What is the government shutdown all about?
Monday (Oct.1) evening I watched C-Span for 4 hours, back and forth between the house and the senate votes and arguments. It gave me a much clearer picture than what the Nightly News was reporting to me (Sunday, Sept 30th).
Basically there are a list of things that need to be voted on to be funded. The government has bundled several of them together for whatever reason. That's in the past. Republicans don't like Obamacare and are trying to get rid of it, so they are trying to extract that from the bundle. Democrats and Obama feel like Obamacare is their baby - their creation - and realize that if they fund National Parks, VA, etc etc separately from Obamacare, that Obamacare will never get it's funding passed because they won't have their 2/3rds majority.
So, despite the Nightly News saying that Republicans are holding the United States citizens hostage over Obamacare, it is technically the Democrats who are. You disagree? Let's review the definition of a hostage. A hostage is a person held by one party in a conflict as security that specified terms will be met by the opposing party. (http://www.thefreedictionary.com/hostage)
Democrats are holding the funding of National parks, VA, WIC offices, and other services used and depended on by citizens of the United States to force Republicans to agree to fund Obamacare so that they can save these other services that the citizens depend on.
What citizens are saying
Did I mention I was watching tweets all evening throughout the c-span live feed video? Most people are posting how angry they are about how it's affecting their lives, or else they're cracking jokes. And about 70% of the 'facts' people are throwing around, are actually untrue rumors. I suddenly understand why my brother-in-law gets so frustrated with people who cry political victim all the time and that's because they're arguing about things that didn't happen. But at the same time, I can totally see WHY that happens. Despite all the "research papers" I was assigned to write in school, not a single one of them required me to Find An Original Source. I think only a small minority know where to find the original source. But everybody knows how to watch the Nightly News.
Obamacare is good and bad and legal and unconstitutional?
Oh, and the reason Obamacare is unconstitutional? Let me explain: the legislative branch Writes law and the Judicial Branch Interpretes law, and the Executive branch Enforces the law but Obamacare is Written AND Enforced by the legislative branch. The penalty for not following the mandates of the law is a monetary fine via IRS taxes. The IRS is under the Legislative Branch. However, the Supreme Court has decided that Obamacare IS constitutional and it is their job to Interprete the law, so by that standard it IS legal.
An Update to my Last post
After watching all the arguments pro and con for Obamacare, my perspective has become a bit more rounded. I now realize I've been focusing on all the things it could and likely would break... and ignoring all the great intentions it has. So let me list them here: (I may forget some items and may add them later, as it has been 24 hours since I heard the arguments and have forgotten some of them. I'm also expanding a little on what was said, from life experience or the reported experience I've heard from others.)
PROS:
PRE-EXISTING CONDITIONS ARE COVERED - Children born with major health problems can now get healthcare without sending their parents into bankruptcy. Children cannot be put onto a healthcare plan until they're officially born, so born with problems means instant uninsurability.
AFFORDABLE - Children, Teens and Adults with painful and difficult health problems can now hope to afford healthcare and receive a greater level of comfort and functionality without fear of bankruptcy.
ACCESS - Mental Illness patients can now receive help they previously had limited access to. Where previously if they couldn't afford to pay an extended mental hospital stay they were booted back on the street... now they can get continual help... assuming there are enough rooms. They can also consistently attend therapy and counseling... a vital piece to recovery.
COVERED - Young Adults and college students can be on their parents plans while they go to school or advance in a career to prepare to be in a place where they can afford to pay for their own health insurance.
COMFORT IN CRISIS - A health crisis does not cost a financial crisis or a "what should we do" crisis because people feel like they can go to the doctor without turning their whole life upside down.
CONS:
TOO EXPENSIVE - Insurance premiums will rise dramatically as they attempt to compensate for expensive prescriptions, surgical procedures and time consuming care that they are now required to cover for people they can no longer deny insurance to. Etna Health Insurance of Georgia sent a letter to the homes of their customers and to one in particular, saying, you can keep your current plan for 2013 at the current premium level of $300-something and then pick a new plan under Obamacare in 2014, OR you can enroll or be automatically enrolled into Obamacare for 2013 and pay a premium of $600-something. One 89-year-old man asked C-span after the broadcast, "Am I Worth Saving? What, I might live for an extra 3 months?"
