Mad as hell

An old movie, I think it was titled Network, had the principal actor so frustrated that he (a TV anchor man) urges his viewers to open their windows, lean out and shout, “I’m mad as hell and I won’t take it anymore.”

I think this level of frustration is happening nation wide in relation to all the major government initiatives which have happened or are happening. This is culminating in the uproar about the proposed health insurance plan.

Somewhere in the 60’s we began to stop trusting government to be straight with us. It’s taken many years and several presidents but it’s now reached the point where more than half of us don’t believe or have any faith that government is looking out for our interest.

During the present financial upheaval we’ve seen the banks being bailed out while the little guy loses his home. Exorbitant bonuses are still being given to those already earning millions. Government seems to have no backbone to confront power.

On the health insurance fiasco, we’ve been asked to support it without any details being given out about it’s impact on various segments of the population. I’m tired of being asked to “just trust us”. It’s time for us to be talked to like equal partners or to stick our heads out the window and shout.

Between the conservatives lying about everything and the liberals pouting that if they don’t get everything they want, they’ll vote against it, we’ve been reduced to spectators watching an ideological food fight.

The one saving grace might be a plan to adopt a “public” option if the private health insurance industry can’t come up with a private sector solution within three to five years. This should partially satisfy the conservatives for now by postponing that public option. It might satisfy the liberals in that they’re sure the private sector won’t be able to do enough to solve the problem.

Let’s go back to 1993/94 when the Clinton health plan was introduced and defeated. One of the cries from the conservatives then was that the subject was so important and the plan so detailed that they needed more time to work on it. Fast forward 15 years and, even after having 15 years to develop a plan they could live with, they’re still asking for more time.

I think time has run out for both sides. If nothing comes of this effort this time, both sides should be punished. Neither the liberals with their insistence on perfection nor the conservatives as, “The Party of No” are representing the vast majority in the middle.

If this is accepted, perhaps, as they don’t represent us, we shouldn’t vote for them. Think about that, not necessarily voting for the opposite party but just not voting for anyone.