Health Care is Born ---Will it Survive?

It's a done deal! Health Care is now, as proclaimed by President Obama, "the law of the land!" The Health Care bill passed on Sunday, amid and in spite of heavy critcism of the way it was passed. President Obama said, in so many words,that it wasn't the process that mattered, just the resulting vote. Actually, the process may turn out to be exactly what mattered to a lot of us. Watching and waiting from the sidelines, as many of the House members changed their vote from no to yes, based on special favors, bribery and threats of no future support from their own party members, it was hard to believe a bill of this magnitude was being played like a game. It felt unsavory, and smacked of bully-ism. One had the feeling the House voted not out of principle or in accordance with their constituency, but out of manipulation. Unfortunately, the passage of this bill seemed more a political victory than a victory for the country, which remains not at all convinced this is the right bill at the right time. There are already plans underway for several states to launch law suits against the federal government for forcing their people to pay for a product they may not wish to buy---insurance.

But the Democrats are the ruling party, with a man at the helm who seems at times more like a ruler than a president of the people, and a Speaker of the House who plays very hard ball and thinks nothing of bending the rules till it hurts. The problem with bending is that it can cause breakage. Is that what happened here? Is it legal for the federal government to force this law on the states and force their people to purchase insurance? Unlike automobile insurance, which is conditional upon owning and driving a car, this law demands purchase of insurance just for being a citizen of the country. It is not a tax ;it is a forced mandate to buy something for yourself whether you choose to or not--or pay a fine, levied by the government. Some will choose to pay the fine. It will be interesting to see what the courts decide on this one. I wouldn't bet on the states winning over the courts. Even if they do, proponents of the Health Care bill may try to close the loophole by simply demanding an insurance tax, rather than a required purchase---another questionable tactic, but given the imbalance of power, it may work.

It is sad that in this time of terrorism and economic crisis, we cannot pull together as a people for a country we all love. As a certain junior senator once stated in a speech arguing for the Democrats' right to filibuster against the Republicans in 2005, "What I worry would be that you have two chambers, the House and the Senate, but that you simply have majoritarian absolute power on either side. And that's just not what the founders intended." Those were President Obama's words. He was right. Too bad he didn't live the words. Was the bill that got passed on Sunday really a done deal or a deal breaker? It was brokered, negotiated to the max, and slammed shut; not honestly voted through on principle or conscience ,and certainly not a vote by the people, but instead, by the Democrat party. At least filibustering, not allowed, due to the "reconciliation" protocal, would have allowed a little more debate and a much larger sense of thoughtfulness and cooperation from both sides---as intended by the founders of our country. Have we become so divided, so polarized, so unwilling to work together, that the United States of America is no longer so??

NEWS FLASH!!!! HEALTH CARE---DOWN TO THE WIRE AND HISTORY IN THE MAKING!!

It’s countdown time for the Health Care bill. Word on the street is that they will vote on it this Sunday--or "deem" it passed in the House, then vote on it in the Senate. Deem it?? What does that mean? Can you say "side-step"? Deeming it so in the House language is a tricky way of getting around having to cast an actual "yes" vote, thereby circumventing the normal transparent procedure and not risking possible negative fallout in the mid-term elections resulting from a "yes" vote---ah, you gotta love politics. It's like saying "I think so", when you really want to say "yes" or "no". The Senate will then most likely gather together enough votes, one way or the other, by compromising, bribing, begging, and political conniving; if all else fails, they will implement the very controversial “reconciliation" tactic, which will force this law through, enough votes or not! It all seems unbelievably manipulated and unprecedented in terms of democratic process. Some are calling it unconstitutional. The Republicans will do everything they can to stop this law that will affect one sixth of our economy and infuriate many. Not at all happy about having the government gain control of yet another aspect of our lives, they are in the trenches now trying to stop this bill. People are being encouraged to go to Washington D.C. and stage a sit-in on the Capital steps, or at the very least, call their representatives and let their feelings be known.

