Since the election of President Barack Obama, there has been a steady stream of bull. No, let's call it what it is coming out of the leadership of one of our national political parties, lies. Now these liars have turned their interest to stopping health care reform. However, in reviewing the history of this party, this is not a surprise. So what has this political party given us or tried to make sure we did not have?
They gave us Calvin Coolidge and Herbert Hoover and the Great Depression. Its candidate Richard Nixon gave us Watergate and the first time a sitting president resigned. Their man Ronald Reagan gave us "trickle-down economics," the Iran Contra scandal, huge tax cuts for the rich, and a $7 trillion in national debt. Yes that's with a "t," my friends. This was followed later by George W. Bush, who gave us a war we didn't need to fight, more than 4,000 dead military personnel because of it, more huge tax cuts for the rich and an almost $11 trillion national debt. Just think of it, between Reagan and Bush these two, so called, "fiscal conservatives" left us with almost $18 trillion in deficits.
For this so called "moral majority" party, they have recently managed to have governors and elected officials end or damage their public careers by sex scandals; from cheating on their wives, marrying their mistresses, having sex in bathrooms, or going to Latin American on taxpayer dollars to be with their "soul mate." This party is a living example of "do as I say, not as I do."
On the public policy arena this national political party opposed and therefore tried to make sure we didn't have: Social Security, unemployment insurance, the civil rights bill, Medicare and Medicaid, the Family Leave Act, just to mention a few. Programs millions of Americans count on today. Now they're trying to stop heath care reform, so it's no surprise!
This "grand old party" also provided the leadership in de-regulating the savings and loan industry, which we fondly remember as the S&L scandal, costing us $165 billion to resolve; the deregulation of the financial services and insurance industries; which have given us the worst economic crisis since the last economic crisis they played a leadership role in, the Great Depression. To say these guys are fiscally responsible is an oxymoron. They simply are not!
Now some of its leaders and right-wing talk-show host supporters are misrepresenting the facts about health care reform. To get what they want or to keep the American people from benefiting from progressive legislation, lies and fear are the basis for their anti-health care campaign. They didn't mind spending two trillion dollars on a war that never needed to be fought, or bailing out their friends in the banking and investing industries to the tune of $700 billion. But, spend $1 trillion over the next 10 years on the American people and all of a sudden they are worried about deficits.
In short, this national political party is responsible for more deficit spending, tax favoritism and financial scandals than the other political party, by leaps and bounds! They have been against most everything that benefits the average American and for public policies and laws that favor the rich and powerful. It's no wonder they are leading the lies and half-truths about health care reform. Could it be the $14.5 million they have received in campaign contributions from the health care and the drug industries, or is it one more example of their undeclared war on the people of this country? It's time for health care reform now!
Mike Schmidt
