A Career In Politics Is Not Up My Alley

So, I twittered that I was at my local Congressman's first in-person townhall on Wednesday evening. He's a Republican so I wasn't necessarily expecting to agree with everything he said. But, I actually thought he did a decent job TRYING to be partisan. He wants to find a solution that gets everyone covered. That's cool with me, if that's his goal, too, we are on the same page. I don't need the public option - I think it could be a good option, but if it is a deal breaker, then let's find a compromise without it. That being said, in a nutshell, the townhall experience left me kind of depressed about the whole situation we are in here in this country. I questioned why I even decided to go, but because I bitch (no other word I can use, it is what it is) a lot about our current health care situation, I didn't just want to be a whiner without actually doing anything. So I went.

First off, our townhall was fairly civilized, unlike others I have seen on the news. At least it was until the end when I got up and left out of disgust. 3,000+ people showed up - so many we didn't all fit in the auditorium. Which kind of shocked me. I managed to get a seat inside, but I also showed up 45 minutes early. At first, the questions were good - people were chosen at random, raffle style. I never win anything in raffles or lotteries, and this time was no exception to the rule. Though what would I really have been "winning" if I got to ask a question. I see both sides of public and non-public options, and really, I just want some kind of solution that allows all of us to get health insurance without it costing our first born and also without getting rejected for trivial things. But towards the end, the townhall just got stupid. I guess we at least managed 90 minutes of a sanity. The second to last question I stayed for was this woman talking about the constitutionality of the bill. Really? This is about effing health care - stop throwing around the Constitution - there is nothing I despise more than hiding one's anger and self-righteousness behind "The Constitution" and "Freedom" and blah, blah, blah. Please. Spare us all the aggravation. The question before the Constitution on was another woman saying that she likes her VA benefits and her Medicare benefits (which, we know, is a publicly-funded, single payer program), but she doesn't want the public option in our health care reform bill and does that make her a hypocrite. What? He didn't really answer her question, and, well, how do you answer that anyway? I, personally, think it kind of does make her a bit of a hypocrite: it's OK for me to have it but I'm not paying for anyone else to have it? And HOW IS THIS QUESTION HELPING US FIND A SOLUTION. I don't care if you feel or don't feel like a hypocrite. The man did not get elected to make you feel better or justify your feelings.

The point where I got up and left was when this other woman asked where Obama is getting all the money to pay his czars. Whatever that means. Seriously, what kind of question is that? Is that health care related? And then the entire place started cheering and stomping their feet on the bleachers. I had enough at that point. What good did that question do in this debate? We are trying to find a solution to our healthcare problem and they are acting like children. One woman had a picture of Hitler and something about Obama written on it.

I'm sorry, but I left feeling worse than when I walked in. People complain left and right about Congress and the Senate and how they can't come to an agreement, etc, etc. But really? We act THE SAME WAY. In fact worse. We resort to childish crap and crazy accusations. It's like McCarthyism all over again. And I'm not even going to get into the insanity of the energy that is being wasted on the latest thing about Obama's speech to school children. I am appalled that the media is wasting it's time on this "story." Seriously, everyone in this country, hey, including me, needs to calm the f**k down, think rationally, treat one another with respect, so that we can get this country back on it's feet. Enough with the selfishness.