Politics, NOT as Usual, and Civil Discourse
Submitted by My Garden Spot Blog
Normally, I do not post political opinions on this blog. I’m not adverse to political discourse, but this is (generally) my Happy Place, and I don’t do politics in my Happy Place. It’s the wrong kind of compost able material for this garden spot.
Now, however, I have to break my silence before I scream.
This is about Health Care. Except…it’s not.
My views about government run health care are colored by the fact that I’ve very rarely seen any really large (or small) governmental program run well. The closest thing to a successful governmental agency are the different branches of the Armed Forces… and even there, a veteran will tell you that it is no coincidence that the acronyms SNAFU and FUBAR come from the military. And, VA hospitals? Well, there’s a reason that the congress critters that are veterans don’t go to VA hospitals when they need medical care. They value their worthless hides.
So, Health Care. When Congress signs up for the program they come up with, because it’s so wonderful, then, and only then will I consider supporting any plan they come up with.
Medicare and Medicaid (two more programs that the congress critters don’t participate in), were put into place to serve those with no insurance, or access to insurance. These plans aren’t doing well, both of them are well into the red and may fail. Those being served by those plans are often faced with difficulties actually finding doctors that will take the deeply discounted fees they would get for twice the cost of administering their billing systems for collecting them. I think taking Medicare and Medicaid patients may have contributed to one of my former doctors going bankrupt and having to close his long running practice.
So, the prospect of someday having to be on one or the other of those programs has never filled me with much joy or confidence. See, when I reach the age where I “qualify” for Medicare, the option of even purchasing insurance through my teacher’s retirement program goes away. I have only the governmental option. I’ve a feeling that private employers offering insurance would react the same way. With the prospect of being able to choose between providing private insurance for their employees and paying for that AND paying for the taxes to support the governmental health care, why pay for both?
But, as I said before, this editorial isn’t about Health Care, and I really don’t give a tinker’s dam (not damn, people.. a tinker’s dam is a real, if ephemeral thing), about your views or opinions on the matter, one way or another.
EXCEPT.
I do care deeply about the fact that you have the right to have an opinion and express it in whatever legal manner you choose. I CARE about living in a country where having an opinion and being able to express that opinion has been seen as a primary, basic, human right. A right that, until now, the government has had no right to interfere with, as long as the opinions have not been expressed in such a way that will hurt another individual’s right to similarly express his or her own opinion.
Civil Discourse people. It’s about Civil Discourse. It’s about our RIGHT to Civil Discourse.
Civil Discourse is not everyone agreeing with everyone else. If you already agree on the solution to a problem, or in this case, what the problem IS exactly, then you’re not going to be debating what to do, or why.. you’ll be discussing the best way to implement the solution. Not the same thing as the Civil Discourse I’m speaking of, here.
If you already agree with one another and will permit no other view point to be expressed in the privacy of your mutual masturbatory self congratulation, it is not Civil Discourse.
Civil Discourse is not agreeing with, but agreeing TO talk…and (this is mandatory, folks) LISTEN to what is being said, respectfully. Respectfully folks… also.. not optional… mandatory.
You do not call the others who disagree with you: Libtards, or Fascists, or MOBS. You don’t state that the reason they’re there to disagree with you is prima facia evidence that they are being paid to shout you down. You don’t condescendingly say that someone is “too well dressed”, and therefore, not expressing an opinion of his or her own. You don’t complain that it seems like there are so many people who are disagreeing with you that it must be a sign that it’s an organized effort to discredit you.
May I interject here a moment with a private observation that it seems hypocritical to me for a group of people who so brilliantly and effectively “organized” people to help get a candidate elected to now be decrying even the possibility that the opposition might also be organized?
Let me make it clear, also, that I have not been contacted by anyone to request that I express my own opinion here, nor have I sought permission from anyone to compose and post it here. And, that HERE isn’t necessarily the only place I’ll post this. More on that, later. Oh, and organization isn’t one of my skills.
As past employers and my dear husband will attest, organization isn’t in my natural skill set.
And, if I may continue my interjection here.. and y’all can’t stop me, as it’s my blog and my post and I can write whatever I damn well please (at least for now)…
It has been my experience that a liar always is the first to assume another person is lying. It seems that what others most quickly accuse you of doing is often the very sin, crime, or impoliteness that they, themselves have most often engaged. It has also been my experience that the ones that are frustrated in their attempts to do something, often accuse others of having done it (before they could). And they always seem to add “It’s not FAIR!” Odd, how those sorts of quirks are in both children and SOME adults. (ON BOTH SIDES)
So, Civil Discourse. It doesn’t always have to be polite, although that’s the goal that one should strive to attain. Your opponents will not always think well of you, though they should not call names. They fact that some people do, anyway, is just an illustration of just how few real adults there are around lately.