It is probably too late. This president, by pure force of his personality, his party’s one sided power, and the coincidental collision of his election with our weakened economical state, has had the benefit of “the perfect storm”. All things have seemed to come together for him, as he set out to make, as promised, a major change in this country. But the storm will rage on, as there are too many opposed and too many questions left unanswered. More than anything, this bill has proven to be a battleground between two different ideologies--- a people cared for and controlled by the government; or a people allowed to care for itself with minimal control by the government .One provides more entitlement programs, but heavy taxation to pay for them; the other allows the free market system to work, with fewer taxes, and counting on the people to take care of them themselves and their own. Pick your side. The war has just begun. Does this strike you as being at all familiar? Can you say Tea Party? I mean, the original one, not the current one. Think about it---it's not too late to call in your feelings!

Springtime in the Rockies!

It's finally happening---Springtime in the Rockies is slowly waking the trees, the birds and the bees. It moves in first with warmer temperatures, sounds of birdsong, longer days, but you can really tell it's here, when the young girls begin to appear in cut-offs and flip flops on a 45 degree day, which after this winter feels like heaven---hallelujah!! This is rugged country---5000 miles up where the air and oxygen are so thin that athletes come here to train in order to build their endurance. If you have a weak heart, this is not the place to be. Even entertainers that come here for a night or two, usually end their numbers huffing and puffing,out of breath, while we smile in amusement at their sea-level fragility. We, on the other hand, are a hearty lot. Hikers, bikers, skiers, and authentic cowboys from nearby Cheyenne, Wyo. with pick-up trucks and authentic cowboy hats are found in abundance here. The rest of the real men wear heavy down parkas and drive honkin' big SUVS, and so do the women. We can spot a Californian a mile away because they usually buy the biggest, most expensive house in the neighborhood----and think they've died and gone to heaven, as they luxuriate in our lower cost of living, mostly sunny days, and outdoorsy life style. Yeah, we pretty much rock here in the Rockies. But come Spring, our mountain ways become coastal, as everybody breaks out their shorts, sandals, bikes, kayaks, geraniums, convertibles, and all things sunny and warm---until a rogue snow storm comes barreling across the mountains, stripping all the newly flowering trees cruelly of their blossoms. Not to worry, it never lasts long----but neither do the summers. It's usually all over by September, when it can and does sometimes snow, big time, turning us all into mountain people again. So, we play summer hard and fast here, well aware that like many things, it too shall pass--all too soon.

In case you didn't notice, Fort Collins,Colorado, my home town these days, was just noted, per USA Today, as having the most fit people in the country! If you want to get lean and mean, come on up--bring lots of water and oxygen---and a parka just in case! You'll find me on a tennis court or near a body of water---I'm one of those migrant Californians. I like it here, and my tribe lives here. So this is home, but I pretend that the big up-close sky is the ocean and the whispering winds are the waves .Never judge a person by their parka---it may be hiding a restless, coastal heart. But then, I may just have a touch of Spring fever---

Sweet Escape from Reality

One of my favorite t.v. programs ended the other night---"The Bachelor". And you thought I was going to say, "Meet the Press", didn't you? No, on Monday night we stay home for "The Bachelor", one of the silliest, corniest, mushiest, insipid shows on t.v. But, there's something about the idea of a guy searching for his true love in this world of bad news that brings a ray of sunshine into my life every week. It's sugary sweet, ridiculously romantic, and hard to believe that true love can be found in such a contrived , un-natural way. But when you think about it, what are the odds of finding your one true love in a natural way--in school, a blind date, or over the water cooler? Good luck with that. Oh, but there's always the internet match making methods---beats going to a bar, but oh,so high-tech, sterile, forced ,and yes, un-natural. I mean, what happened to just running into the love of your life at the post office, or making eye contact with that dark, handsome stranger across a crowded room? Far more natural----and about as likely as winning the lottery. You get right down to it, it's really amazing any of us ever got married without today's technology or "The Bachelor"---it's a mine field out there! At least love-searching singles can check out the police records via the internet now. Sort of goes along with pre-nuptial agreements. But, on "The Bachelor", none of those cynical things exist---it's all about romance, fun times, love--and a dash of lust. Sort of like the old show, "Fantasy Island" on steroids.

