Another reason not to like pork!

The United States passed its healthcare reform bill today. Unsurprisingly, it seems to have its ups and downs. Obviously the actual bill was made public and can be viewed online at http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c111:H.R.3200: but let's take a minute to step back and consider what has been given to the public to be viewed. At 1018 pages and with so much cross-referencing you could go googly-eyed it isn't exactly an accessible piece of legislation. It reminds me a little of the Jim Crow law literacy tests that put the power right into the citizens hands - assuming the citizens have the ability to access that power (and we know they don't!)

The Bill grants healthcare to millions of people - and if you don't think this is a good thing, at least on the fundamental level, then you needn't read on at all. If we are going to live in a unified country certain things have to be somewhat socialized and medical treatment is one of those things. I can't argue that the quality of care won't go down - it very well may. I can't argue that this will cost the average citizen more - I don't see any way to avoid that. But when a conservative pundit makes these arguments he or she is simply laying a thin veil over their real belief: I want the best care for myself and my loved ones no matter who else must suffer. The response, much too late in the country's history, is finally to say that every citizen, regardless of social status, deserves the same opportunities to be healthy and safe.



What is upsetting to me about this bill is the sheer amount of pork that gets tied into the 1000+ pages of this bill. The 100 million dollars being sectioned off for Nebraska to buy one senator's vote is unacceptable. Referred to now as the "cornhusker kickback" this money is stuck in the bill simply because it was shoved in by a few senators making moves and then kept in because no one had the energy to do anything about it. Something is wrong with the way we do legislation if 100 million dollars gets lost in a 1000 page bill. That same 100 million could certainly be put to better use addressing health issues in a more pro-active way. Which brings me to my final point:

The healthcare bill seems like a step forward but I can't help but wonder if the nation isn't dragging a few toes when it should be making a real leap by addressing the many issues that cause sickness in the first place. Attack smoking. Attack the American diet, heavy in red meat and dairy products, high salt foods and overly sweet drinks. Attack the entire military-industrial system that encourages people to drive when they could walk, snack on the couch when they could read in the park and hit the drive-thru when they could be picking fresh fruit from a home garden. The government can pretend that these are the free choices of every individual and thus part of our inalienable rights but if that was the case then why are companies like Wal-Mart and McDonald's, ConAgra and Monsanto pouring billions of dollars into advertising this unnatural lifestyle and keeping the individual or the odd politician from exercising their legal rights.