Health Care - and whatever

Brack Obama has promised us that he will try to get us a good, strong, sensible health care program. (Operative word: "try") He is working hard to keep that promise.

Personally, I do not agree with everything he suggests. Have any of us ever agreed with everything a politician has suggested? But I do believe it is at least about a thousand percent better than the sorry state of our present system.

The "business as usual" people do NOT have the welfare of the public at heart. Our congressmen, secure in their own health care benefits as well as all sorts of other percs, are not willing to rush to our rescue. Nor are they anxious to appease this upstart president who seems hell-bent on forcing them to act like hard-working law makers and actually get something accomplished for the good of their constituents. Maybe they need a real kick-start from said constituents.

My son asked me the yesterday, how come they feel they deserve to take a month's vacation, while we continue to suffer? He has a point.

I listened to Mr. Obama's press conference on the subject. I love to listen to that man talk! After hearing all the "Yes, but..."s and the "What's the hurry?"s and what is supposed to pass for intelligent argument from the nay sayers, hearing him speak calmly and coherently, directly and to the point, and as my son said, just saying what needs to be said, is so refreshing. Hearing someone with authority actually make sense for a change is almost enough to make me cry for joy.

And then there's the Press. Oh, Mr. Cronkite, we miss you so! On an evening when the whole point is to discuss health care, there has to be an alleged reporter who must ask a stupid question entirely off the subject. (and don't tell me that was not deliberate) And so the next morning, are we to hear a good solid discussion of what was said about health care? Of course not. We are told by the "news people" that what WE want to hear is about the off-subject bit. "Everyone" is talking about nothing else. No no. THEY are talking about nothing else.

While I'm ranting, may I add that I really do not see any virtue in these public polls of opinion on such matters. There is certainly a time and place for the public to express opinions, but I see no place on a "news" show for an email survey of the public on their reaction to such things. I would really, really like to just hear the news - real, honest-to-God news, straight up. Then let me make of it what I will. Give me the facts and let me go from there.
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Guess I can't leave well enough alone. I feel I have to add something here. And that is that no, I don't agree with the whole plan. As I have expressed many time, what I really feel we should have is a single pay system. The insurance companies have such a strangle hold on us and their lobbyists have so much influence already that I don't believe Mr. Obama is going to get from Congress anything near what he wants. But he is in there trying, and in my book, that counts for a lot. If he doesn't get it, no doubt he will be blamed for whatever the result.

And Now - The News

Don't you sometimes long for the good old days, before the morning "news" shows? Of course you do. I shouldn't even ask the question. I've read Dianne's hilarious post, back on February 13th about the weather man, and recent references by other bloggers, that all tell me I'm not alone in this.

Why do they persist in calling it "news" when it obviously is meant to be entertainment? (And sometimes it is actually entertaining.) If an item was really newsworthy, they would break into whatever else they were doing to let us know about it right away. They would not be planning to tell us about it later, and meantime teasing us with a promise to let us in on it if we stay tuned in for the next segment, or tune in to the 11: o'clock news. And if something we use or eat every day has been discovered to be dangerous to our health, wouldn't that be deemed to be real news, rather than be postponed until tomorrow's broadcast?

And by the way, I really resent it when we're told excitedly, "This just in! It has been reported that doctors...scientists...environmentalists...whatever...have discovered that..." followed by something that we've all known for at least five years.

And don't even get me started on their endless reports on celebrity babies/divorces/rehab comings and goings. I DON'T CARE! It's none of my business. I have my own life to live.

Apparently TV programmers believe that their viewing public is made up of morons.

This is why I listen to NPR. Not that they always give me only real news, but I don't always feel insulted. When I want to be entertained, I turn on the TV. And when I do watch TV, I avoid the major networks at "news" time. If I'm going somewhere, I may watch the traffic report. If I want to know about today's weather, I open my front door and look outside. If I need to know what the weather may be like tomorrow, I go to weather.com. I don't need to see someone standing out in the rain to know that it's raining.

OK. I'll get off the soapbox now. Sorry. Just had to get it off my chest.