Thursday, December 17, 2009

Health reform: How many compromises is it going to take?

If anyone needs more evidence that this “checks and balances” parliamentary system is not working at this point, I don't know what they need to see.

This social reform debate is a disaster. It is excruciating watching this. Democrats have been open-minded, they have made compromises, they have given up the public option, they have now given up the extension of Medicare, but that's still not enough. We are facing a republican filibuster that has decided not to make any compromise. I wouldn't be surprised if some sketchy things are going on behind the scenes to give incentives to some strategic senators to spurn the bill or to spurn amendments that are put on the table in order to sabotage this project altogether. It certainly looks like this is what's going on. These senators are a shame. We elected them to represent the best interest of the people, not to get distracted about whether or not they are going to get re-elected during their entire mandate. In addition to the lack of integrity of some, we are in the presence of two major problems (and countless small ones):

Every senator is seizing this opportunity to make it their moment. Every senator (and there's 100 of them), is all of a sudden trying to push some issue or another. Some of them are legitimate. Some of them feel like it may be their only chance in their career to push an issue that they strongly believe in. Their heart is in the right place and the issue is a valid one (like Sanders). Every senator is trying to either steal the spotlight and/or bring a new amendment to the table. Everything is getting mixed. All of a sudden this becomes about abortion etc. One issue harms the other.

Why can't they just pass individual bills instead of sticking every single debate into a massive bill that should be simply aimed at ensuring access to health insurance to more people and stopping the abuse from private insurance companies? Most likely because the system is set up in such a way that it is a miracle if anything passes the finance committe and then the house. They all feel like it's never gonna happen again, like it's “now or never”. Well they shouldn't feel that way. They feel that way because the system is broken. Why is the system set up in such a way that senators feel like they have to push an issue at a time at the risk of jeopardizing the greater bill? This legislative process is not working.

Two of my co-workers have told me about their experience looking for health insurance while they weren't working. One of them got denied because he is asthmatic, the other one won't even asked because he “knows” he would get denied because of his weight. Every year, 40,000 people die because they don't have health insurance.

This terrible fiasco has nothing to do with Barack Obama. He is at the mercy of the senators at this point. This is some devastating evidence that this country is just too divided. We simply can't get along. We can't even meet in the middle. This is wasting time and taxpayers' money.

I have just written a message to Olympia Snowe to ask her why she is joining the Republican filibuster. To the Republicans that are using extremely low political tactics to ensure that this doesn't pass for a few months and waiting for the elections next year so they can take control again, I want to say that they don't belong in the senate. In fact, they don't belong in politics. Political leadership is about being a grown up, making compromises, knowing when it is appropriate to swallow your pride for the people and holding the stakes of what's best for the country higher than you own personal political agenda. I am ashamed of our “democracy” today.

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

To be or not to be Ben Nelson from Nebraska

Many senators can only dream of being in a position similar to what has been Joe Lieberman's in the past months. This is quite a good indicator of the limits of the "checks and balances" system.While we know that it is reasonable to say that there is a risk in rolling out a big health care reform in the midst of the major economic and social crisis that we live in, and while we know that it takes political courage to do so, Mr. Lieberman has opted for a filibuster.


This is someone who can currently sway the health care debate any way he wants, and holds the fate of many cancer patients in his hand, some of which will die because of his media-friendly filibuster threat(s). Today, when asked whether he had hopes to run for as a presidential candidate in 2012, he confirmed that it is not out of the table. Well enjoy your attention-grabbing career move Mr. Lieberman while we know that it will cost some people their lives and the lives of their kids.

Life holds a lot of contradictions, but the greatest one I have ever witnessed is the contradiction of the United States of America. This is a christian country, our president swears on the Bible during the oath and mentions God, but yet, we have no problem with letting people die because we don't want to pay taxes. In God we Trust

Senator JL and the health reform

Many senators can only dream of being in a position similar to what has been Joe Lieberman's in the past months. This is quite a good indicator of the limits of the "checks and balances" system.While we know that it is reasonable to say that there is a risk in rolling out a big health care reform in the midst of the major economic and social crisis that we live in, and while we know that it takes political courage to do so, Mr. Lieberman has opted for a filibuster.

This is someone who can currently sway the health care debate any way he wants, and holds the fate of many cancer patients in his hand, some of which will die because of his media-friendly filibuster threat(s). Today, when asked whether he had hopes to run for as a presidential candidate in 2012, he confirmed that it is not out of the table. Well enjoy your attention-grabbing career move Mr. Lieberman while we know that it will cost some people their lives and the lives of their kids.

Life holds a lot of contradictions, but the greatest one I have ever witnessed is the contradiction of the United States of America. This is a christian country, our president swears on the Bible during the oath and mentions God, but yet, we have no problem with letting people die because we don't want to pay taxes. In God we Trust

Friday, December 11, 2009

That evil antitrust law

The chaotic and sometimes seemingly stumbling endeavors by the White House to pass a health reform has served as a powerful witness

Stupak tried to make it about abortion (and failed), and republican detractors tried to take that opportunity to divert the attention of the real debate: the fact that 40,000 US citizen die every year in the US because they don’t have health insurance. I repeat. 40,000 US citizens die every year and could live if they were able to afford treatment and had health insurance.

In the midst of all this noise, we all try as diligently as we can to understand all the intricate and intertwined elements of this debate, what has emerged as a dangerously possible show stopper is the issue of the public option.

