It's not just about health care any more...

I am a political Independent, beholden to no party platform (i.e. no partisan dogma) and to no "special interests", so my thoughts and comments are, for better or worse, my own.

As someone with a political science (as well as hard science) background, and as both a former intelligence analyst dealing with aspects of the Soviet Union, and someone who lived in Canada for quite a few years, I learned what terms like "socialism", Soviet-style "communism", and "tyranny" mean, so I of course have a few comments regarding the exaggerations and the outright lies being told about certain aspects of Health Care Reform.

First of all, I cannot think of any successfully functioning democratic nation that does not include some aspects of what is *erroneously* labeled "socialism" (commonly meaning any program which collects taxes, then applies the funds to actions which may or may not *directly* benefit, but hopefully do *indirectly* benefit) everyone from whom the taxes are collected; this is fundamental to democratic governments because one of the recognized functions of such a government, including the Constitutional provisions of the US government, is to foster conditions that allow its citizens - *all* of its citizens - the opportunity to prosper, and to achieve some level of personal fulfillment. This principle is highly practical in that reasonable prosperity and personal fulfillment are the main ways by which citizens feel that they have a stake in preserving the freedoms - AND the responsibilities - that allow them to enjoy these benefits. The US currently has a number of erroneously-labeled-"socialistic" programs and functions, including Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, and the Veteran's Administration. The US government also administers the health plan offered to Federal employees, including Senators and Congressional representatives, a plan which is not available to other Americans, so the claim that reform will allow them to have care unava8ilable to other Americans is absurd, since this situation already exists and is the template for the Public Option - it exists, and it works, and it is *not* socialism.

While it's fully understandable (and known) why certain members of the House and Senate seek to derail meaningful health care and health insurance reform, the incomprehensible thing is why so many Republicans seem compelled to reject cogent opposition in favor of exaggerations and outright lies, and compelled to reject civil discourse for shouting, screaming, bullying, and even, as we've recently learned, outright death threats against those who recognize that the current escalation of both health care costs and insurance rate increases (along with DEcreasing coverage) is both economically unsustainable, and will contribute to increasing civil unrest. What it amounts to is a rejection of the electoral process. But worst is the fact that this rejection is not based on facts and rational analysis, but upon the most ridiculous of lies (such as the supposed "death panels" irresponsibly referenced in Sarah Palin's blog). Firstly, one *can* make a case that administering a public health insurance option is Constitutional, especially given the above-mentioned existence of Medicare, the VA, and the government-administered Federal health plan. Secondly, "optional end-of-life planning" has been recognized by health care providers *for years* as an important aspect of health care, because it deals with thing such as Power of Attorney and the specification of one's own wishes. It's sheer idiocy, and dangerous hate-flaming rabble-rousing, to *suddenly* pervert that into nonsense such as "death panels".

The fact is that there is no longer a *discussion* about health care and insurance reform - the majority of Americans see the necessity for it, and those opposed to it (based upon deliberate disinformation circulated by those who profit greatly from the current inequities) merely try to over-shout anything that resembles discussion. They claim to want answers, and I know that there *are* people who are concerned over what they've heard and do want answers, however, far too many people (albeit still a *minority*) do not want answers, but rather, want to shut down the democratic process by infringing upon other people's right to free speech in an attempt to bully Washington into setting-aside the will of the majority, and instead give the minority its way. In essence, it becomes censorship by white-noise, and victory through intimidation and even, as we've been increasingly seeing, threats to duely-elected officials' property, families, and even lives - in short, anti-democracy.

The ultimate point is that this goes far beyond the specific issue of Health Care; the fundamental choice facing the nation is evolving into lawmakers having to choose between two unsavory possibilities, between the proverbial "rock and a hard place", these being:1) the possibility of a small but well-armed insurrection by a relatively small, but highly aggressive, people who reject the democratic electoral process merely because they feel that this iteration of it went "against them",versus2) the possibility that bulldozing the will of the majority if favor of special interests and especially of a loud and highly-aggressive minority will lead to this majority feeling utterly disenfranchised, possibly resulting in an even larger set of sociopolitical and economic disruption. I do not envy lawmakers for having to choose between those two possibilities. But choose they must, and their choice might very well change the entire landscape and direction of the nation.