But, still, there's also something innocent and hopeful about this show. While it's on I forget everything except whether some poor, hapless, loveless hunk will find his soul mate. Poor baby,he is of course a stud-muffin, if there ever was one. He is also usually a doctor, pilot, or heir to some family dynasty, but just has not been able to find anyone to love him! Well, now he must absolutely find The One. No getting out of it this time. The show must go on! It shouldn't be too hard, as he is offered up a bevy of gorgeous young women, all vying for his attention and eventually his proposal to be his wedded wife, or at least his "let's try it and see "girl friend. Most of the relationships crash and burn after the show, but who cares--- it's fairy tale story telling at its best, t.v. style, shot in beautiful locales. But whatta a concept----boy meets girls, picks out several, then a few, then two, then---voila! The One gets chosen and they live happily ever after. Meanwhile, the poor runner-up girl, a.k.a. loser, is hustled out of the way and into the loser limousine, while the cameras record her pitiful melt down of having come so close to finding Mr.Right. More like Mr. Jerk, for mis-leading the poor, very suspecting girl. Life is tough. Maybe she should try the post office.

My husband scoffs, ridicules, and shakes his head all the way through the entire series, but I could swear I saw something that resembled a tear in his eye the other night when Jake finally proposed to Vienna (that actually was/is her name) , and The One. My husband denies this. Maybe he was crying tears of relief that it was finally over. I'll miss it. But soon "The Bachelorette" will come on, the girl finds boy version of the same show. The producers of this show are no dummies--they usually pick one of the more popular loser girls from the preceding show to be the next bachelorette---pure genius. It's payback time for the girls and a second chance for one of our favorite losers to find The One. The eternal search continues and everybody is happy. Like I said ,this is a very silly, corny, mushy, insipid show. Go ahead---watch CNN if you want to. I don't care. Just don't bother me on Monday nights---

Health Care For All, Ready or Not!!

The much talked about Health Care bill, now revised by President Obama, looks like it’s in the final stages of being made into law, some might say, by hook or by crook. If the dems can’t get enough votes, they’ll use other tactics, including the questionable “reconciliation” technique, which basically allows them to force it through without needing the usual 60 votes in the Senate, and will circumvent the threat of stalling by filibustering. So convinced is the President that the American people want and need this, he is willing to over-ride much evidence to the contrary and throw the entire weight of his presidency and the future of his party against any opposition that stands in his way. The time for talking is over, he has pronounced. Really? But who’s done most of the talking? To John McCain, during the recent Health Care Summit, President Obama chided, “The campaign is over, John”, when “John” tried to raise his objections. I wish Senator McCain had responded a little differently—maybe something like, “ But, Mr. President, sir, I am still a United States Senator, I represent the people, and I have a right to speak, regardless of whether you like what I am saying”. Ah, but that would have been a bit disrespectful, and after all, Obama should have the last say---shouldn't he? Well, it looks like he’s going to, if he can rally his troops and his power enough. The stakes are very high for his troops---some are calling it “political suicide” for them to vote yes on this bill that is still so unpopular that the democratic-controlled Senate still has’t been able to get enough votes to pass it under normal procedures. So, we shall watch and see---“reconciliation”? What an odd term for a procedure that will force a such a law, with extremely far reaching implications, onto a country whose people are still so divided on whether they even want it, let alone how they are going to pay for it. But rules are rules--- even when they are used to bend the rules.

This is an amazing time and high drama on the political seas--- why would a President risk so much? He believes he knows best, that his cause is righteous and just, and that those things trump all. Therefore, the people, not only will, but must follow the leader. Perhaps so, but like customers not quite sure about making a purchase, some of us are feeling uncomfortably pushed---and well, that we are being sold a “bill of goods”. Obama is a superb salesman and is using one of the oldest sales' tricks in the book---the" assumptive hard close”-- announce that the time for talking and negotiating is over. Assume the sale,and close it, ready or not—--like it or not. Sign here. He is betting his future and ours on the premise that in the end we will see that he and his hard fought bill were right. Or terribly wrong, at the expense of us all---including him and his party. Get your check books out. Is there a return policy?