Would You Let Your Children Behave Like Joe Wilson (I hope not....)

"F**K you, Congress"



So here's the question - you have a child. You take said child out to some crappy place in a strip mall for dinner because you got home late and the last thing on your mind is to make dinner. So you and your husband (or wife or whatever) take little Timmy out with you to TGI Thursday's or Green Lobster or whatever. While there, the waitress comes over and says "Hi! We have drink specials today 2 for 1 margaritas" You say that sounds great and while the waitress gets your drink order, Little Timmy, seed of your loins, throws a tantrum at the table because he wants chicken fingers and you want him to have the steamed chicken and broccoli so he doesn't turn into an obese child (because you cant afford the medical bills if your angel gets diabetes at the age of 10). He screams at you and makes a scene - what do you do? Punish him or give him his favorite dessert as a reward?

If that child were mine - that better not happen, I'll tell you that. Because even a crappy restaurant is a restaurant and there is a sense of decorum in how you act when out in public. My parents threatened me once - if you act out we just wont take you anywhere - and that's all I needed.

So my question, dear readers is simply this.....why the hell would anyone Republicans, Conservatives, Space Aliens....let Rep. Joe Wilson get away with his behavior last night at the President's address to Congress? What kind of message does this send? To me it doesn't send a message of protest or disagreement for The President's bill and ideals - the way to show that is clearly in the sitting on the hands and looking a little perturbed that the Republicans (and Democrats) know how to do so well. That in itself speaks volumes to The President when he addresses Congress. I personally LOVE this bit of theatre - it reminds me of old movies of Parliament.

But this...this shouting of "You Lie" by Rep Wilson is just bad behavior. And it makes a mockery of Congress, his office, and the Republican Party. It shows that he has no taste and clearly no respect for his job or his party or his country. Forget about his not agreeing with The President - you do not shit where you eat! That's the first rule of having a job. For this alone to show respect for the hall of Congress and the Country that the Republicans say they love so much more than the Democrats do - they need to condemn this act by a crude man - not order him a hot fudge sundae!

Barack Obama's Big Night

Last night President Barack Obama addressed Congress and the American people on the issue of his health care reform bill. I eagerly awaited this address because I have been feeling for months now that President Obama, by taking the high road and not addressing full out the craziness that has been brewing by the conservative right, was letting an opportunity slip away - the opportunity to make fools of these crazies by bringing to light the truth about the health care plan.

Lat night, President Obama did, I feel, make his position known in a more forceful manner. I loved his speech about he not being the first President to fight for Universal Health care but he would be the last. I love the fact that he addressed Sarah Palin's idiocy about "death panels" and called her out without naming names.

I even love the age old theatrics of the address to Congress - the party that sides with you stands and cheers everything you say. The opposition literally sits on their hands (except, of course, for Joe Wilson - the rude prick). Whenever I see this, It really takes me back to a time over 200 years ago when I'm sure the founding fathers that the conservatives talk so much about disagreed with and were outspoken with each other.

But let's get back to President Obama's outline and why the hell wouldn't we want this to pass? President Obama said that if you have health care from work or Medicare or Medicaid your coverage would stay the same except for the fact that there would be no pre-existing ailments and your coverage can't be "changed" during or after a sickness. If you don't have health care you have to be required to buy some form of basic health care or be penalized by the IRS. And if you still can't afford it, a basic basic form would be offered to you covering, say, heart disease of a broken leg so that you don't run off to the hospital emergency room, rack up a $25,000 bill and skip out on it. That everyone would have to be covered for basic health care like drivers are covered by car insurance. - What the hell is wrong with that?

There are only two scenarios that I can think of why the Republicans are so against this plan and this man - and neither of them make them look good in any way, shape of form:

1. The Republicans are in the back pocket of the medicine and insurance industries (duh). Of course they are - I literally snort coke zero out of my nose every time the Conservative Right says that they're for the people and that the Democrats are for big business and big government.....What? what? Republicans are notoriously for big business and tax breaks. They are the poster boys for bribery and being bought and sold for a buck. Do you want to know what got the only positive reaction by the President on the Republican side of the aisle yesterday? When The President acknowledged John McCain? NOPE! Guess again......How about when he said he would look into Doctors malpractice insurance practices and try to deregulate some practices and procedures for doctors? DING DING DING DING! The Republicans are being strong armed by the Insurance and AMA to not budge an inch lest there be less money to be shared. See? The Republicans still believe in trickle down economics - profit is trickled down from BIG INSURANCE right into the pockets of Republican Congressmen.

2. Like the sore losers they are, the Republicans want to see President Obama fail and will take down the country with it if they have to just to get a big "See? I told ya so" in the end. I don't know if it's racism, jealousy, aversion to change and hope or a weird allergic reaction to peanuts or shellfish, but these Republicans literally will stop at nothing to get Barack Obama to lose.

But here's the thing...In the end, the conservatives will self implode in a sea of craziness and the light will come down on the truth - that this system is broken and we have to change it. That President Obama's plan is no different or more insidious than having mandatory car insurance or home insurance on a mortgaged home. And that the really sad, sad truth in those that disagree is that it's OK to insure your THINGS - your car, your boat, your home because they have a tangible value but human health (especially the working class) much less important to the Conservatives after all.