Needlessly Prolonging the Debate

Posted by Bob Greenberger on October 28, 2009

I didn’t have a chance yesterday when our Senator, Joe Lieberman, came out against the public option and intended to side with the Republicans to turn the upcoming debate into the usual circus.

This morning, though, I wrote to the Senator and suggest everyone else in the state do so.

The argument against a public option is fairly absurd. Medicare and Medicaid are government options. Our federal bureaucracy is already meddling with people’s health care so what’s the difference? When I posed that to Deb, she gave me a blank look – she wasn’t sure either.

The need for health care reform is clear. The statistics, no matter which ones you use, point to a need for reform. Costs are spiraling up, our level of care does not compare well with out countries, there’s less bang for the buck, and the private companies are doing nothing to fix matters themselves.

I’ve seen reports on the startling sums being spent by lobbyists to preserve the status quo or neuter many of the proposals floating through Congress. Imagine if those sums were gone, that profits were reduced and costs lowered?

Many things disturb me about the way the Health Care debate has progressed, especially the fear mongering, misinformation, and attempts to maintain what clearly does not work. Our country should be constantly reinventing itself, working to improve things when at all possible. Some things are debatable, others are clear cut. Health reform falls into the latter category.

So, when something obvious eludes one of my elected officials, I worry. Ever since Joe Lieberman demonstrated his unwillingness to accept his party’s rejection with grace, his independent manner has indicated he is less interested in representing his people than remaining in Washington. When I wrote to him, I stressed that there’s been no attempt made by the Senator to ask the opinion of his constituents on the issue. Our congressman, Jim Himes, braved some nasty town meetings, but at least came to talk with us.

Joe, it seems, doesn’t care.