4 Minutes on Health Care

Ti bai hu bailanaihon ni' fino'-hu pa'go: President Obama's health care reform is weak. I don't know if he's shrinking the public option down to a footnote in order to get the thing passed or not, but even at the level of his rhetoric it seems more and more like he's becoming less of a leader or a reformer, and just another political hack who wants to give a little bit the many (who don't have much) and a whole lot more to the few (who of course have the most). Just because the leaders of the Democratic party are less in bed with the Health Care lobby and industry does not sadly translate into any real reform. It just means that Democrats (not all, but the one's who make the key party decisions) will find more liberal convoluted ways of giving large corporations means of making massive profits.

What I hear coming out of the White House lately is so weak, i hagga'-hu Sumahi could probably come up with a better health care reform plan. I'm sure it would consist of alot of unnecessary references to dogs (ga'lagu), horses (kaballo), killer whales (bayenan peko') and baloons (abubu), but it would ultimately do more for more people than what Obama's offering us. But the problem here sadly is that, as sen maolek a plan as Sumahi's would be, it probably would have no chance of getting through both houses of the Congress. Sumahi's plan would also most likely include the kissing of scratches or cuts, and that ice cream be applied to an opened mouth whenever anyone (ko'lo'lo'na Si Sumahi) is injured.

Speaking of Health Care in the houses of Congress, I'm pasting below a video that the White House released today, which is a four minute version of the President's health care speech that he gave two weeks ago. It edits together the pieces of the speech where the President outlines the health care bill/plan/nebulous of reform that he envisions and wants to whip Congress into writing. I've heard a few people complain about the lack of details or specifics in Obama's speech or in most of the rhetoric on health care reform, especially for those who are proponents. But you have to admit that from Obama's perspective, its hard first: to give specifics on a bill that doesn't exist yet, and second its sort of impossible: to give specifics on the many possible bills which are floating around out there, some of which have been offered 500 amendments, and consist of hundreds to thousands of pages.

Speaking of health care insanity, I didn't see Congresswoman Bordallo holding a town hall meeting over her recess. I wonder why, if she was worried about people protesting her, on Guam it certainly wouldn't be about health care reform.