Health Care Reform

March 17, 2010 - 5:14pm

Rhona S

Sorry, but I strongly disagree with your interpretation of what's happening. The constitution has mechanisms that allow them to maneuver and push through a controversial piece of legislation. That is what they are doing, they are working within the law. You may not agree with them and you're entitled to disagree, but I'm thrilled that they are doing this. Republicans have been going out of their way to try and see to it that nothing happens. I have children who either can't get health insurance or can't afford the insurance they can get because the price is astronomical given the fact that diabetes runs in our family. It's about time someone did the right thing and is seeing to it that my family and others like us will be able to get health insurance coverage.

We do not live in a direct democracy, this is a republic. If they can manage to get the votes to get this through, and I for one pray real hard that they can, then more power to them. Your choice is to vote against whoever it is that makes you unhappy in the next election and my choice will be to work hard for the legislators who were brave enough to stand up for what they think is right.

April 1, 2010 - 11:16am

Larry Kaufman

One of the wonders of this country and its democracy is that people can spew the kind of anti-government nonsense exhibited in the post above and go unpunished.

The new health care legislation was passed in accordance with the rules of both houses of a democratically elected Congress. Our constitution does not call for the people to vote on issues, but to elect representatives and senators to whom we delegate the voting process. If we don't like the way they represent us, we get to vote against them the next time around. What is there about this constitutional process that Mr. Cinamon does not understand?

And apparently he equally does not understand the difference between a dictatorship and a democratically elected president, who was chosen by the people through our constitutional process, winning the popular vote (which is symbolically relevant although constitutionally irrelevant as we learned to our distress in 2000) as well as the electoral vote, without even requiring an intervention by the Supreme Court.

Regardless of one's feelings about the need for Federal government intervention to provide access to health care for all, the portrayal of the new legislation as being an overthrough of our country is ignorant and perverse. It is the product of the American system at work, and to state otherwise is shocking.

October 30, 2010 - 6:20am

Al Cinamon

Gee, Mr Kaufman, if you would like to punish dissenters you should move to any of the countries on the face of this planet where they do exactly that. Iran comes to mind.

Don't you find it interesting that Democrats running for office are not boasting about their accomplishments? Not one is proud to say that he/she voted for Obamacare. I've actually received campaign literature from Democrats who hide the fact that they are Democrats. They are ashamed of being a Democrat and what they did.

You say they passed Obamacare in a legal and constitutional manner. I say HA! Of course, if you call backroom deals, bribes and payoffs legal and constitutional then you have a point. But that's what it took to get that abomination passed.

I for one hope that Obummer will be repudiated next week. Now what punishment would you like to impose on me for having said that?

November 4, 2010 - 6:39pm

Larry Kaufman

I don't want to punish you any more for speaking your mind than you have already been punished by having the kind of mind you demonstrate. I'm sure you feel vindicated by the election results, and equally justified in slurring the duly elected President of your country. Patriots respect the office even if they do not agree with the incumbent. I am not ashamed of being a Democrat, and I credit the the Republicans with changing me from an Independent to a Democrat.

November 6, 2010 - 4:55pm

Sandy Tankoos

All politicians make deals, no matter what party they are attached to; if they didn't probably nothing would ever be accomplished. I try to vote for the person I think will do the best job. However, given my interests, I admit that often the person I'm voting for is a Democrat. Health Care in this country is awful and getting worse. If you're on Medicare with a supplement, then you're lucky and you probably have no healthcare issues; however, if you're a younger person who isn't getting health insurance from an employer, then you have a real problem.

One of my children had to give up his health insurance when it went up to $2600 a month. Why did that happen?. He developed Type 2 diabetes. He is not overweight. He's never been really ill with it; his insurance company was not expending huge sums of money on him, but nevertheless his insurance was raised high enough that he could no longer afford to pay for it -- most people couldn't afford to pay $2600 a month for health insurance. I can only hope that nothing happens at this point to change what President Obama had the courage to do in an effort to see to it that everyone living in this country can be protected with adequate healthcare.