Why are governmental benefits packages untouchable? It is a question that burns daily in the minds of many as we observe Obama's "stimulus" packages and "rescue" packages come down the governmental conveyer belt into our reality. We want to say STOP, we have said STOP by like the I LOVE LUCY episode with the chocolates moving too fast for Lucy and Ethel to handle, our "representatives" are speeding up the pace.
Today's idiocy is the multi hundreds of millions of dollars being committed to help our uninsured children...the failed program (insufficient funding) that not only did not solve the problem of uninsured children (the numbers increased since the original SCHIP packages) but wastes time and resources that should have been spent addressing uninsured FAMILIES.
Like George Bush with his mission accomplished banner, Obama stands poised in front of his first ridiculous mission accomplished banner (figuratively speaking) regarding the stupidity of the "stimulus" package.
With neither due attention paid to the people they represent or the source of the problems being faced by Americans, we the citizens are sidelined as Obama ponies out the same failed logic of his predecessors.
For instance, did Congress really need to pass a pay raise for representatives? The day late dollar short salaray freeze that occurred AFTER the FACT was a gesture.
Are uninsured CHILDREN really the root cause of our health services crisis? Everyone knows that is NOT true and that several hundred million dollars thrown at SCHIP is not solving the key problems of Access, Affordability and Quality Health care for our aging population for needed medical services. Another expensive gesture.
Letters to our Congressmen, (my own senator responded with a form letter outlining why he supports dumping money into health technology for record keeping while our state suffers from some of the highest unemployment in the country). A gesture, I got a response, didn't I?
President Obama will proudly boast that he reduced the NUMBER of UNINSURED by crossing off single digit millions of uninsured children. It is a cheap and meaningless way of saying MISSION ACCOMPLISHED. Cheap because children are the desirables in the health insurance field..throw a few physicals and some inoculations at them and they're good to go...the old finite cost "coverage" that is not INSURANCE at all. Cheap because Obama will, as a political stakeholder address NUMBERS...Look America, fewer of you are uninsured now...without fessing up to the fact that it is only the youngest and healthiest who account for reductions in gross numbers of uninsured. A gesture.
But health insurance coverage for middle class families who are not lucky enough to be covered by governmental health insurance plans continues the way it has and worse...less coverage (if any because you can still be denied coverage unlike governmental programs) for more money.
Obama wants those who took Wall Street bonuses to be ashamed...yet no shame attaches to the raise for legislators, the endless benefits packages available to government civil servants that are glaringly superior to those available to the citizens they represent, the fact that Congress gave into doctor demands for pay increases AND additional opportunities for money if they work towards the governmental pet project of technology.
It's disappointing and dangerous to have the country back another President full of gestures instead of substance because really, the gesture being given to the American people is the middle finger.
Keep it Simple Today and support the suspension of the government benefits packages that trap our civil servants in their own self centeredness and prevents real progress.
