It passed! Now what?

Yes, yes it's true, the health care bill passed.

Now what?

While democrats were reportedly popping champagne, the republicans were being accused of violent acts including spitting, name-calling, throwing rocks and cutting a gas line. A rather conservative gentleman, in the media, told me "there was no audio or video on this, none of it was true". Hmmm....

Do you remember Joe Wilson yelling passionately, "you lie", at the president? There's no denying it was rude but it seems to have brought to the forefront a systemic anger in America.

One of my liberal mates on FaceBook had sixty plus entries logged on his thread. It was like watching a virtual tennis match unfold, yours truly included. There was every concern from the inclusion of abortion, the public option, people on welfare taking advantage of the system, to how this monstrosity would be paid for. A conservative friend posted a very clever thing about all the self-indulgent health issues that the democrats who support this bill maintain. You know, everything from the President being a smoker to the Surgeon General being a big girl and.... hey wait a minute ...I'll have you know there's nothing wrong with big girls. (Yes we all need some levity in the midst of these heated debates.)

What I didn't hear however was any opposition to the inclusion of Viagra, etc. --- (the only restriction being NO access by sex offenders). Almost no one seemed to notice that Student loan "thing" that was attached to the bill. Uhuh, education loans and health care are now bed fellows.

Attaching "things" to bills is a Washington way and I'm not knocking it. However, it made me realize that people are confused...very, very confused about what happened last Sunday. Most haven't read through the HCR bill or supporting documents. (After almost a year of reading it, my trusty legal dictionary and I have managed through 1,537 pages if you care to know.

Okay, okay. I'll fess up; even this pleasurable reading couldn't hold my attention for long.)

While there is so much that's good about this bill being passed, there are a lot of unknowns that leave an unpleasurable taste in the mouth of many. I believe that this is just a start and that this will be amended and amended.... and amended.... and amended, until we get something that everyone is happy with.

So we've come full circle to my original question. Now what?

Well, now fourteen states are gearing up to fight the federal government on passing this law, on the grounds that it's unconstitutional. If it stands as is then they need to work on fixing what's wrong with it. If it's repealed, I'm offering up seven tips in my post Are “those people” in a health care crisis or a political tug of war?

All this makes me think, of a part, of a poem that I saw posted online by Parandol

Please cast no stones while standing idly by

For while our world is greedily consumed

We're destroying that which we are nourished by

And thus by our indifference are we doomed

I would like to believe that on both sides of this argument we, in our consciousness, could find some common ground.

Until next time, when we can chit-chat again!
T.