Healthcare reform: rant of the day

Who would of guessed that 40 years ago a washed up, b-list Hollywood actor could have kicked off a political movement that emasculated the government and put big business in charge of this country's destiny? Reagan's nine bogeyman words "I'm from the government and I'm here to help" transformed and poisoned American political debate since.

It's difficult to understand how that sentence encapsulated a propaganda movement that made our democratically elected government the enemy, and unelected big corporate interests our friend. Anyone who gives it a second thought knows it's absurd. But it was a propaganda coup. It played on America's latent racism by raising the spectre of the Cadillac driving welfare queen sponging off welfare, or the illegal immigrant getting amnesty [even if we use their labour to keep the cost of living low], or the fear of an expanded public transport system bringing "those people" into the neighbourhood.

It destroyed medium and small business by dismantling the regulations designed to help them. Now everything from our banks, to retail, to our radio and television outlets are in the hands of a big business oligopoly. YOU try to start a bank or radio station and see how easy it is in business friendly America. (Try switching cable companies!)

Most sadly, 2009 should go down as the year when it should be clear to anyone that America is run by a corporate oligopoly, not an elected government. When a government, with a clear left of centre majority, cannot institute a healthcare system with a public option, much less a single payer system: a system that puts the needs of the citizenry first, a system that has been tried and works in most industrialized countries and is shown to reduce healthcare costs by up to 70%, it should be pretty obvious that democracy is a facade. When a government, with a clear left of centre majority has deep pockets to bail out banks and fight unwinnable wars, but not assist blue collar industrial workers or homeowners, it should be pretty obvious that democracy is a facade.

In 2009 America's corporate dictatorship was unmasked.

It didn't have to be that way, but America's racist legacy runs deep. When other nations implemented universal healthcare, America's progress was stymied because right-wing whites didn't want integrated hospitals or their tax dollars to help "those people". Oddly, most people can never see themselves as one of "those people" through life circumstance, because sitting next to ingrained racism is an ingrained belief in the prosperity gospel. "Moral people are successful, immoral people are poor." Since then, "tough of crime", "welfare reform" and school reform/vouchers have been code phrases to "stick it to the Blacks" and "the losers".

Sadly, the so-called "culture wars" have even been exported to other nations where you'll find American code entering the Canadian, New Zealand, UK and Australian political lingo. Stephen Harper of Canada, Tony Abbott of Australia and John Key of New Zealand have all attempted to exploit white middle class resentment of immigrants and the poor to bring down the institutions that help those in need.

So now we have a Senate bill. It helps corporate America more than its citizenry. It doesn't do much to help medium and small business insure their employees. It makes not having insurance a crime punishable by a hefty fine on those who can afford it least.

It's corrupt and ineffective... but I have to say: Let it pass.

Einstein (or was it Franklin) said: "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results".

Does anyone think another Senate bill will be better? The players haven't changed. We'll have the same Republican obstructionism and the same corporate corruption. It may even be worse if the Republicans gain seats in the 2010 election. We'd have an energized wingnut base if the first one is killed and work harder to destroy another one.

Another year of ignoring other issues (finance reform, DOMA, foreclosure assistance, etc.) to re-fight this? No thanks....

The cultural biases are too deep for significant change right now. Maybe Americans will one day realize that big business isn't our saviour. Maybe people will realize that there is no prosperity gospel. We did that after the 1920s crash. And maybe the increasing diversity in this country will put the racist demons to sleep. Maybe people will be ready for change BEFORE all the skilled jobs are exported overseas, healthcare coverage isn't part of white-collar employment and schools and America's once great public universities are nothing more than daycare facilities. I can only hope so.