RSSReplace town hall tirades with enlightened debate
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This editorial appears in the Yakima Herald-Republic on Aug. 13, 2009.
"All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent." -- Thomas Jefferson
This may very well be the summer of America's discontent over health care reform.
But it's impossible to gauge just what level of angst Americans are feeling since little debate is being generated. It's all noise and anger that we have witnessed so far.
The vitriol has gotten so bad that U.S. Rep. Brian Baird from Washington's 3rd District called off any town hall meetings during the recess -- he has conducted some 300 since taking office 11 years ago -- due to death threats.
Our state's two senators also have chosen to drop the idea of holding town hall meetings. Our 4th District congressman, Doc Hastings, has likewise taken a pass on these types of large gatherings.
Far too often these meet-and-greet sessions with lawmakers have ended up in yelling contests, with the loudest voices winning out and the losers -- a vast majority of those sitting in the audience -- wondering if they'll ever get to know what's being proposed.
This was supposed to be a time for enlightened debate. When lawmakers headed out of Washington, D.C., for their annual summer recess, the main item on the agenda was health care reform, a top priority of the Obama administration.
But with several competing proposals being prepared in the House and Senate -- with some taking up more than a thousand pages -- the public has had difficulty sifting through what's fact and what's fantasy.
Here are a few misconceptions that require some fact-checking:
* The Obama health care plan does not authorize "death panels" to determine whether an ailing parent or someone with disabilities is worthy of health care. Not true. One of the House bills does offer coverage for counseling for terminally ill patients, but that's far removed from anything like a death sentence. In fact, counseling patients about end-of-life care needs to be encouraged.
* Nor will the federal government pay for abortions. A television advertisement by an anti-abortion group has raised that fear. In the ad, an elderly man exclaims, "They won't pay for my surgery, but we're forced to pay for abortions." The ad then raises the question: "Will this be our future?"
None of the proposals before Congress would authorize such payments, and one bill specifically states no public funds will pay for such procedures. It's also federal law.
* President Obama is also not immune from misstatements. He keeps repeating a falsehood that this country spends about $6,000 more per year per person on health care than other advanced nations but we are still not any healthier. The actual calculation is closer to $2,500 per person.
We gleaned these facts from FactCheck.org. This nonpartisan, nonprofit Web site is a project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania, and is funded primarily by the Annenberg Foundation. It's worthwhile navigating this site and reading the rebuttals it offers on misleading statements by politicians, political parties and special interest groups.
The Web site, however, does not have a remedy for ill-tempered, foul-mouthed dissenters who find questioning their assumptions equivalent to an act of treason.
Democracy is sustained by thoughtful, cogent debate where facts prevail over fear and fiction. Each one of us, though, has to do our part to seek the facts, weigh the issues and be prepared to change our position when challenged by competing viewpoints.
Let's hope President Obama's friendly reception on Tuesday at a town hall meeting in New Hampshire sets the norm. So far, it's been the exception.
* Members of the Yakima Herald-Republic editorial board are Michael Shepard, Bob Crider, Spencer Hatton and Karen Troianello.
I'm glad to see you do this; it's past time that the media took an active interest in putting the facts forward and emphasizing them. It's simply mind-blowing how many things I hear and read that have no basis at all in reality--many of them are nothing more than transparent lies and defy even the most basic common sense. It's amazing to see how many people gobble them up wholesale, never bothering to check their facts or even thinking that maybe they should. Not only do they not even realize they are being lied to and led around by the nose like puppets, they get angry when someone suggests they might be wrong and should check more closely.
Many of the problems we are facing now are the result of exactly that, and the media has done little to set the record straight when it seems it clearly should be doing so at full speed. They should ask "You realize that some kind of death squad would be patently illegal, morally intolerable, and is also a ridiculous and stupid idea that nobody with any sense would believe...don't you?" But they are much more likely to ask "Are you planning to protest this? When will the march be?"
Fact: an eight-year-old with a computer and two minutes of time could easily prove the "death squad" lie is nothing but a hoax. But millions of adults don't think it's worth checking on, too much trouble, and they gobble up the lie and defend it to the death.
So good job, YHR, keep it up! We can not afford to make decisions of this magnitude based on lies and deception.
I have a great idea for saving our health care system! If a person goes to the hospital, they need to show an ID card that is virtually impossible to duplicate. If they are not a citizen of the US, they are transferred to a hospital inside the local INS building. When well enough to travel put them on a slooooooow boat to the furthest away tip of their country. If it is an emergent issue, treat them at the hospital, then transport them to the hospital inside the local INS. Then ship 'em home! It would save billions!
Report ViolationIN, you are correct. Sounds like a better plan than Obama's in any case.
No wonder people are angry - This should be a sign that Congress should listen to their constituents for once, instead of stacking the deck with members of the Obama kiss-up vigilantes called ACORN.
Reply to InTheKnow,
You have a great idea for saving our health care system....then you go on to place the blame about our broken health care system on illegal immigrants!
