Goodbye Uncle Teddy

If you have been paying any attention to the news about Ted Kennedy's death, you have to agree that the underprivileged, underpaid, discriminated against, and uninsured or underinsured people of America have lost a great advocate. There is a reason almost all the people who knew him referred to him as "Uncle Teddy". He was the kindly old teddy bear to those in need, willing to fight for their rights to have a decent life, with decent pay, and decent health insurance, against the people of means who think little of "the great unwashed".

There is also a reason he was known as the Lion of the Senate. And it's the same reason. He was willing to roar and gnash his teeth in the face of political injustice and in support of those people in need. He was willing to stand up for his convictions, even in the face of political pressure. Such as when he brow-beat President Bush (Dub-ya) about the Iraq War. He didn't accept the premise that it was unpatriotic to question a President in a time of war. He knew that is what this nation is all about and he never hesitated to speak his mind.

Ted Kennedy was a great representative of the people of Massachusetts and all of America. He will be missed. All politicians should set their sights on serving America with as much dedication as him.

Health Care Reform

Let's forget which party we belong to for a minute, they all lie. They all bend to the loudest lobby or the one that will promise the most votes or campaign money. You and I take a distant back seat when it comes to your Congressman making a decision on our behalf. But this issue is too important to simply throw up our hands and let them make their backroom deals and leave us hanging.

There are many interested parties who don't want things to change because it will mean they don't get to make as much money. Or they will have to be honest about how they make it. Or they will simply have more work to do. But if you, or anyone you know or love, is one of the MILLIONS of people in this country without any form of health care, or with restrictions on the health care they have that will not allow coverage on the health problems they have, then you understand the need for change.

A lot of people have never felt this because they are well-to-do, or they have never been without a job that provided coverage. If they were forced to live under the fear that one broken leg could cost them everything they own, they would think differently about the problem. Our Congressmen can not comprehend what it is like to live paycheck to paycheck with no wiggle room for an illness that will cause them to be out of work and unpaid.

There are a lot of downright lies being spread by people with all types of agendas. The pharmaceutical companies are pretending to be willing to change, while they are making backroom deals to make sure they don't have to compete on prices. Sarah Palin and Newt Gingrich are telling outright lies about "Death Panels" to scare people and make Obama look bad. Well, they can play their politics but we can also tell them we aren't going to take it any more.

In this day of instant access and information, we can out-voice the lobbyist. Whatever your views, email your congressman and tell him how you feel. Tell them that you want them to do this right, you want them to do it for us the voters, and not for whatever special interests are courting them.

And if we find out later that they sold us out we need to vote the SOB's out of office. We can send a message in the next election that we are sick and tired of being taken advantage of.

Climbing down from my soapbox,
Dave