Civil Discourse mandates a difference of opinion… or opinions. There are not always two sides to a matter of discourse, and even those that share some opinions, may not share all opinions. There are overlapping ideas, but rarely does even a polarizing debate create only two sides, with two voices. You do not have to agree with everything someone says, just because you may share an opinion, and/or they may generally be “on your side”. Conversely, one should not automatically disagree with something someone has said merely because their main position is not one you share. This is part of Civil Discourse. Civil has two meanings here, by the way. One pertains to how one should strive to act… but it’s not the main part of the definition I’m aiming for here. Civil also means “of the people”.. as in civilian… citizen.
All of the above has been a prelude to my main point. It’s taken so long to get here because I don’t and haven’t spent much time making my political positions clear before. If I’ve lost half of the people who started reading this..oh well. This is supposed to be a Garden Blog, with pretty pictures. That’s another part of Civil Discourse, by the way… the ability to just get up and decline to engage. If you don’t care… or you aren’t interested in why I have to say, you have the right to walk away from me.
We have not been engaging in Civil Discourse as it pertains to the discussion on Heath Care reform. We’ve been engaged in one side trying to make itself known to the other side, and that other side not wanting in the LEAST to hear anyone not fully in agreement with them.
This is true on both sides, by the way.
The real clincher of this disheartening state of affairs is also the one that is most distressing. It is found on a governmental web site. The same government that is supposed to be run by the people and for the people, and following the constitutional directive for free speech… is asking us to turn one another in if we disagree with their view on things. They are asking you to listen to conversations…and report any “odd” statements. They are asking you to pass on emails you might get that don’t agree with the Health Care reform proposed by President Obama’s administration. They are asking us to help them compose a LIST of people who don’t agree with them.
If this were an individual, trying to poll opinions…an individual with no power over the ones expressing those opinions… then that would be fine. If you’re an individual that wants to find out if there’s a market for an invention you have or an opinion or a book or story you want to publish and sell, that’s fine.
But the government does have the power. Through the years, little by little, we’ve given it to them.
I wrote some of this essay at work, while a student was engaged in writing his own essay. I do that sometimes, I write at the same time the student is writing. I’m showing that I, too, am a writer. When the students want to know what I’m writing about, I discuss it with them, and sometimes, I use it as an example of how to organize thoughts, ideas and how to best express them.
When my student last night wanted to know what I was writing, I had to take a deep breath. This one wasn’t going to be easy. He’s not one of my youngest students, and he IS one of my brightest, and most talented writers. But, he is still a child. I had to explain my position in terms he could understand.
I’m glad he asked.. it helped me understand what I wanted to say.
I asked him if he ever stood around at recess and talked about the teacher and something she was wanting you to do in class. At his nod, I asked him if he could pretty much say whatever he wanted to say to his friends. Another nod. That, I told him, was free speech. The feeling that you can pretty much say whatever you feel like you need to say about something.
Another nod, and a thoughtful look. Yah, he got it.
“Now”, I asked, “What if you knew that your teacher had asked your friends to tell her about anything that was said about her and her idea? Would you feel you could say anything you really felt like saying?”
A faintly horrified look came over his face. He got it. “No,” he said, “I wouldn’t want to say anything.”
Yah, he got it.
Civil Discourse depends on Freedom of Speech. Without the Freedom to speak, nothing can really be said.
Which is why, I’m going to be flagging myself in an email with this essay.
I hope they “get” it too.
This isn’t just about Health Care. This is about the fundamental right to speak for or against an idea. It is about Freedom of Speech.
The site to which I am referring is HERE.
This is the direct quote that started this rant.
“There is a lot of disinformation about health insurance reform out there, spanning from control of personal finances to end of life care. These rumors often travel just below the surface via chain emails or through casual conversation. Since we can’t keep track of all of them here at the White House, we’re asking for your help. If you get an email or see something on the web about health insurance reform that seems fishy, send it to flag@whitehouse.gov ”
The email address on the site is: flag@whitehouse.gov
Edited to add:
I sent a copy of the text of this blog post, and the link to it to the above address. I also included this note:
This is where I take my stand. I do not “inform” on my fellow citizens, so you may as well have my name now.
and a note for the President:
Sir,
You took an oath to defend the constitution of the United States. I saw you do it and was glad I lived in this country. Your oath requires you to stand up and denounce this policy. Please, sir, stand and deliver.
Respectfully,
Nancy France
