All For One and One For All ? Health Care Reform

Luckily this week will end up with the House going on summer break without health care reform being settled. The Representatives will be going back to their constituents during this time to have town hall meetings , listening to concerns and answering questions about what the health care reform bill really consist of. I believe that more and more people are seeing the detrimental effects that a universal health care system can create if not done right. Hopefully while the House is on summer break people will take the time to learn more about what is going on here and ask many more questions in these town hall meetings. We have another chance to stop this reform bill from happening in its current state and we all need to take a better look at what is at stake. I am not saying that there can not be a solution for the current health care crisis but I do not think the way it is being presented now is the solution. This Health Care Reform Bill does not equally represent the American people. The current Speaker of the House , Nancy Pelosi, has shot down any attempts from Republican House members to make amendments to the bill as mentioned in The Weiss Report--Democratic Leaders Block Common Sense Changes to Health Care Bill. If we are going to achieve a balanced system then all options and suggestions should have fair consideration. Health care is already very expensive in part as a result of frivolous lawsuits , greed and a corrupt system. When looking at health care reform all of these things must be dealt with upfront or we will just have a system that has more of the same corruption but now restricts Americans from choosing what, when and where they can use health insurance. Checks and balances need to be in place so that greed does not continue to rule the health care system. This issue has been a topic of concern for years and it does not appear that there is a valid solution in site. There may not be a way to have one system for all. We all need to watch, listen and respond to our Representatives in the coming months and let our voices be heard . In this time of economic hardship the last thing we need is a Health Care Reform Bill that creates a bigger mess than we already have.

Everybody settle down! It's an American thing

This past weeks articles regarding the arrest of Henry Louis Gates, Jr. has people speculating racism, making racially fueled comments without seemingly taking the time to really look at the situation. A Washington Post commentary by Neely Tucker presents an unbiased account of how this situation could happen to any American regardless of race.

In response to articles this week such as CNN’s The 'unfathomable' arrest of a black scholar, Neely Tucker has written a very simplistic but truthful commentary on this heated story. He writes to an audience he hopes will better understand this situation as one that can happen to anyone no matter what race. If you were really in a dangerous situation or someone was actually breaking into your home wouldn’t you want them to thoroughly investigate rather than taking the word of whoever opened the door? He brings to light the fact that he has also been in a situation where police officers responded to a burglar alarm from his home and made him show credentials not just assuming he lived there because he said so. The difference in this story is the fact that he is a white man. Although racial profiling is something that is still active in today’s society I do not believe this was a case of profiling. The Professor was asked to give his I.D but because of who is was he felt he did not have to cooperate. Police officers are trained to be aware of situations that can rapidly turn bad. They never know when a simple call to a potential break in or domestic disturbance can turn deadly. When the Professor refused to cooperate and evidently started exhibiting loud and tumultuous behavior according to a copy of the police report posted on The Smoking Gun.com, that is when he was arrested. Not because he was a black man. If you look at the facts presented:

The Professor had been out of town.

A neighbor called in to police to report a break in.

The Professor and his driver were seen trying to force the door open
and at that time it was unknown that they had locked themselves out of
the house.

When police arrived, Henry Louis Gates, Jr would not give
his credentials and started an angry rant.

I believe as the author of the commentary does that it is common sense no matter what race you are not to rant and be uncooperative with the police. Their job is very volatile and they have to get their facts in a very short period of time--their lives depend on it.

Immigration Reform: Got a better idea?

In a recent New York Times commentary-New York Times: Still waiting for immigration reform- a clearly one-sided argument is made against the 287(g) program. This was intended to stir up those who disagree with the Bush era in general. By just stating that it is a continuation from the Bush Administration , the author appears to think you should automatically disagree. I think this should be looked at on its merit alone regardless if you liked or disliked where it started.

It was announced recently that President Obama’s Department of Homeland Security would continue and expand this program created under the Bush Administration. Section 287(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act authorizes the secretary of the U. S. Department of Homeland Security to enter into agreements with state and local law enforcement agencies, permitting designated officers to perform immigration law enforcement functions. The officers are trained and must act under the supervision of sworn U. S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers.

In this commentary some valid points are made against the E-verify system. As with most systems that apply to all, some will be unfairly treated. The commentary goes into the flaws in the data base used to verify credentials and validate employee’s right to work. There are many errors in the system and that can create a problem for employees who have valid credentials but are victims of erroneous information. The system has however, been a great tool for stopping those who are not eligible to work in the U. S and who are here illegally.

The author of this editorial also suggests that the 287(g) program should be trashed, not fixed. I disagree. We absolutely need to have a united front with both local and federal officials to combat the illegal immigration problem. There will always be those who will abuse the system , however the majority of law enforcement officers will follow. It is not a perfect system but it has potential and should be “tweaked” in order to improve. Is the alternative to ignore the current situation and wait until something perfect comes along? In the meantime we can continue to have illegal aliens over taxing our health care system as well as other resources. While I am not against immigration--our country is based on it--I am against illegal immigrants because they don’t pay taxes as we have to.

I do agree with the author’s opinion that the government has ignored this situation for far too long and that is the main reason we are in the huge mess today.

You can view the 287(g) program by following the link below.

http://www.ice.gov/pi/news/factsheets/070622factsheet287gprogover.htm

Health Care Mess

Health care reform has been a hot topic in the U.S. for years and still has no conclusion. In today's Christian Science Monitor it is reported that President Obama has given the House and Senate instructions to pass versions of health care legislation before the August recess. It appears there is no obvious way to fix the problem as there are still heated debates among our elected officials. Some feel that a central health care system will take away from our individual rights to seek medical attention where and with whom we see fit. If the government gets involved the quality of health care may suffer. While others feel it would benefit the less fortunate as they would be able to seek medical care when they otherwise would not because they could now afford it. I believe the health care system is in the mess it is in currently because of greed. The system has gone relatively unchecked and large companies have made a fortune by over charging for everything from routine doctor visits to hospital stays. How many times have we heard that someone had a brief hospital stay and when they received there bill and it was pages and pages long with charges such as $15.00 for a single Tylenol. If our elected officials would focus on regulating those that are inflating charges for health care and prescription drugs that would in my opinion be a better starting place than trying to regulate the people as to where and when they can seek care.