Relax, would ya?
Posted: Thursday, March 25, 2010 by Travis Cody inI don't generally look for controversy in this space. I'm just not interested in shouting matches. I don't mind a reasonable debate, but that kind of discussion is in short supply these days. So I stay clear of controversial topics.
However, sometimes I just want to make a point.
There's an element out there shouting that "the people" don't want this health care legislation. This element is saying that Washington Democrats didn't listen to what "the people" want. I find that highly amusing.
None of these folks proclaiming a 100% objection to the bill asked me or Pam whether we want it. I'm a people. She's a people. If you're one of those out there presuming to speak for all of the people by shouting that "the people" don't want the legislation, then I just want to let you know that you forgot to ask me and you forgot to ask Pam.
So your 100% sample is a couple of people short.
Hey gang, you are an individual and you may or may not want the legislation. But remember that you speak for yourselves and not for anyone else. You may be part of a like-minded group, but unless you did a really good count of yourselves, I can pretty much guarantee that you are not 100% of "the people" as you seem to want to proclaim.
Hey...you may not even be a majority of "the people".
So chill. If you don't like the legislation, then you have options. Write to your representatives. If your reps voted for the bill, then I guess you know what you're doing when they come up for re-election. If you do like the legislation, then you're good to go.
If you appreciate that something got done, but you don't think it's enough or you think it's too much or you think something else is wrong with it, then again you've got the power of your pen and the power of your vote to make yourself heard.
Online polls are not scientific. That MSNBC.com poll that some of you seem to be using as your "the people" evidence? The sample is anyone who knew about the poll, had a computer, and bothered to go and vote on the thing. I didn't know about it and I still don't know where to find it. Pam didn't know about it until I showed her a couple of posts I came across that referred to it.
Again, we be people and we didn't get counted. So one more time, less than 100% of your "all of the people".
Nobody knows what 100% of the people in this country think of the legislation unless they've spoken to all 309 million of us.
So again, I say relax. Ease up on the rhetoric. Nobody knows what's going to happen, and a lot of folks out there are getting riled up unnecessarily. Certainly you should speak out if you oppose the legislation. I'm not suggesting that you shut up and take it if you have a beef with the bill or the way it was passed. But be constructive when you protest and don't presume that your opinion is going to carry the day.
And try to listen to others who might not agree with you. You don't have to change your mind, but neither of you is stupid because you don't agree with each other.
Here's a link to an article from US News & World Report. It's probably not going to change anyone's mind, but maybe it will remind you to settle down and not let anyone scare you into believing something about the legislation that may not be true.
Here's a sample from the article, written by Rick Newman.
It will be a long time before we know whether the historic healthcare reform finally passed by Congress will make the system better or worse. But the rhetoric surrounding the yearlong ordeal has already set new standards for overwrought fearmongering. There's a long history of pre-emptive hyperbole in Washington, in which the combatants on each side of an issue paint a dismal scenario if things don't go their way. But the dire predictions almost never materialize. Businesses adjust. Lawyers find loopholes. Lobbyists get new rules watered down. Entrepreneurs come up with better ways to make money, regardless of constraints. And if the new rules really do fail, we have this little process called electoral politics to make sure the government responds to voters' concerns.
Keep this in mind. Republicans were voted out of office in the last couple of elections because a majority of people were tired of what they thought Republicans were doing to them or not doing for them. So it stands to reason that if a majority of people are tired of what they think Democrats are doing to them or not doing for them, then Democrats will get voted out of office in the next series of elections.
That's the way our system works, gang.
Peace.
Well Travis, make that 3 people who weren't opposed to the Health Care Reform Bill cause no one contacted me and asked my opinion either!
I don't know if this bill is the answer to the health care issues faced by many, many in this country but it is at the very least, a start. At least I hope it will be that much anyway.
Thanks for posting this as a reminder that not everyone agrees with everything that takes place in Congress and the Senate in D.C., but that we do have other options available when we don't like things that have been done -like voting people out of office the same way they were voted into office!
Good post, great reminder!