That was the collective thought process for a few radical right wingers today as President Barack Obama did something that none of the Presidents of the past 40 years have been able to do, move the United States a few steps closer to Universal Healthcare. With the passing of his Healthcare agenda, President Obama was able to check off the number one item on his domestic agenda, angering his dissenters and filling his supporters with pride. He campaigned on this issue and made it known that it was his priority to get Healthcare legislation through Congress and on March 23, 2010, Healthcare Reform was signed into law.
Over the past year, the country has been divided over the issue of Healthcare reform. The debate spilled out of the chambers of Congress and onto the streets and pitted Democrat v. Republican, Mother v. Daughter, Father v. Son, Husband v. Wife; from Town Hall Meetings, to demonstrations to talk radio, this has been a hot button topic that has boiled the blood of America. If nothing else, President Obama deserves credit for stirring the passions of this country once again; for years we were complacent and slept through a lot of what has us in the economic conditions that we now face, however in the short time that President Obama has been in office, almost everything he's done has sparked debate amongst the people. Whether people were for or against this legislation, they were insistent upon making sure their voices were heard, some doing so much more loudly than others. There have been arguments and debates over whether this piece of legislation is going to help us in the long run, whether or not this just sets us up for future Government run "everything" or whether or not this legislation is even constitutional.
Now that I've given you the background, allow me to interject some opinionated value into this blog. Personally, I don't mind paying higher taxes for a program that I deem worthwhile. There's a bunch of programs that get funded that I don't necessarily agree with, however I know that my tax dollars goes to fund many of those programs. This isn't a perfect bill. As long as we are all individuals, there will never be a perfect bill. However, Healthcare reform is something that's long overdue, not only is it long overdue but it's necessary. One of the biggest complaints I've heard over the course of the past years has been in regards to the costs. That was the number one objection for many Republican Congressmen and women. It was then echoed by the Republican Senate. However, let's all be honest with ourselves, this is the United States of America, we can find something to spend that money on. The money was going to get spent regardless. We are spending hundreds of billions of dollars a month on two wars that we seemingly can't get out of, yet we can't spend that money and invest it in the health of our nation? I have no qualms if you have some issues with the bill, but the lack of respect shown to not only our President, but many other elected officials, especially considering the fact that NO ONE in Washington is perfect (there are a few Republican skeletons hanging in that closet, let's not have to open those doors) is what bothers me the most. Elected officials yelling and screaming at each other, being downright childish in their antics is NOT why I go to the polls and vote. If you're going to act like children then you shall be treated like children, come November, you can do that on your own time, not on my dollar. When you are a part of the minority, you don't get to do things YOUR way; you must compromise and make sure some of your ideas are included in the grand scheme of things. If you are in charge, you don't just do things the way you want them because no one can stop you, you listen to the input of others and you govern accordingly. If there's a stalemate, well the party in power gets to go with their ideas first. Republicans, you held the House and the Senate in power for a long time. What did you do with it while you had it? Or need you be reminded of the decisions you made? This country didn't just get a deficit, we didn't just get a weakened economy and housing market and these problems that we are facing didn't just occur yesterday, last month, last year or even the year before that. I say all of that to say this; like it or not, Barack Obama is the President of the United States. Like his policies or not, that's your prerogative, however, don't be upset just because he is doing his job and show some respect when disagreeing with that man…you may not like him, but you need to respect him, and the office.
