The power to choose: Why not a public option?

The debate over health care has been waging on in Congress and amongst the public for months now and our leaders, like children, still haven't agreed on a health care bill that will provide competition and give everyone the opportunity to acquire affordable coverage. At the center of the debate is the argument over the public option, which would create a government run health care system much like Medicare, in order to facilitate competition by giving people an additional option other than a private insurance agent to choose from. If it seems so simple to me, then what is all the fuss about?

Not that strong opposition to a government run health care system hasn't been met with extreme opposition in the past. When Harry Truman became the first president to suggest a universal health care system in the 1940s, after he became concerned with the quality of health care to all Americans especially those living in rural areas, opponents to the idea attacked him by using many of the same accusations that have been slung at the Obama administration like "Socialism," Communism" and sometimes even "Nazism." These same people also spread heinous rumors about "euthanasia" and "death panels" that we hear today.

But 70 years later, and all the stories of how health care has ruined millions of innocent, hard working Americans lives, not to mention directly caused many of the economic problems facing the country, I am boggled by the fact that there are actually individuals in our society and elected officials, well not so much the Republicans, that continue to use the same accusations in an effort to stop all Americans from acquiring affordable health care. What bothers me even more is that the majority of Americans are in favor of a public option (New York Times/CBS poll: 65 percent favor public option; 26 percent oppose such a plan), while a recent poll taken of American doctors shows that 63 percent support a public option

While I understand why politicians like John McCain (R-Ariz.), $546,000; Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), $425,000; Max Baucus (D-Mont.), $413,000, Minority Leader John A. Boehner (R-Ohio), $257,000; and Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-Va.), $249,000, oppose such a bill that would include a public option based on their campaign contributions they have received from top insurance companies, I am always mesmerized how, not the majority, but a good portion of Americans continue to oppose an option that not only makes common sense, but would benefit them by creating more competition and lowering costs of private insurers. Insurance companies are so powerful in Washington they have spent nearly $1 billion in lobbying over the past two years, so if you are one of those people who oppose the public option, you are just another example of people being manipulated by big insurance.

But I still don't get what these lunies don't understand about competition and why the same people who oppose health care because they are afraid people on welfare or illegal immigrants will receive the same rights they have - although these groups already have better health care through a government run system called Medicade - are opposing something that will not lower insurance costs and at the same time line the gold plated pockets of the rich insurance company executives. Why is it that people who complain about being poor, and bitch about the rich, always end up sticking up for the rich and knocking down the poor when they have a chance to make a difference. I guess that is a question for a psychiatrist, but on the surface you would have to say because most average Americans don't know any rich people and don't want the dirt bag living down the street to have the same rights they have - yeah, it's fucked up.

However, in the end these pathetic Americans are just caught up in the same web of lies that have stopped our nation from getting universal health care for more than 70 years. But the people we should really be blaming are the swine's in the Senate and House, who would rather line their own pockets with campaign contributions than vote in the best interests of voters in their own districts - for example Republican John Boehner's district favors a public option by more than 50 percent, but he continues to wage war against such an idea in order to do what is right for himself and not the American people or more importantly the people of his district. These sick fucks are willing to mortgage the future of a nation for their own political gain - the type of people that would sell their own children into child slavery for a guaranteed reelection.

What bothers me most though, is that as a Democrat we thought with a majority in the House and Senate, coupled with a Democratic president in the White House, would guarantee that we got the type of legislation passed that would finally work for everyone instead of a few. However, hope, promise and doing what is in the best interest of the people has once again fallen to the all mighty dollar. Because if you think about it, it really makes no sense not to have a public option other than you fear that people would one day decide they like it better than what is offered by public insurance agencies, who have killed millions of Americans and sent millions more into economic catastrophe all to save a few pennies. I mean what else is there to be afraid of? What else is stopping us from having the same type of health care system that has worked so well for our grandparents with Medicare, and most every other civilized nation on this planet. That is why the only ones who should oppose the government run option is the health insurance companies that have everything to lose, not the people that have everything to gain through such a plan.

So I ask all of you who oppose or are leaning one way or the other on the public option, without any of the ignorant accusations and excuses, what you have to lose by the implementation of a government run health care plan. Give me one reason why it is a bad idea and one reason why private insurance companies would lower such rates without any competition and then we can actually start to have a real debate over the whole public option issue. Because in the end all of us will be mandated to have health care, so why don't we just make it easier for the waitress, the office assistant, the convenience store employee and everyone else who works tirelessly to make this country what it is, the chance to have affordable health care once and for all. And anyway we all really lost when the single payer system was never even seriously considered as an option in the first place.