I want to
preface that I am not a political scientist, making me the only one of 6 in my
family who is not. Additionally, I am a liberal strictly by definition. That
is, I am favorable towards individual rights and freedoms. The following are
observations made during the government shutdown.
1)
The GOP still has some backbone. Or they are even more terrified of the Tea
Party than the Democrats.
2)
The government shutdown and the world did not end. It’s as if life goes on despite
limited government interference.
3)
Americans are over dependent on the federal government. A partial shutdown
results in 800,000 people not at work. There should not be 800,000 people
relying on the government for work.
4)
Essential services like Social Security and Medicare are still up and running.
However, Medicare will not pay doctors until the shutdown is lifted. Not like
they paid doctors timely anyways. Also, if they are so essential, why are they
relatively new ideas?
5)
The GOP is racist, sexist, and a bunch of anarchist. This is pure rhetoric. If
the GOP called the Democrats any of these they would be lined up and shot. Besides,
the GOP controlled House of Representatives has put forth multiple funding
bills with proposed compromises on Obamacare.
6)
The media has a gross misunderstanding of the process of our government. Maybe
we should hire more Brits to do our reporting because they have taken American
government and remember what they learned.
7)
The media controls information passed onto the American public. It is very
dangerous to believe secondary resources. I would urge doing primary research
and using the opinions of secondary resources to help develop and understand
your own feelings and beliefs.
8)
There is a difference between the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act
and Obamacare. The ACA was passed by the 111th United States
Congress, signed into law by the President, and upheld by the Supreme Court of
the United States. The product we have today, Obamacare, is very different.
There are changes made by the President to enactment dates, coverage including
out-of-pocket limits, and costs. None of this is legal or constitutional as
seen in Clinton v. City of New York. Once
it’s passed by congress, it cannot be changed.
9)
Parliamentary procedure has been tossed aside along with the rest of the
Constitution. The President does not change laws, Congress does. The government
cannot be funded without a budget, yet somehow has been funded since 2009
without one. As for Obamacare, again it cannot be changed after being passed by
congress.
10)
Somehow medical insurance is included in life, liberty, and the pursuit of
happiness. Nobody has a God given right to have a Blue Cross Blue Shield card.
If an insurance company wants to charge an asinine amount for insurance then it
is their decision. But if we had a free market and the insurance industry was
deregulated, someone would charge a competitive price and the price of health
care would have to fall.
