Lies, Rammed Down Our Throats

Is there no responsibility in the media? Is there no conscience? It seems that any idiot willing to let the cameras roll can be a "source" of information these days. The thinly veiled lies that confound us at every turn are fabricated by a tiny fraction of the population. The media's urge to record pent up frustration flowing out with no concern for anyone, anything, or even the truth has led us to see the position of the few as ubiquitous among the public generally. This too is a lie.

As Jay Leno painfully documented last week on his program, there seems to be a standing wave created by using the mantra, "crammed down our throats". Especially as it relates to health care. When I was in journalism, and learning about the field, we were taught that we had a responsibility to the truth. As painful as it can be, the fourth estate has a responsibility to the public that is every bit as important as the Judiciary, Congress or the President. When everyone else wants to look away from our problems, the lies and deceit that they are based on, or the fallacy trumped up and trumpeted as the "public good", truth, good reporting and the honest facts are the only thing that can sway public opinion and give us the necessary cohesion and leverage needed to reign in excessive power in Washington.

Our local television news, (I saw it on CBS, but other stations had the same raving lunatic on as well) had on a congressman who claimed that the US has the best health care in the world. Now, when we are rated at 37th in the world, why would he lie like that? Because it doesn't fit the mantra. The lie that is being perpetrated upon us is that we don't need change. I don't begrudge the congressman his fallacy, but to treat it as truth or news is a violation of our right to good information. There is nothing wrong with having worse health care than Morocco, Chile and Costa Rica, but don't hide behind ignorance or spout lies designed to help your biggest contributors.

We are all being played here. The lies are being perpetrated by special interests. Our interest comes last in their scenario. In our old understanding, the Republicans were supposedly supportive of "small business". Those who could see through the veil of lies understood that only the well-heeled elites held the real power, but the ramshackle underdogs, the little guys who create the most jobs in our economy were unaware, or at least okay with the fact that big dogs run things. Business thrives in an environment of stability and loves the security of hard numbers that can be calculated, ultimately figuring into prices that we all pay to keep them afloat.

Spiraling health care costs have done more to undermine American business than any other factor. Some insurance premiums have more than doubled in the past year, most have jumped 1/3. Oddly enough, insurance providers have nothing to do with actual care. In fact, they often complicate the work providers do and subject the ill to undue scrutiny, aggressive sales tactics and unreasonable limitations on what they will cover, passing huge debt and liability on to those who thought they would be covered by their policies. Businesses cannot adjust their operations to this volatile, and often hidden cost of doing business. The loss of productivity and profitability associated with this one factor requires employers to either stop offering benefits to workers, or to build their empires on shifting sands.

The majority voted for Obama because we wanted change. When the leaders of the past were making bad decisions, we were told "America, love it or leave it." Progressives were painted with a broad brush that implied that we were "Reds", "Commies", "pro-gay", "Anti-family", "Tree Huggers", or worse. More than two years ago, I told all the inspired people who wanted to vote for Obama, "You may really want him to win. You might even get to vote for him. He might even win the election, but after that will you have to fight for him." The sleazy back room deals and the lack of real change only becomes our own fault if we let it continue. Shining the light of truth into the dark corners of government is the only way to rid us of the oppression perpetrated by the current power brokers and their minions. If we do not demand the truth, we will continue to get lies.

Don't let the beneficiaries of "business as usual" cram another lie down our throats. Universal coverage is needed to make sure that we can all get the care we need at a reasonable cost. Remember the old adage, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." It seems that drug companies, insurance companies, and Republicans are the only ones opposed to the positive changes that would come from reform. Access to preventative care for everyone would do the most to improve the health of all Americans. Billions could be saved by just learning how to "get healthy" instead of waiting for crisis before intervening. After a heart attack is not the best time to eat better. Once you have diabetes, exercise won't help as much as if it were a lifelong practice. Learning what we can do now to avert a crisis later on is not only cheaper, but less traumatic, more therapeutic and more fun than what we do now. The current system assures that we all remain complacent, ignorant and sick. Health care has just two words, Health and care. What we have now is disease, with an astounding lack of care.