Obama refuses to allow death of health care reform horror
Joe VanDeLaarschot


It's like a scene in a horror movie you might have seen on late night television.

You know which one.

The one where the vampire just won't die until someone drives a stake through his heart or the werewolf won't die until someone shoots it with a silver bullet.

It appears the only way that efforts to derail the government's health care reform package is to drive a stake through its heart or find that silver bullet. Unfortunately it appears no such stake or silver bullet has yet been found by the plan's opponents.

Supporters of health care reform and the Obama administration just don't get it and the even larger problem is they don't care that they don't get it.

They continue to try to shove their convoluted health care reform package down the throats of the American public despite the fact a majority of Americans don't want the current version. They seem to be treating the voters like a parent with a petulant child that "they're going to do what's best for the child even if the child objects to it."

After a recent one-day health care summit held with Democrats and Republicans in attendance, President Obama began to wring his hands and exclaim that he can't reach a consensus with his opponents so he is basically going to ram the bill through despite overwhelming opposition. Mind you this was just a one day effort.

Wow, thanks for such a Herculean attempt. In effect he's saying, "I don't care what Americans want. I know what they want and they want what I want."

So much for the campaign promises of bipartisanship and a transparent administration.

According to the results of a Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey that were released March 1, 44 percent of those polled favor the president's plan, but opposition remains high with just 22 percent strongly favoring the plan, while 43 percent strongly oppose it.

According to the poll, 76 percent of those with their own coverage rated it as good or excellent. That creates a problem for proponents of the administration's health care coverage proposal because 49 percent of insured Americans say its at least somewhat likely that the plan under consideration by Congress would force them to change their coverage.

Here's some other amazing numbers from the same poll. The poll said just 25 percent of those questioned said they believe the quality of health care will improve if Obama's plan passes. At the same time 48 percent believe the quality of health care will get worse under the new program.

And if that's not enough, 52 percent believe the cost of health care will go up if the plan passes.

The poll also indicated that Democrats remain heavily in favor of the plan, while a large number of Republicans remain opposed, but a large number, 43 percent of voters not affiliated with either party, strongly oppose the plan.

The results of another polling question should probably be even more important for the president to consider - 63 percent of those polled say a better strategy to reform the health care system would be to pass smaller bills that address problems on an individual basis. At the same time only 27 percent still think passing a comprehensive bill that covers all aspects of the health care system is a better idea.

President Obama has put more effort in trying to negotiate peace in the Middle East than he has in trying to gain passage of a bi-partisan health care package.

Americans deserve a better effort from our leader - a more genuine effort than just going through the motions and then saying it can't be done.

He seems to have spent more time on selecting the White House dog than he did listening to Republicans about their health care reform proposals.

Where's that stake or silver bullet when we need it?

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