I am appalled at the recent behavior of Americans addressing the health care debate. According to the New York Times and a variety of local papers, town hall meetings are turning hostile, eliminating communication between audience and speaker (a speaker who usually has to escape before he or she needs "health care"). What is happening in these forums? And what are these hostile Americans thinking?
What's happening in these hostile forums is that Americans, most of whom have read nothing about the current state of health care, are NOT thinking, They are listening to TV pundits telling them that the current Democratic administration is leading us all to socialism and that we must protest change. Instead of reading a variety of imformation, most Americans watch these TV talking heads--who are also undereducated aoout health care--and believe what they hear. Don't Americans realize that these talking heads are just that? They are EARNING THEIR LIVING fomenting the uproar over health care, and if they don't say what they are told to say by their network leadership, they will be fired!
By encouraging fistfights, namecalling, and arrests, they are eliminating valuable opportunities for Americans to attend meetings and actually learn the truth about the proposed health care changes. Hostility simply eliminates oppotunities for education and uselful discussion.
A good example: on the Fox news Web site today, a subhead reads "Provision in healthcare bill encourages end-of-life counseling for seniors--sparking euthanasia fears." For heaven's sake, we already have end-of-life counseling--it's called Hospice, and it's one of the most wonderful services available at the end of anyone's life. The only reason people might fear euthanasia is if Fox News told them to. (OK, look up euthanasia in your dictionary.)
For those of you who do not know: Fox News is owned by Rupert Murdoch (age 79), the 132nd richest man in the world (and he's not worrying about health insurance!). Murdoch holds dual Australian-American citizenship. He owns News Corp., which has newspaper and TV holdings around the globe. He has been recognized for his ability to avoid paying taxes almost everywhere. I DO NOT want this man to tell me what to think, do you?
Health care is an economic issue, and like all economics, it's supply and demand. But unlike economics, it's also a human issue: in today's era of high demand, it will not work to lower the supply. Discovering what will work is an ongoing subject for a debate that's uncomfortable for everyone, especially those of us in the later years of our lives. Tough personal decisions about healthcare are made every day, but there is no set of rules to follow. Each decision is personal, and very human.
I encourage everyone to open a dialogue with people around you; don't just sit in front of the TV and let someone else tell you what to think. Form an opinion on this most important topic, but make sure it's your own.
Mrs. B
What's happening in these hostile forums is that Americans, most of whom have read nothing about the current state of health care, are NOT thinking, They are listening to TV pundits telling them that the current Democratic administration is leading us all to socialism and that we must protest change. Instead of reading a variety of imformation, most Americans watch these TV talking heads--who are also undereducated aoout health care--and believe what they hear. Don't Americans realize that these talking heads are just that? They are EARNING THEIR LIVING fomenting the uproar over health care, and if they don't say what they are told to say by their network leadership, they will be fired!
By encouraging fistfights, namecalling, and arrests, they are eliminating valuable opportunities for Americans to attend meetings and actually learn the truth about the proposed health care changes. Hostility simply eliminates oppotunities for education and uselful discussion.
A good example: on the Fox news Web site today, a subhead reads "Provision in healthcare bill encourages end-of-life counseling for seniors--sparking euthanasia fears." For heaven's sake, we already have end-of-life counseling--it's called Hospice, and it's one of the most wonderful services available at the end of anyone's life. The only reason people might fear euthanasia is if Fox News told them to. (OK, look up euthanasia in your dictionary.)
For those of you who do not know: Fox News is owned by Rupert Murdoch (age 79), the 132nd richest man in the world (and he's not worrying about health insurance!). Murdoch holds dual Australian-American citizenship. He owns News Corp., which has newspaper and TV holdings around the globe. He has been recognized for his ability to avoid paying taxes almost everywhere. I DO NOT want this man to tell me what to think, do you?
Health care is an economic issue, and like all economics, it's supply and demand. But unlike economics, it's also a human issue: in today's era of high demand, it will not work to lower the supply. Discovering what will work is an ongoing subject for a debate that's uncomfortable for everyone, especially those of us in the later years of our lives. Tough personal decisions about healthcare are made every day, but there is no set of rules to follow. Each decision is personal, and very human.
I encourage everyone to open a dialogue with people around you; don't just sit in front of the TV and let someone else tell you what to think. Form an opinion on this most important topic, but make sure it's your own.
Mrs. B
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