Letter to the editor:

Health care reform tests Obama’s promise

Christine Carroll, Boulder City

Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2009 | 2:05 a.m.

Like many voters, I became involved in national politics for the first time this past election cycle — both by donating money and working in my precinct. Why last year, after 40 years of voting but not otherwise getting involved? Because Barack Obama convinced me that if enough private citizens would get involved, the lobbyists would no longer control Washington.

Health care reform is the test of that promise. If Congress can pass meaningful health care reform, including a public option, we will know it is possible for the majority of citizens who want health care reform to succeed in spite of massive lobbying efforts. My work and donations will not have been wasted and I will continue to support those who answer to the people instead of the lobbyists.

However, if the lobbyists win on the most critical issue facing us, I will go back to voting, but not donating or working for candidates who are influenced only by lobbyists.

I know it is traditional that the party out of power makes big gains in Congress in the election following a presidential election. It doesn’t have to be that way, though. If Democrats show that they can use the majority they have been given to serve the people, we can see a new model in national politics. It will take political will, but it can be done.

Discussion: 18 comments so far…

By Future

10/21/09 at 2:34 a.m.

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As an illiterate unwashed redneck white trash tea-bagger I realize that we have no right to question the spin that the Democrats are putting out on the public option.

Obama in addressing the American Nation from the "Halls of Congress" felt he was right to call my opposition position "a lie, plain and simple.

I know that Obama must be true to his South Side Chicago political craft to "call out people who challenge his positions. Obviously because Obama feels we have "phony claims" and I am unable to understand what is good for me.

We have learned that to get off the Obama/Garofalo enemies list we need to be sent to a community organized Mao re-programming camp to stop asking "WHY" of Obama policies.

We must become the "Silenced Majority".

We welcome "Harvard Graduate" Obama's elite snarling smack down public rebuke of opposition who do not trust him or believe him. This is the kind of leadership change we can believe in.

It is an ill conceived notion that the unwashed public, the un-elite, should view a congressional bill and believe we could understand it.

The fact that the Health Insurance bill will be done in secret and the Democrats will continue to spin that the unwashed peasants have no right to view the Health Insurance bill because they are illiterates with "phony claims" and are unable to understand what is good for them.

Obama, Reid, and Pelosi are tone deaf. They do not respond to our phone calls, e-mails, townhalls, or rallies. They refuse to listen to us because we are lairs to them, but mostly because they know we do not believe them or trust them. Harry called us evilmonger and Nancy called us un-American.

But until we lose the secret ballot, as the Unions want, the "Silenced Majority" can clandestinely vote in 2010 against the demonic Whitehouse politics.
By JPM42

10/21/09 at 3:29 a.m.

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Christine, both sides are heavily influenced by lobbyists.

Tort reform would help to lower insurance costs for patients, medical professionals and corporations however trial lawyer lobbyists have been successful in keeping meaningful tort reform out of the proposed health care legislation.

Will tort reform be seriously dealt with in any of the Democrat Health Care proposals? One only has to look at former director of the Kansas Trial Lawyers Association and current Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius to find the answer.

Is this the change you voted for?
By Houstonjac

10/21/09 at 6:49 a.m.

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The fact of the matter is that a health care utopia does not exist. 85-90% of us are pleased with our health care.The reason for the great push by Obama and other liberals for health care reform is based on a desire to effect transformative income redistribution in America. The liberals and socialists are using their recent "mandate" at the ballot box to create a paradigm shift in America's private based solutions society. In the end this will not succeed. There will be a swing in the opposite direction in the next two to three years, and balance will be restored.With any luck, the government dominated health care plans under review will not be in effect until 2013. By this time much of it will be undone. In any event, they will leave 25 million Americans uncovered,raise taxes on the middle class, and slash half a trillion dollars from Medicare.

