What amazes me is that up until the moment photo was taken, nobody bothered to tell that poor chap that his sign makes absolutely no sense. Did anyone bother to read his sign, or did the rest of the protesters he was with actually think his sign made sense?
Serious intellectual debate over healthcare cannot take place when we have people like the man in the photo believing that "government" needs to get out of his Medicare. Without education, we cannot make informed decisions. This unfortunate man was probably told by his friends and neighbors that the "government" was going to mess up his Medicare, and instead of doing a little research, fell victim to fear mongering.
I see signs like this from people protesting all across the country - people who are afraid of what they don't understand. Instead of educating themselves, they lash out in anger. The talking heads on TV and radio are aware of this, and they do their best to stir up the pot by twisting the truth, spreading rumors and telling outright lies. We the people have been told what to think and how to feel by these morons, and we hang on their every word - unable or unwilling to question what comes out of their mouths.
Healthcare is a big deal. The healthcare bills moving through congress right now have the potential to affect every single American for the rest of their lives. Healthcare should be argued, discussed, lampooned, inspected, rewritten and amended. It is the responsibility of every American citizen to educate themselves - not from political talking heads, neighbors, pastors or friends, but from non-partisan independent sources. Think about who the winners and losers are in the current system, and how that will change under the proposed new one. See how other countries are running their health care systems and think about what would work here and what wouldn't - and why. And don't just think about yourself - think about how the current and proposed systems affect your friends, neighbors, co-workers, family and community.
Both Democrats and Republicans have told half-truths and made misleading statements in order to win your support. Dig through the fluff and rhetoric to get to the truth. There are many web sites that thoroughly fact-check statements made by politicians. There are also independent news organizations in print and online that will give you the facts without putting a political spin on the news.
Don't be that dude in the photo. Think.
Photo credit: reconstitution.us
And what are some of these sites, please? Been wanting to read more about he govts. propose healthcare plan but been working too much to do much research. If you can send me some links, it would be much appreciated.
ReplyDeleteRocky,
ReplyDeleteNicely said by you about the need for both a serious and careful understanding of healthcare policy issues. Don't be surprised, however, to find that this young "dude" was paid to carry the sign and create confusion, if not fear, about Medicare and the current reform mandate.