The State of Our Union is Sad and Bad

01/19/2006

“Get Out the Card Decks Momma”

by Paul Munnis

For most Americans we predict the upcoming State of the Union address by Mr. Bush will be largely ignored. Instead of it being a defining moment to rally Americans to progress, it will be a “change the channel” event.

The major reason is because Mr. Bush has squandered his opportunities to lead. His credibility is damaged. Trusting Mr. Bush to lead us on healthcare, which is what he says he will feature in his speech, is a huge mistake and we all know it. He will use it as an opportunity to further divide America at a time when people yearn for a coming together and a healing expressed through bi-partisan political behavior.

We know that privatization of health insurance is in place. We know that Bush is ideologically wed to privatization. We know that the privatized health system is a colossal failure, kicking people off the insurance plans rather than bringing them in. We know the GOP refuses to let the rates be negotiated using our joint buying power. We know that private insurance companies are run with an increasing profits motive at the expense of our lives. We know that the industry is on an investor return treadmill that is raising rates, co-pays, and caps, to a point well past affordability for Americans. We also know that Americans have to band together to get their healthcare insurance at a discount wholesale rate. We know that the private insurance providers are the problem and not the solution. We know the GOP has screwed up the prescription drug program to the point where it’s all cost and of little real benefit and thus we cannot trust them to fix anything of real importance to us. They are not capable of fixing things.

We also know the real fix that’s needed and it revolves around expanding Medicare and Medicaid programs to cover more and more of our citizens. We know that the mechanisms and the systems already exist and have proven themselves. We know that we have to use our collective buying power to get needed discounts. We also know that Mr. Bush opposes any entitlement programs and that his programs are designed to take care of his cronies and industry companies that contribute to his Party and with little regard for anything else.

So, the man has little credibility on this subject, his cries will ring hollow, and people will get out the cards and play a game of “Hearts,” before they will listen to him drone on about his nonsense on Republican health care insurance. Of course I could be wrong, they might play “Scrabble” instead.

The thing that Americans really want to hear in the State of the Union Address is this:

“The American Healthcare System is Broken. So is the Country under my leadership. My Administration is corrupt to the core. People will not follow me any longer. I am about to be indicted for crimes and impeached and once I am a private citizen I can be arrested and tried for these crimes which I have already admitted to. Thus I have decided to resign from office in return for immunity from prosecution. Dick Chaney is in the same boat and he too is resigning. I am asking the Senate to appoint an interim president and vice president to serve out the balance of my term.”

Now that would get a lot of attention and it would indicate that the State of the Union, while broken, has a shot at being healed.

Then we could get on with this 2006 election, put Democrats into office, and really fix the healthcare insurance coverage mess and a few dozen more messes left by Mr. Bush too.