We can only support and follow. Doing so sheds some light on why it has repeatedly failed since the last success in 1964: it is simply too complicated and I suspect that a lot of the House Representatives and senators don’t necessarily understand everything.

I understand why the public option’s cost and difficulty of implementation can be prohibitive, what I have yet to understand, however, is why on earth can’t we simply put a ban on that evil antitrust law that protects Insurance executives while they are criminals and let people die for profit. What could possibly be a viable argument against the ban?

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

How far to go for family?

I have now reached the point where I simply cannot listen to yet another repulican person claim that they shouldn't pay taxes for this or for that. Especially in the midst of this health care debate.

You see I am someone who holds politics very high up in my heart and in the list of topics that I like to discuss. Spending time with family and biting my tongue all week-end not to bring up any political issue is a lot of work for me but I will do it (not every week-end but once or twice a year) because I love family and I love that it gives us a privileged opportunity to experience a diversity of opinion when we otherwise tend to stick with like-minded people who share our values.

But you see, my in-laws don't censor themselves. They will drop a political bomb in an otherwise casual conversation whenever they can. My husband has claimed that he has confronted his parents (his mum especially who is so sel-absorbed, judgemental and patronizing, she just wants to impose her views anytime she can and with me she fails miserably but can't admit it). I suspect that he didn't confront her or if he did, he did it like a wimp. He is not too confrontational. This is the side of him that bothers me the most and that could potentially break up our marriage.


So at this stage, I simply choose not to be around my husband's family anymore. It actually saddens me deeply. Family is a value for me, but like I said, listening to some selfish republican speeches coming from people who simply don't listen to others has crossed the line for me. I blame my husband a little bit for not standing out for me more firmly (and God knows I cut him a lot of slack otherwise in our daily lives but for this I simply can't). The question is: how far are you willing to compromise for family. If everyone could just stick it and bite their tongue equally, I would go. But if it's just me, I just feel disrepected.

Don't get me wrong: I am not the ultimate lefty. I believe that public finances should be watched closely, but I also believe that social injustice unfortunately exists and I believe in solidarity. I mostly have no tolerance for people who make outrageous contradictions, and republicans who go to church do. I am sorry but how can you claim you are a Christian if you don't want to help out people who may not have it as easy as you? It's your right but do not dare to say you're a Christian. Same with the death penalty.

And here is a great article from E. Berstein: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203803904574426790853818568.html

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

« When history calls, history calls » Olympia Snowe wins my heart

On Tuesday, October 13, 2009, I felt this deep “pride to be an americain”. I woke up, went to work, still not knowing who Olympia Snowe was. My work day was quite full, and I saw her name on the Internet headlines, and briefly learnt that she is a senator from Maine. For the Frenchie that I am, not having grown up in the US, I have found it difficult at times, regarless of how politicized I am, to follow the tribulations of the US senators.

Of course, it turns out that her name became the buzz of the day: the finance committee was voting the Health reform that day. It passe with 14 votes against 9 and Olympia Snowe being the only Republican to vote in favor of this reform. By doing so, she transformed this debate and this proposal into a bipartisan one, taking this further than it's been in years. The urge for a health care reform was put on the table many times but always dropped (for as long as I can remember since I moved here in 1999)

On Google, the buzz stock exchange, « Olympia Snowe » was propulsed to the number one search and stayed there most of the day in front of prestigious US football players. Obama acknowledged here in his afternoon poised and discreet speech following the results of the finance committee.

Let me take this opportunity to clarify something: in France, you would never see this. You would never see a left-wing person support a political effort from the right, and you would never see the left and the righ come togher to tackle a question as adventurous as a Health care reform.

It's fair to say that here in the US, even the supporters of the Health car reform had grown sick of this ludicrous debate and tis ramifications, but for it to pass the Finance Committee today was crucial. This is something I would not have believed was possible a few months ago. On the further left, politicians are disappointed that there is no public option in this reform and that it's not “good enough”, but no one can deny that it is a bipartisan bill. Even Howard Dean was hesitant to criticize this progress, stating that “he didn't want to be a jerk”.

As for the buzz around Olympia Snowe, I was quite skeptical today. For some reason, my reaction was quite prejudiced, and I thought that maybe this is someone who simply wants the media coverage. Coming back from work, I went to my Mac Book Pro, which has been my tv for a while, and turned it on to view some footage.

And when I did, something happened. I saw this Olympia Snowe that I knew nothing about less than ten hours ago. Poised, with a good head on her shoulder, she exuded something that any senator should exude: this awareness of the fact that she carries on her shoulder something much greater than her own little self. Unlike other attention-whore senators, this woman screamed “I am not playing a game”, and just by heargin her voice and viewing her body language, I felt it. She simply “had me”

She spoke about « the monumental issue of our time », stating that « When history calls, history calls ».

Senator John Kerry reiterated by saying « if you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem ».

And I must say that watching this today simply brought tears to my eyes. It was the american system at its best. Brilliant debates, brilliant senators, and regardless of what happens in the next few days or weeks, this moment has made history. It was simply some kick-ass americain bipartisanship in action, it was people coming together to acknowledge the urgency.

I went to bed that day with pride. I know that no matter what happens, I live in a terrific country with a system that is not flawless but still terrific. God bless America, my home sweet home!