In case you did not notice or comprehend, the editorial talks against this very type of rant!
Lets suppose that America was backwards enough to round up all of the illegal immigrants and placed them in train box cars and shipped out like in "Operation Wetback" back in the late 1940's...our health care system would still be broken and in need of repair plus you woul add to the recession and many, many towns, especially in rural communities would become deserted.
Your solution is not a great idea, it is more of the same...NO! Much more thoughtful disscussion then you display is needed to fix our health care system.
The health care issue is much more complex then your simple fix assumes. At the very least, we should be able to agree on this before any real progress can begin.
I also applaud the YHR for this editorial - if we do not turn back the tide of selfish, angry rhetoric on this and other issues facing our civilization, we will decend into anarchy. The majority of Americans want an intellegent, fact-based conversation on reform, not a bunch of heresay and sound bites. I would propose that the YHR assign a reporter to health care reform (perhaps the well-being section) and provide daily fact vs. fiction associated with various sections of the proposed bill(s) - if there are problems with the facts, we can rally around changing them - that's where are efforts would be effective and should be directed. I can't think of a more valuable use of copy space at this time. Perhaps Bruce Smith and the Business Times could climb on board with this proposition - afterall, reform, or lack of, is going to affect employers - I would think that Bruce could get past his aversion to "big government" for a couple months and provide some facts to his readers - unless, of course, he believes that "big government" is always bad (i.e. social security, medicare, medicaid, etc. - if you think these entities are poorly run, please indicate how and provide a possible solution).
Report ViolationHector is correct - most of you "deport them all" individuals are so completely self focussed, you don't think outside your little box. If you did - you would realize that the enormous savings you continue to talk about would be completely off-set by the cost. Let's see - how much do you suppose it would cost to establish hospitals at all INS locations? How much do you think it would cost to round up all those illegals and transport them to their homes countrys? How much do you think it would cost in loss of workforce, social security contributions, loss of retail revenue? But, you don't care about any of that stuff, right? They're here illegally and we need to round 'em up and get 'em out. Let's not discuss a compromise on immigration reform - let's just round 'em up and get 'em out. Great solution folks. Cut off your own legs. And yes, I'm frustrated with the lack of intellegent discussion about these issues.
Report ViolationThe house bill is now over 1100 pages and the senate bill is 625 pages as of this morning. The new-speak rhetoric is almost incomprehensible and beyond a casual understanding. Many believe this complexity is crafted with an eye towards concealing facets of the bill that Americans want no part of. I'm afraid that members of the Obama nation have been "too clever by half" here. They have counted on the unwashed public to just "trust" their enlightened representatives with their money and the future of our healthcare.
This was a big mistake and now even the great one himself cannot explain the bill.
Once trust is gone it is seldom restored. For any incomprehensible legislation your safest vote is always "NO."
Thanks for this great editorial. I hope readers use FactCheck.org for many issues. You will soon see that it corrects both Democrat and Republican messages. No matter which side of the political fence one is on, at least form you opinion based on a little research instead of which politician or religious figure is yelling the loudest. Our democracy depends on informed citizens.
Report ViolationLooks like the YHR is tired of hearing a dissenting opinion. So, I'll say this at the risk of having some black-suited Obamaniacs show and arrest me.
The Yakima Herald Republic is so liberally biased that they refuse to print REAL news about thier golden boys Ben Soria and Dave Edler.
Dave Edler tells the Yakima Rotary that he and Ben Soria believe people in Yakima don't want a water park because they don't want to swim with Mexicans.
The YHR editorial board lacks the integrity, fortitude and sense of right and wrong to report this. They'd rather print stories about 20 year old incidents involving conservative candidates.
It's the YHR staff that needs to be enlightened:
"Let's hope President Obama's friendly reception on Tuesday at a town hall meeting in New Hampshire sets the norm. So far, it's been the exception."
"The illustrated guide to Obamacare human props" -
http://michellemalkin.com/2009/08/12/the-illustrated-guide-to-obamacare-human-props/
On "death panels" and rationing -
http://www.facebook.com/sarahpalin#/sarahpalin?v=app_2347471856&viewas=0
On funding for abortion -
"Gov't insurance would allow coverage for abortion"
http://asia.news.yahoo.com/ap/20090805/twl-us-health-care-overhaul-abortion-ef375f8.html
I see a pattern of elitist condescension in the Herald's opinion pieces this week:
"Replace town hall tirades with enlightened debate"
and
"Who needs experts when we have angry residents?"
http://www.yakima-herald.com/stories/2009/08/06/who-needs-experts-when-we-have-angry-residents
When the citizens disagree with the liberal YHR staff on issues, they label you an "angry resident", when you voice your opinion they call it a "tirade".
Yakima deserves better than this liberal rag.
ITN -
How much are you willing to pay for a head of lettuce? A pound of tomatoes?
Tex,
How much are we spending on their education, healthcare, and social services? And you're worried about paying an extra nickel for a head of lettuce?
