The (collective) Grinch Who Stole Christmas

-
The (collective) Grinch Who Stole Christmas


Let’s give a big round of applause to those masters of politics, those high minded public servants who have the nations’ best interests at heart.

So here’s to you Joe Lieberman, Ben Nelson, the inimitable Dr. No (aka Tom Coburn), Mitch McConnell, Mary Landrieu, Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi and Max Baccus.

They are not alone. The entire Congress, House and Senate, are included in this group

And let’s not forget the collective head Grinch - President Obama and his team of healthcare elves who managed to take and election mandate for meaningful healthcare reform and totally blow it.

Obama and his band of elves managed to give up every single reform he promised during the campaign in order to get a shell of a bill that even the most pessimistic of us think is a bill of sugar plums - lots of frosting but no real cake.

No doubt shortly after 1am EST Monday Obama will come forth like one of the angels heralding the annunciation of the birth of Christ and triumphantly proclaim throughout the land that healthcare reform has been achieved.

It will be wrapped in a big bow and hailed as America’s Christmas present to itself.

Bah Humbug! (well - at least my thought on this begins with the letter B).

This is a worthless healthcare bill. It does nothing to transform our broken healthcare system. It does nothing to improve the health of our nation.

It will however be a great gift for the drug and health insurance companies. For them it will be the gift that keeps on giving (profits) and one that will give them enough loopholes to continue to do business as usual.

For us average citizens, this healthcare bill is a big lump of coal in our Christmas stocking ( or whatever the climate change people would have us use instead of coal).

Best of all, it’s the gift to ourselves that we get to pay for.

What a great national present.

This President and this Congress had the opportunity of a lifetime, to put partisan politics aside and do what’s best for the country.

Instead, thy resorted to the politics of hate and fear. They refused to come together and work on a real healthcare reform bill. All sides quickly retreated to their corners and began to toss snowballs at everyone who disagreed with their position (translate that best interests).

Instead of meaningful debate we got all the Grinches to dig in their heals and say “what’s in it for me” instead of what’s best for the nation. Congress took the easy path out. Instead of making hard decisions, they retreated to the comfy confines of their “principles” - a bogus, self serving statement if there ever was one in politics.

Collectively, they let the American people down.

So this Christmas I hope all of you out there will send your Congressperson and Senator a lump of coal as a reward for a vital job ignored this holiday season.

They’ve earned it.