that Obama is not going to let you defund his signature legislative achievement. I understand you think it's a bad bill. So why not make it better instead of repealing it? Do you have any constructive ideas about health care? I haven't heard anything except "Repeal Obamacare." If I'm missing something, let me know. Right now many people in this country don't have health coverage, and if they have a medical emergency, the rest of us pay for it. What do you propose to do about it? If you have no better solution than the Affordable Care Act, why do you even think you deserve to be in Congress? How about coming up with an alternative instead of bashing those who are trying to solve a problem?
However, I'm also annoyed with, and fully willing to blame Democrats too. Democrats, Obama-care isn't perfect, and a refusal to delay or amend it is just as pig-headed and stupid as the Republicans' refusal to fund the entire government without removing Obamacare. There is no law so perfect that it can't be improved - maybe you can come up with some way to compromise with Republicans?
Unfortunately both sides are convinced that they are utterly right that I don't think a compromise is anywhere in our future. Will we ever be able to get our country working again? I'm just so frustrated with both sides right now that I can not even express it in words!
Maybe Jed Bartlet can express it best:
"Then Shut it Down," Jed Barlet, The West Wing
HIYO! [in response to the video, not your post, the tone of which is (fittingly) much more sad than dramatic, and thus not appropriate to respond to with a "HIYO!"]
ReplyDeleteYeah I really wish Martin Sheen were around to kick some Republican butt like it deserves to be kicked. Alas, Pres. Barlett exists only in my imagination :)
ReplyDeleteAnd on Twitter!=!
ReplyDeleteSeeing that video now is really creepy. That show hasn't been on for some time and how prophetic it seems to be. My husband is a non essential government employee. So far for us the furlough is just an aggravation. For others it really hurts. It's also hurting non government agencies my husband has worked with for many years. Studies my husband has gotten grants for are now on hold until whenever. The grant money didn't come from government sources, it was privately funded, but my husband is forbidden to do any work on it whatsoever.
ReplyDeleteIt also hurts when I hear others talk about how nice it would be to be like my husband and be able to do nothing all day and still get paid. Well, maybe he will get retroactive pay and maybe he won't. We don't know. My husband would like nothing better than to go to work. He likes what he does and he's good at it. He'd go in and work on his own dime, but he can't. He isn't sitting home doing nothing until this is over. He gets to put new shingles on the roof. Maybe he'll get paid for it and maybe he won't, but he isn't lazy.
I like your points about the ACA. I just don't think this is the arena to bring it up in. It should be an issue fought over on it's own merits. Both sides should be willing to listen and compromise. Just get the government working again first. That sounds so funny as I stop and read that. I guess I mean get the employees back to work. I never thought about it until now, but I guess I also mean get the government working again in the sense that it seems to be broken.