Wednesday, September 30, 2009

A new death squad: the whole Republican party


Congressman Alan Grayson (D-FL) has managed—against all odds—to lower the quality and integrity of the health care debate even further by announcing in a speech on the House floor that the Republican health care plan was “Don’t get sick, and if you do get sick, die quickly.”

When Joe Wilson (R-SC) shouted “You lie” at President Obama, the Republican leaders called on him to apologize to the President, which he promptly did. As yet we haven’t heard any Democratic leaders call on Grayson to do likewise. Keith Olbermann said, “I’m applauding him,” and Arianna Huffington chimed in, “He has the truth on his side.”

Three cheers for the first Dem to chastise Grayson. Maybe when you get back from Copenhagen, President Obama?

1 comment:

Judith Ellis said...

Arianna has a point. The Republicans have yet to produce a health care plan and with 45,000 Americans dying yearly according to a recent Harvard study for the lack of health care how can she not?

Recently, I read about the work of the brilliant and tenacious Labor Secretary under FDR, Frances Perkins, who wrote the legislation of The New Deal and as chairwoman of his Committee on Economic Security passed the Social Security Act of 1935. She fought valiantly for universal health care then and the same corporate interests that fought against the people backed by the Republican Party is fighting today.

While there is hyperbole in Grayson's comment, not all Republicans advocate such a policy, history reveals that the Republican Party with its consistent actions for big business against the people have caused the deaths of many. Actions speak louder than words.

Not passing health care insurance for everyone was Perkins' big disappoint, even though her two major legislations The New Deal and The Social Security Act are among the two most important in our history. She is a hero of mine. I can only imagine the strength and leadership needed for a woman in such a leadership role back then.

While Perkins fought tirelessly as the longest serving Labor Secretary, profit superceded people then and it seems to be doing the same today. This is the issue with Grayson's comment. Wilson's "You lie" was an outright lie. From what I've read undocumented citizens are NOT covered in ANY bill being presented and certainly not the bill President Obama was speaking of during his joint address to Congress. The two incidents are dissimiliar.