Marsha Blackburn
President Obama made
a decision very early in the health care debate that doomed the process
to failure. He decided to let Congress write the proposed bills, with
very little input from the White House. Then he made another decision
that just added to the problem. He decided that he wanted health care
reform passed before Congress left for the August recess.
These
two steps by the Administration have created chaos. First, by relying
on liberals in the House of Representatives to define the debate, the
President forgot about a very important component in any debate - the
American people. Secondly, by trying to ram the bill through, without
most members of Congress even having a chance to familiarize themselves
with the provisions, let alone read the bill, he miscalculated the
energy of the people. Any member of Congress will tell you that it has
been many years since they have seen this level of anger and passion on
the part of the American people.
We have certainly seen that
anger expressed time after time at townhall meetings all across the
country. And why wouldn't the people be angry? The American people
have already expressed their concern over the mounting federal debt, a
debt that their children and grandchildren are going to be left paying
for. Then the Obama administration tried to push through a health care
bill that would consume 1/6th of our spending, and affect the lives of
every single American. It's no wonder that the people have said
"enough is enough."
They have sent a strong message to members
of Congress - one that we all need to think about. Congress works for
the people. Congress should be the voice of the people. Something is
drastically wrong when the people are willing to fight with Congress to
get their message across. Congress needs to understand that, and they
need to start listening.
80% of the American people are
satisfied with their health care now. They don't want it changed.
People who have Medicare Advantage don't want to lose it. They don't
want to see medicare cut. They don't want the government standing
between them and their doctors. Congress needs to get the message.
Are
there problems with health care in America? Sure. Do we need to
figure out a way to lower costs and provide methods for people who
truly can't afford health care to have access to health care? Of
course. But let's not throw away the entire system in order to fix
what is wrong. Instead, let's toss the bills that are on the table in
the wastepaper basket. Let's listen to the people. Then let's write
legislation that deals with the two issues that need to be addressed,
costs, and helping the hard-core uninsured. Most of all, let's keep the
legislation simple enough that Congress can understand it.
Sources:
Lessons For Health Care Reform, by Reps. Marsha Blackburn and Phil Roe, Real Clear Politics, July 22, 2009
Tennessee Experiment's High Cost Fuels Health-Care Debate, by Avery Johnson, The Wall Street Journal, August 17, 2009
Government Isn't The Only Answer To Helping Needy Get Health Care, by Larry Elder, IBD Editorials, August 28, 2009
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Read Congressman Marsha Blackburn's blog about the health care bills and what she thinks Congress should do now. http://tinyurl.com/nqh6ns
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Hi, Congressman Marsha Blackburn has blogged about the health care
bills currently being considered. She thinks they should be scrapped,
and that Congress should start all over. Read her blog here. http://tinyurl.com/nqh6ns
