Is it right that Obama uses a cancer victim and volunteer at DNC to argue his health care plan?
You may have seen this picture — it’s Obama hugging a woman named Debby Smith during a “town hall” meeting to discuss his Health Care initiative. Smith has kidney cancer. She “told Obama of her kidney cancer and her inability to obtain health insurance or hold a job.” Smith is also an active member of Organizing for America, Obama’s political wing of the Democratic National Committee. Is it right of Obama to use Smith’s aliment to further his argument that even the most liberal democrats are abandoning? Basing American policy on sympathy and emotion is a doomed prophesy. While I feel sorry for Smith, I think it’s terrible for any President to have this “staged” to further a political ideal that’s flawed, dangerous and bankrupt.
Not so surpringly, the press is eating this up. Some are calling out Obama’s pledge for transparancy. The press is upset that the town hall was completely staged — not just Mrs. Smith.
President Obama’s hug for the cancer victim, an Obama volunteer, gets the media attention, but of the seven questions he addressed, four were selected by his staff from groups supportive of his health care agenda, including the Service Employees International Union and Health Care for America Now. One of the questioners came from a group that is a part of the Democratic National Committee.
A more relavent question however, is that if voters actually want Health Care reform. The Weekly Standard’s Gary Andres writes that while the debate is split, it really depends on who asks the question. Is the media driving opinion? Criticism is also hitting the Obama administration because questions asked at the last forum were “asked by individuals who were members of groups that supported his health care plan.”
Change to change, just because we need change and saying the word change, doesn’t make change a better option just because there’s change. Change sometimes makes things worse. When passing laws that are 1,200 pages thick without even reading a word is arguably bad change. Supporting socialized Health Care means you’re ignoring the socialized Health Care in practice around the world. Take time out, research more than an article you find with a Google News search. The details of how this is going to be paid is bare. The evidence of existing systems is overwhelming.
If you really want to help people obtain Health Care, do the things necessary to help them become independant of government. Forcing reliance on government is an early stage of socalized policy. And the beginning of the end of the best country on Earth.
“The problem with Socialism is that eventually you run out of other people’s money.” - Margaret Thatcher