Sheryl Gay Stolberg and Robert Pear write at the New York Times in
Obama Signs Health Care Overhaul Bill, With a Flourish:
"With the strokes of 20 pens, President Obama signed his landmark health care overhaul — the most expansive social legislation enacted in decades — into law on Tuesday, saying it enshrines “the core principle that everybody should have some basic security when it comes to their health care.”"
We are not great fans of Congress and have great doubts about the legislative qualifications of many of its members, but for once, Congress finally did something right in passing legislation to reform America's antiquated and grossly unequal health care system, finally moving in a direction that all of the world's other civilized nations have long ago taken -- thereby picking up the baton of responsibility in taking care of the health of American citizens, rather than treating its own people like enemies of the State.
It is the job of the government to take care of its people - ALL OF ITS PEOPLE - domestically as also in terms of international national security. A nation spending trillions on weapons of war for the defense of its shores - defense spending which we support - can not ignore the plight of those who call those shores their home.
We are political centrists, but
the Republicans should be greatly ashamed of their behaviour as regards the health care bill. "All for me" and nothing for the other guys is contrary to the kind of good old American "team play" taught everywhere else. Shame on all the
selfish people who voted and campaigned against a law designed to insert some equality into the health care of American citizens. The wealthy need not be depressed or despondent. They will surely get better health care than the poor -- now as before -- but at least the poor will have a right to a minimum of basic health care.
Those who talk about "financing" health care should be happy that society does not take - let's say - 50% of the net worth of any man whose life is saved by antibiotics or any other kind of modern medical miracle which a wealthy patient had no hand in creating or inventing. WHO financed THOSE miracles? Everyone, that's who, and surely least of all, the person benefitting from them. Society as a whole is greatly involved at every step of the health care process, from birth to death, including the building and maintenance of numerous and varied facilities available for medical care and the training of medical and support personnel who staff those facilities, many of whom graduate from universities financed by thousands of donors and alumni. The "system" provides health care and there is no reason for the system to favor any particular group. Who is subsidized by the health care system? - EVERYONE.
Op-Ed Columnist Maureen Dowd in Hail the Conquering Professor writes at the NYTimes.com
"One minute they were legislative losers, squabbling and scrambling for the off-ramps. The next they were history-makers, sharing chest bumps and goose bumps at the White House. How had the lofty president and the wily speaker suddenly steered them off Jimmy Carter Highway and onto F.D.R. Drive?
One gleeful and relieved White House aide called the bill-signing ceremony in the East Room, packed with Democratic lawmakers snapping pictures and acting like obstreperous children, “an Old Spice moment.”
“You could see it in their faces,” he said. “It was kind of like that Old Spice ad where the guy smacked himself on the cheeks and said, ‘Wow, that feels good!’ It was like they smacked themselves on the cheeks and said, ‘You are a member of Congress and now you can start doing things. Wow, that feels good!’ ”
David Axelrod agreed: “It was incredibly moving to be in that room today. This was such an emotional high that I actually saw congressmen hugging senators. People are so used to low expectations around here that the idea that you could do something big and meaningful is exhilarating.”"
