So, Now Political Speech is Un-American?

Since when is expressing your view at a town hall meeting become un-American? If you bother to pay attention to Pelosi and Reid, speaking out against the collection of half-assed Healthcare reform bills is just that.

Perhaps, the Democrats in power have lost touch with their past. For generations, the Democrats proclaimed that they were the party of new ideas, the party of the people. God forbid that you disagree with them today, you will be pilloried for the effort.

Lately, Pelosi has come across just short of a raving lunatic. Her outrageous assertions that the CIA lied to her is ridiculous and flies in the face of overwhelming evidence. Her continued public rants are undermining CIA morale.

In recent days, she has attacked ordinary citizens for voicing their constitutionally protected right to free political speech. She has classified these citizens as hooligans and un-American. That is amazing, especially coming as the leader of Congressional Democrats. Outspoken protest has been a cornerstone of societal and political change in American since the middle 18^th Century. Indeed, Pelosi and Reid are sounding very much like King George III’s denunciation of American Colonial protest over heavy-handed English rule. I wonder if the correlation goes as far as the King’s recognized mental illness?

Both Reid and Pelosi are doing their party a great disservice with their assault on ordinary Americans. They are now alienating influential Democrats with some having openly stated that Pelosi should step down as Speaker of the House. There is no doubt in my mind that Pelosi would never relinquish power. It’s not in her nature to surrender authority.

With that in mind, Democrats are beginning to worry about the 2010 mid-term election. All of the gains from the 2008 election could be erased, and even greater damage may result if the party leadership doesn’t recognize that they are not the elite class they seem to believe they have become. Isn’t it trouble enough that Obama’s polling numbers are dropping faster than Joey Buttafuoco’s brain cell count? As it is, both the House and Senate are about as popular as a dead skunk, and a hell of a lot tougher to get rid of.

If the Democrats plan to salvage the 2010 elections, Pelosi and Reid have to go.

In the meanwhile, all current healthcare bills should be withdrawn and a bipartisan committee organized to draft a bill that reflects the will of the people. Moreover, the bill must not give the federal government any bureaucratic authority beyond oversight. All government endorsed health insurance programs must run by public, not for profit companies that can better manage costs. This will force the existing insurance companies to be competitive, both in price and services. Competition always drives down cost and price.

Healthcare reform is only one note of the chord. Without tort reform, cost reduction will be limited. The feds need to examine the Texas model of tort reform that limits punitive awards. It works and it is already driving down medical costs in that state.