PRIVACY BREECHES - The Health Exchange Website has now become the #1 hacking website in the United States. All of your contact information is on it. All of your financial information is on it. Your Tax information is on it (SS#). And all of your Health Information is already on it. (How do I know your health information is already on it? Have you seen a doctor? Did he put your information into a computer? Is your doctor compliant with "meaningful use"?) That means your information is on the HIE or Health Information Exchange where doctors all over the country can pull up your information and make sure you're not trying to get oxycoton from 5 different doctors in the same month. How's that for privacy? Great and frustrating for would be drug dealers; terrible if said drug dealer stole your month's stash of medication and you can't get more because every doctor in America already knows you got your months supply.
POOR SERVICE - For those of you who have waited in line at Wal-mart for a prescription have likely heard some old person freaking out at the counter trying to get Medicaid to behave because they need to start their refill TODAY! Every time I hear this, I thank my lucky stars... and God... that I don't have to be on Medicaid. If government ran like a business, everyone of them would be fired. They're inefficient and incompetent with a model of "one size fits all." If the clothing industry had that motto, we'd all be in big trouble.
WHERE'S DOC? - One of the biggest problems with Obamacare is the drop in pay that doctors receive. Doctors go through 8-12+ years of EXPENSIVE schooling to get a degree to practice medicine. They NEED a high income to CATCH UP with the rest of the middle class to pay off those loans and buy a house like an American with an American dream. The lack of pay Obama has allocated to doctors will insure that there Won't Be very many doctors in the future and has Killed one of the biggest Incentives to become one.
GOOD AND/OR BAD:
I wasn't sure where to put these points because it depends on your perspective.
SOCIALIZED HEALTHCARE - Everyone has coverage and everyone has the same coverage. But no one has top quality coverage. Also, you will have to schedule everything 3 months in advance. The lack of doctors have left the doctors very busy.
In Conclusion
After all the arguments were all laid out, I realized I wasn't as opposed to Obamacare, or the IDEA of Obamacare, as I originally thought. It means well. It could be a good program. It some situations it might even be ideal. But my conclusion was still the same. America can't afford the programs it already has. Social Security has a death date at the rate it's being used. The United States can't pay it's debt without taking out another credit card (aka raising the debt ceiling - a discussion with a deadline of Oct. 15th; just 2 weeks away). And debt will catch up with the borrower... despite everyone's denial that it can't happen to a government... Especially one so "great" as the United States. (Titanic ring a bell?)
Who is Obama?
What I can't figure out is Obama's intentions. I think that he's a good Father. I think that he's a kind and civil person. I think that he is an incredibly talented public speaker. And I know he can't do basic Math. Because he gave a speech about his Math and said it works. And I did the Math with Dave Ramsey and hundreds of other Americans and his math doesn't work. He must have forgot to mention the ESW line. That stands for "Error Some Where".
But what I really can't figure out is an intention that, on the surface, looks to be of good will... but the policy implemented looks to redefine the balance of power in government.
Example #1 - Obama is credited with writing the Healthcare bill. Obama is the president of the United States. His job is the supreme decision-maker of the Executive Branch - the law enforcement branch. Previous presidents only signed bills and vetoed bills, but also directed government towards issues that particular president wanted to address. He's over-stepping his powers... to accomplish what? His immediate agenda? Or a future military takeover?
Example #2 - I just spent 10 minutes looking for it and I'll have to find it later - when it's not 2:30 in the morning. Obama passed some law and/or created a new precedent about 2 years ago, that was ambiguous but gave government the right to invade your privacy and disrupt or destroy your life on the suspicion of terrorism. It was mostly meant for national security and public safety but the allowances could give an evil man legal power to destroy the freedom of citizens in this country.
Example #3 - Obama said this week, something along the lines of, 'Raising the debt ceiling has happened 45 times and it is a Normal way of life. This is the way that government is suppose to run.' - - - Oh, wait, this isn't a mystery of whether he believes the lie he just told - - - he does, because we've already determined that he can't do basic Math. But he is a Clever Public Speaker because he can make you feel like you are the stupid one for not understanding his math.
Done
I'm done writing. This is already too long. And I feel rambling coming on. And my best thinking left an hour ago. Be Kind. Rewind. G'night.
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