There are very good reforms that can be made, and should be. For example the exclusions for pre existing conditions should be eliminated. Health care insurance should be portable, and interstate competition for health insurance should be mandated. Insurance policy dollar maximums should be eliminated. There should be no right to cancel coverage for an illness. Premiums should be adjustable to consider experience and risk,but there should be limits to increases that are permitted. Finally, there should be reform in the areas of damage awards(limits) for medical malpractice.

While estimates vary, there are about 10 million people in America who cannot afford heath care coverage. There should be a systematic way for those who cannot afford coverage to obtain it--extension of Medicaid based on proof of status for example.

There is no reason to undermine and upend an entire industry that has the capacity to function very well with a number of constructive changes.
An area needing significant attention as our population ages, and one which has been totally neglected in the health care debate, is that of elder care,long term care and end of life care. Millions of elderly people are forced into end of life nursing homes, and are too poor to afford it. There is no affordable coverage for these people in many instances forcing them to liquidate their life savings. How this "elephant in the closet" escaped the review of health care in America is unexplainable. Possibly for the same reason that Medicare will see a half trillion dollar cut to help pay for an ill founded socialistic leaning health care system --a lack of genuine concern for seniors.
By edgewise

10/21/09 at 8:04 a.m.

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Houstonjac, the Republicans controlled both the House, Senate and the Executive branch for years, yet never implemented any of the changes you want to see.

Only a fool would believe the Republican Party wants to see meaningful health care reform.
By jlb101

10/21/09 at 8:48 a.m.

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Christine-Why don't you be an honest person, pay for your own doctor bills and quit groveling to get someone better than your are to support your needs? I am a hard core liberterian and don't really care enough about you to pay more taxes to support a survice you use and should pay for yourself.

What does "serve the people" mean to you Mz Carroll? I don't want the government to serve me and I am a "people". I just want to be left alone and enjoy my life with as much freedom as is possible. If you cannot afford high level health care you should pay for whatever level of care you and afford and leave other people alone. Don't be a freeloader.
By LarryVegas

10/21/09 at 8:52 a.m.

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The Democrats control the White House, the Senate and the House of Representatives and can pass any legislation that they desire...

But the people of this country do not want a government takeover of their health care system.

We shall see how this all plays out...
By edgewise

10/21/09 at 9:28 a.m.

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A clear majority supports the public option. In the most recent Wall Street Journal poll, 57% support it, up from 52% in August.

CBS News most recent poll has it as 62% in support of the public option.

Republicans just want to obstruct. Their years of control with no reform of the health care system show they have no ideas and only want to anger people in the hopes of supressing turnout in the next election.

They don't have a plan for America, they have a scheme to win an election.
By LarryVegas

10/21/09 at 10:44 a.m.

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Not everyone supports the public option. In the October CBS News Poll, 83 percent of Democrats favored it, but support dropped to just 34 percent among Republicans, with 57 percent opposed.

Support for the public option also varies by age. Among people age 65 and over, 49 percent favor the public option, and 38 percent are opposed. By comparison, about seven in 10 of those under age 45 support it.
By edgewise

10/21/09 at 11:51 a.m.

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"Not everyone supports the public option."

That is correct. The majority of Americans favor the public option, though. I'm sure if you limited your poll group to "guys who comment on the Las Vegas Sun website using the username LarryVegas," you would have a clear majority.

You are in the minority.

You can quibble about which group does or does not support it, but when Americans-at-large are asked, they support the public option with a clear majority.
By Celeritas

10/21/09 at 11:59 a.m.

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hey, i'm wif all ya tea-baggers on this'un cause i don't want no "public" nuttin neither. who cares if it costs more ta keep people a live cause they have to go to emergency rooms. i dont havta pay fur it my own self. An besides that i dont wanna pay fur nobodys kids goin to no "public" school neither, an if they want public police or public fire help, hey let em pay fur it them own selves. an i dont wanna pay for no public roads neither. Hey theres all kinds'a things "public" we could get rid of and save money. hail man, us tea-baggers gots this whole thing figgered out. the only thing bloger Future said I cant gree wit is he said he's unwashed. i'm not unwashed, my dog an me just took a bath. i ain't no illiterat neither, i went to public scool.
By Houstonjac

10/21/09 at 12:05 p.m.

