Showing posts with label healthcare. Show all posts
Showing posts with label healthcare. Show all posts

Friday, April 9, 2010

Right-Wing Violence Shows America Also Needs Mental Health, Education Reform

Tea Party Express Comes To Rockford, Illinois


The recent violent health care protests and spate of terrorist threats aimed at Democratic politicians should prove one thing. Apart from overhauling health care, America needs to spend a lot more on mental health and education.

It seems obvious that many of these domestic terrorists were either mentally ill or simply not too bright. First it was the Hutaree, a bunch of gun-toting rednecks, who wanted to wage war against the government, and now it is Gregory Giusiti, who phoned in threats to Speaker Nancy Pelosi. He bragged that his calls were untraceable because he was using Phone Jack, an Internet-based phone service. But the FBI tracked him down ... using his phone records.

Giusti's mother implies that he is not the sharpest tool in the shed and was affected by mass consumption of FOX News. (That product should really come with a government warning.) The Hutaree aren't much better. Apart from creating an imaginary name, these jokers also created a map and imagined areas of the country they wanted to take over, along with the imaginary names for these new regions. You almost want to say, "You and who's army?"

It is evident that there are many angry people in this country. They are upset about the economy, the loss of decent labor jobs and the nation's changing demographics. To these people, seeing a black man in the White House is rubbing salt into the wound. But combine that with possible mental health issues, poor education and rabble-rousing media, like FOX News, and it's a recipe for disaster.

When the economy is running well, the average American blue-collar worker, is happy to have his truck, his dip and his guns. But when that economy starts to falter, that same worker, starts to look for scapegoats for his economic situation. The greatest success of FOX News is that it manage to convince average white Americans, that the real enemies are liberals, gays, blacks, Mexicans and Arabs. Anyone apart from the real culprits, wealthy white males. Black and brown people weren't the ones who ran up the deficit, started two wars, laid you off and prepossessed your home. In fact most of them were Republicans, like George Bush, Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld.


Monday, March 22, 2010

Nobody Loves A Spitter

Americans for Prosperity and Patients First rally on Capitol Hill

Shock Jock Tactics Are Leading GOP to Oblivion


There is an old trick that black people, and many other disenfranchised people, use. It's a combination of Jujitsu/non violence, where one person uses the other person's rage against them. And that is probably what helped the Democrats win the health care reform debate.

This tactic was used during the Civil Rights era. Civil Rights activists knew they were going into a dangerous environment where riled up white people were going to throw everything, but the kitchen sink, at them. They knew they could not beat Segregationists in a head on confrontation, so they turned the tables on their opponents.

The Civil Rights movement cast themselves as saint-like, non-violent protesters, who sat silently while they were clubbed, hosed, spat on and bitten by dogs. The Pro Segregation protesters came across looking like bullies, who were beating up on a bunch of defenseless students.

Those were the images beamed around the world. Angry, foaming at the mouth, white people haranguing defenseless black people. This was nothing new, Bayard Rustin, who was the architect of many of the Civil Rights movements tactics, had studied the writing of Mohandas Ghandi, who used the same techniques against the British in the fight for Indian independence. This was the reason why Rosa Parks, a saintly seamstress, was cast as the face of the Civil Rights movement. Police officers were not about to use their nightsticks on an middle-aged church lady.

The same thing happened during the Health Care debate. Somewhere along the lines, the Tea Party was cast as the party of angry, old white people, who yell at special needs people, spit on venerable congressmen and shout racial and sexual slurs. No one wants to be associated with that -- not even the Republican party. What people will remember from the Health Care debates is the threats, the slurs and the shouted insults. They will not remember the GOP offering any concrete alternative solutions. (Maybe, because they didn't offer any.)


David Frum, a Republican pundit, has said the Republican party needs to get away from what he calls "talk radio" tactics, fear, anger, hate and hyperbole. People like Rush Limbaugh makes their money by saying outrageous statements, so they can drive up their ratings and charge more in advertising. Frum said, "I’ve been on a soapbox for months now about the harm that our overheated talk is doing to us. Yes it mobilizes supporters – but by mobilizing them with hysterical accusations and pseudo-information, overheated talk has made it impossible for representatives to represent and elected leaders to lead. "

More often than not Conservative shock jocks don't believe in what they are saying, and half the time they don't bother to check if their statements are accurate. For example, Limbaugh said he would move to Costa Rica if health care reform passed. But Costa Rica has a nationalized health care system!

You can't govern like this. Letting shock jocks lead your party with exaggerated speaking points gets you nowhere. All it means is, you have a bunch of angry, ill-informed people repeating the same falsehoods, spitting and making you look bad.


Friday, January 1, 2010

Limbaugh Says American Health Care System is Best in the World

Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington

News reports say that Rush Limbaugh was rushed to hospital with chest pains while he on vacation in Hawaii. I debated whether to write about this, because it is not good to make fun of another person's suffering. But after Limbaugh came out with a politicized response to his recovery, all bets are off.

At a news conference, Limbaugh praised the hospital staff and said that "America has the best health care system in the world." What numbskull's like Limbaugh fail to mention is that America has the best health care system -- for people who can afford it. Limbaugh, a multi-millionaire, probably has a great health care package that covers in all kinds of situations, including emergency rooms visits. Even if his insurance only covers 80 percent of his bill, he can easily cover the rest of the costs.

The average America has a lousy insurance plan, which only covers part of the costs, leaving them stuck with huge medicals. They also have to deal with profit-driven health insurance companies, who make money by denying or delaying medical treatment. Remember Andrea Yates, the Texas mom who drowned her five children? Well Yates had severe mental problems and was recommended to be kept under medical care, unfortunately her medical coverage ran out and the health insurance company sent her back home. So lack of adequate coverage literally killed five children.

Many Americans have lost their jobs and insurance, and have to rely on emergency room visits. For many Americans, they simply cannot afford to see the doctors, and avoid going altogether until the problems becomes critical.

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Grayson Tells Cheney to STFU

Bernanke Testifies Before Senate On New Financial Regulatory Rules

You got to love Rep. Alan Grayson, the outspoken first-term congressman from Florida. He has already called out the Republicans for their health care policies, which value money over lives.

He has also taken on former Vice President Dick Cheney. Recently he told Cheney to STFU, (that stands for for Shut the F*** Up, in case you didn't know) after Cheney accused President Obama of giving aid to the enemy.

Grayson admits that he may not have a long political career, but at least he has the courage to stand for his convictions, and say what many Democrats seem to be too scared to say. Go on with your badself Alan!

Monday, December 7, 2009

Healthcare Company Dumps Policy Holders To Raise Profits

Various Health Care Reform Opponents Protest On Capitol Hill

If there was a story to indicate the problems with the American for-profit healthcare system, this is it. Aetna is planning to dump 600,000 policy holders to make sure the company turns a profit. This story sums up the problem with the American healthcare system. Health insurance companies make money by denying people coverage. You pay them a premium, and they make money by denying or delaying your service. That is the only way they make money.

Insurance companies don't make a product, all they do is provide lousy service. They are blood-sucking middle men, who profit by slowing down service to patients and payments to doctors. Healthcare is a business which simply does not work on the for profit system. The healthcare companies are also following the policies of Corporate America, where companies raise profits by laying off workers.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/12/04/aetna-forcing-600000-plus_n_380130.html

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About Me

G.A. Afolabi is a progressive blogger based on the Left Coast.