"Decisions are made by those who show up."
Around the country, right-wing activists, backed by well-funded groups working for the insurance industry, are showing up at the town hall events that Congresscritters are having in their districts during the recess. They're showing up and making their position known very clearly - in at least some cases at the expense of anyone else who wants to hear actual discussion about the issue. The GOP leadership is happier than they've been for the last two election cycles.
Over at Talking Points Memo, Josh Marshall almost asks the right question:
Folks can whine on endlessly about outfits like Freedom Works putting these rackets together. But if the president's plan has any public support they should be able to get supporters to these events too, right? Not to pull the Black Shirt routine but to provide some public demonstration that there's real public support for making reform a reality.If there is.
So that's the question. Where's the other team?
It's a good question. It's even almost the right question. But not quite.
The question is, WHERE ARE YOU? A decision that will affect you is going to be made. Are you going to show up, or are you going to let it be made for you?
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It's more than just a matter of people protesting, it's astroturf (which talking points memo you link to does mention) groups who have been coached on being hostile and even violent audiences.
New York Times ran and article on it Tuesday. The more detail about it being a coordinated strategy of threat and disruption is by Lee Fang last Friday.
I am one of those 'right-wing opposition activists.' I am not manufactured. I have attended three or four protests here in the Tampa area since April. I have seen no well-funded groups supported by the insurance industry at any I have attended. A notice is sent out by a facebook group or a meetup group to regular people. We need little financial backing because everyone provides their own transportation and signs. The majority of these protests are made up of people who have never done this type of thing before: They work and try to raise their families. They normally don't have time for this kind of thing.
The attendees are my neighbors and simply object to the direction Obama and Congress are trying take us. They also cross all party, ethnic, and racial lines. We don't need financial backing of anyone. On the contrary the other side are much better organized and backed by large organizations. A good example is a Town Hall scheduled for tomorrow: It is sponsored by 'Organizing for America' and the SEIU.
We tend to be very concerned with the growth of government because it reduces the choices we have to order our own lives. It also reduces our liberty. It also steals more money from our pockets, our families and our posterity. It violates fundamental principles that have allowed this country to be the richest in the world: even our so-called poor have a quality of life that is the envy of most of the rest of the world.
Our medical care system is broken, we know that. We think that Government caused it. Between Medicare, Medicaid, SCHIP and the VA, state and federal government control about 80% of the cost of medical care. That is why it is so expensive. Expanding a broken system is not the answer. If they do it bad now, how can expanding it make it better?
The only general types of medical care for which the cost has gone down are those that are NOT regulated by Government: Lasik and cosmetic surgery. So we need to get the Government out of health care if we want it to be affordable, and thus allow more Americans to have access to quality health care.
They also cross all party, ethnic, and racial lines.
Haven't seen much evidence of that. Have seen a lot of racism.
On the contrary the other side are much better organized and backed by large organizations. A good example is a Town Hall scheduled for tomorrow: It is sponsored by 'Organizing for America' and the SEIU.
Piffle. SEIU is about the only outside organization that is really making an effort. Pharma lobby, health care lobby, hospital lobby, insurance lobby, $1.4 million per day. Some of it is fertilizing astroturf well beyond K Street.
We tend to be very concerned with the growth of government because it reduces the choices we have to order our own lives. It also reduces our liberty. It also steals more money from our pockets, our families and our posterity.
What choices are there for most people other than near monopoly insurance and out-of-pocket or getting so poor that Medicaid is needed? What about more than half of the bankruptcies and medical insurance related? If you're rich, you have choices, if you're not - SOL.
It violates fundamental principles that have allowed this country to be the richest in the world: even our so-called poor have a quality of life that is the envy of most of the rest of the world.
So how much of the prosperity in this country was generated at state universities? And what in Obama's plan leaves you no choice? And the poor in our counry have it better than the poor anywhere in Western Europe, OZ, NZ, Japan. You must be comparing our poor tho those in Brazil, China, India, Mexico, Iran, Turkey, Russia... Yeah, we're better than them.
Our medical care system is broken, we know that. We think that Government caused it. Between Medicare, Medicaid, SCHIP and the VA, state and federal government control about 80% of the cost of medical care.
How many are bitching about VA care and Medicare compared to those bitching about private health insurance? What is causing all those bankruptcies by failing to pay, Medicare or private health insurance/no insurance? And the feds provide about 45% of the health care, private insurance about 35% and the rest out-of-pocket. And part of that 45% is losses from people that have no chance of paying.
That is why it is so expensive. Expanding a broken system is not the answer
Yeah, that's why we are using 16% of our GDP and all those countries that have some form of gov't run health insurance pay about 7-10% for their health care.
The only general types of medical care for which the cost has gone down are those that are NOT regulated by Government: Lasik and cosmetic surgery.
Technology [lasik] and more competition within subspecialties.
...and thus allow more Americans to have access to quality health care.
And how has the free-market done this - anywhere? [other than libertarian propertarian dreamworld. The whole idea of a health insurance company is to make money by providing as little health care as they can.