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edgewise"Only a fool would believe the Republican Party wants to see meaningful health care reform"

I don't really give a crap what the Repulican party or the democrats want. I commented on what I believed to be a good health care agenda. Read it again! Did you see "Republican" mentioned anywhere?
By LarryVegas

10/21/09 at 1:05 p.m.

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Hey edgewise...

If you take a poll and ask about the public option only, the majority of people including me would probably say "yes."

But it's not just a "public option" that is on the stove. It's a complete takeover of the health system that is cooking in the pot.

When you take a poll and ask about the current bill that the Senate has got in the pot and the majority says "NO!"

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 54% are opposed to the plan.
By edgewise

10/21/09 at 1:34 p.m.

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Why do they always cry fowl when you call them out? "I didn't say Republicans!!!!!"

No, you wrote about the evil socialists taking over health care (which is the argument of the Republicans against the public option) and how that would mean, "a swing in the opposite direction in the next two to three years, and balance will be restored."

Now, you may not understand that you were obviously talking about a Republican resurgence, but I do.

Why are you ashamed of the Republican party?

Larry, 54% is awfully close to the margin of error. Much closer to the margin of error than, say, 57%, or 62%... both numbers which are well outside the margin of error.

The Republicans used lies and disinformation in August to try to kill health care reform and the public option and they have obviously failed. They are a failed party with failed leadership.
By ecm

10/21/09 at 2:59 p.m.

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I do not support the public option for the following reason; WE CAN'T AFFORD IT. We need to cut out other spending before we even consider a program of this magnitude, and I'm not talking about Medicare, although we should get right on that waste they are talking about. Lets stop sending billions of dollars to foreign countries. Why the heck did we have to spend 80 million to bomb the moon? How come we have billions of dollars invested in the postal service, a supposed private company, (google up their health care)? We (the taxpayer's) have bailed out the banks, automakers, and mortgage companies. Let's get real, and quit skirting the issue, WE CAN'T AFFORD IT. Our elected representatives have managed, over the years, to overspend. Well now it's time to cut the budget not expand it. I know I can't afford any more taxes, can you?
By Houstonjac

10/21/09 at 3:02 p.m.

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edgewise--Stop drinking Party kool aid and read the plan that I spelled out. It makes sense. The Republicans and the Democrats in Congress are the problems. This pig of a health care plan will be dismantled within 3-5 years if it ever gets shoved down our throats.It will not even be effective for three years. The profit motive will drive the ultimate solution long after Obama is a former President. What I am for is a conservative solution--minimum government intrusion--maximum individual freedom and initiative. Neither Republicans nor Democrats have been capable of this. The current administration and Congress are kool aid drinking socialists(and Marxists). Why are you so sensitive about these terms? What else do you call the likes of Pelosi and Obama--look at the corpus of their efforts--are you ashamed of the truth?You eat up on this redistributive Robin Hood garbage.
By LarryVegas

10/21/09 at 3:10 p.m.

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Gallup--October 21, 2009

While the majority of Americans appear to have made up their minds on healthcare reform, 39% say their support for the final bill will depend on the details. Exactly half (50%) say they favor a public insurance option, but most (61%) would oppose reducing payments to Medicare providers.
By teamster

10/21/09 at 9:53 p.m.

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When all is said and done, the health care reform will include a public option. Americans
will have their choice of public or private
insurance. Both plans can work together in this
country. The current system does not work for
everyone.
By LV_Tom

10/22/09 at 10:17 a.m.

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Hey Edgewise........"Republicans just want to obstruct".

For the 92nd millionth time, the Democrats control the House, Senate and White House. The Republicans CAN NOT Obstruct!!... Pass the friggin thing... and quit blaming the Republicans because socialism isn't selling all that well.

Note: the words "can not" were capitalized, which denotes screaming on internet communications. That's what it takes to get through to you liberals.