How much are we paying for what? Compared to what?
From www.immigrationpolicy.org:
"The majority of people who do not have health insurance are U.S. citizens. Four out of five people in America who have no insurance are U.S. citizens. U.S. citizens make up the majority of the uninsured (78%), while legal and undocumented immigrants account for 22% of the nonelderly uninsured.
"Furthermore, U.S. citizens account for most of the growth in the number of uninsured individuals between 2000 and 2006. Citizens made up approximately 80% of the growth in the number of uninsured persons in America, while noncitizens accounted for approximately 20% of the growth.
"The UCLA Center for Health Policy Research found that in 2005 undocumented immigrants made up only a small share of California's uninsured population. Nearly four in five of California's uninsured adults and children were citizens and legal immigrants.
"According to the non-partisan Kaiser Commission, noncitizens have poorer access to care and receive less primary health care than citizens, but they are less likely than citizens to use the emergency room. In 2006, 20% of U.S.-citizen adults and 22% of U.S.-citizen children had visited the emergency room within the past year. In contrast, 13% of noncitizen adults and 12% of noncitizen children had used emergency room care. Despite the myths, immigrants use less health care, including less emergency room care, compared to U.S. citizens.
"A 2006 study published in Health Affairs found that communities with high rates of emergency room usage tend to have relatively small noncitizen populations. Cities with large immigrant populations such as Miami-Dade County, Florida and Phoenix, Arizona have much lower rates of emergency room use than areas with small immigrant populations such as Cleveland."
So sure, get all up in arms about immigrants' health care. They cost us doodly squat compared to what we cost us. What about detention? How much does THAT cost?
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/06/us/politics/06detain.html?_r=1
The New York Times article claims that the present 32,000 bed immigration detention network, using cheaper excess capacity at local jails costs $2.4 billion a year, or $75,000 per bed. This is $6,000 for each of the 400,000 immigrants run through the system each year.
Six thousand dollars each and you don't bat an eye? The heck? And by the way, who is being detained? Asylum seekers with children seeking legal entry in prison lockdown? REALLY?? Yes, really:
http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/2009/08/13/0813hutto.html
I'll spare you for now the documented cases of United States citizens being detained by immigration for months or years, and the documented cases of United States citizens getting deported without so much as a by your leave. How much does that cost? Are you all about U.S. citizens, really? Or are you all about shifting the blame away from U.S. citizens in whatever way seems most convenient?
This woman really needs to get out more. May I suggest our local emergency rooms or the Toppenish emergency room. Many of us conservatives read the New York Times but only liberals are stupid enough to believe the political stories and comments. How about a trip to the taxpayer funded Farmworker's Clinics? Or, better yet, the taxpayer funded Indian Health Service? You just don't find many liberal true believers anymore. Kind of a novelty, sort of like those that believe in the age of aquarius.
WAIT, I hear music.
Sorry, the tirades by angry residents do not look authentic to me. Their actions do not seem true.
I wonder if these people are even residents of the cities or counties where the Town Hall meetings are held.
countryvet, nothing in your comment disproves or even truly disagrees with anything I said. If the voices in your head have been replaced by music, you're welcome.
Report ViolationI doubt conservatives have the collective brain power to realize the irony of them ranting about an editorial which calls them out about their ranting and lunacy.
carry on, conservatives.
keep proving everyone else right about you.
Good article. Where to start?
Enlightenment that gave me a chuckle. Many folks aren't interested in this. They have their own agenda-much like the people posting on here.
"Ill tempered, foul mouth dissenters who find questioning their assumptions equilvalent to an act of treason". Tell us what this really meant...Know it alls' My favorite part of this opinion.
There are so many other issues in the undercurrent of "healthcare" just those don't make it to print. The healtchare lobby are using us to get what they want, racism is screaming, don't want the other party to get anywhere is also at work, higher incomes don't want to pay for lower incomes to have healthcare, the list goes on and on.
I am glad we can voice our opinions in relative safety, but this doesn't mean we should act like this.
Now some fool is going to complain that their tax payer money is funding Indian Health? Are you kidding me? I'll enlighten you Sir: Caucasians are the original ILLEGAL ALIENS!
"The whites, too, shall pass - perhaps sooner than other tribes. Continue to contaminate your own bed, and you might suffocate in your own waste." Chief Seattle
Your days seemed to be numbered. Maybe the Mexicans are going to take over. Maybe years and years will pass and your kind will be robbed, murdered and the last few will be rounded up and left on a reservation and no one will give two cents for them.
Countryvet; I cannot believe I liked what you stated ! I just want to state that people would never go into a tyrade if politicians would listen and quit thinking they were elected for their brains instead of representation !
Report ViolationI don't expect the liberally biased YHR to ever report this, but here it is anyway from 8/21/09:
Abortion: Which Side Is Fabricating?
Despite what Obama said, the House bill would allow abortions to be covered by a federal plan and by federally subsidized private plans.
http://factcheck.org/2009/08/abortion-which-side-is-fabricating/
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