Gulf South Free Press Editorial
Hey Mississippi….have you read your latest edition of the Wicker Report? You know that little printed thing you get now and then from your Senator, Roger Wicker? And yes, I live in the state….ah go ahead make the jokes…most of them are sickeningly accurate anyway.
Well I have and found a couple of things that I want clarified. So I have written him for that clarification…..and I wait…….
He had his report on health care reform…his first statement was that the “Focus on prevention, wellness and early detection”….all pretty good things but since the Repubs, and that includes Wicker are so concerned with tort reform and point to the doctors that are focusing on unnecessary test to cover their butts from lawsuit….would not his first statement be just a continuation of the very thing they want to eliminate?
Next in his section entitled, “What Wicker stands for” he states:
“Making health care more affordable for everyone”…..firast does this include those that are presently uninsured? If so, how does HE and his Senate cohorts going to do this? Second, many employers that were recently polled and said that they expect increases in the cost of health care in the coming years if nothing is done. So where is the affordability that Wicker wants?
His next point that he stands for, is “Allowing every American to purchase plans that Senators, Representatives and other federal employees have”….well that is cool…but is not that plan a government run health plan? If so, I thought that the Repubs, of which Wicker is one, is against this sort of thing?
Finally, Wicker moved on to the things that he opposes about health care reform:
Wicker is against increasing the cost of health care….we have already covered this……all concerned have said it WILL go up with there is not reform. So Sen. Wicker, what is your idea for holding it down?
He is against “limiting the treatment options available to patients”….what a great idea…but what about all the reports that say insurance companies are doing just that and that they are getting away with it? If there is no health bill, how will Wicker and his band of merrymen do to control this?
Wicker neglected to mention that a national survey of doctors shows that about 73% say that the country needs some sort of public option or that a national poll showed that 63% of the people favor a public option….so my question is, where are all these people that the GOP says is against the option as a solution?
Plus he quotes stuff from the Lewin Group on Health care….but he fails to mention that the group is funded and operated by the insurance industry. Personally, if you want me to side with you…then give me all the facts and I will make up my own mind. I do not appreciate cherry picking facts just to make your position….you were elected to represent the people not your political ideology.
It is a good idea to inform the public back home, but if you do not tell the whole truth and only one small sliver of information….then you are not telling the truth and are doing nothing to help the people understand a complex issue.
Mississippians, you voted for this man….should you not be getting the whole truth on any issue from him?
It’s kind of difficult as I’m not American and I don’t understand all the implications here, but that’s never stopped me before, has it? So…
I do agree with everything you say and I know nothing about this guy, but (you knew there’d be a “but” didn’t you?) it does sound to me as if he’s trying to set out his position and that’s commendable, surely? He’s in an impossible situation in some ways since, although elected, he’s not in the ruling party and therefore has little access to the assistance that would be required to deal properly with an issue as HUGE as this in any real detail.
I think a little credit is due to him since, just because you believe in healthcare reform, it doesn’t automatically mean you believe in ANY of the shit that’s being put on the table at the moment – you may, but you may not. From what I’ve heard and from what I know in my country, I think it’ll be a disaster, but that doesn’t mean I don’t hink something LIKE it is vital for the peace of mind and wellbeing of all Americans.
I’m trying to be a bit magnanimous here for once – what do you think? 😈
Not bad….yuou summed it very accurately….the problem with the GOp is they have allowed the sickos on the Right to hi-jack an otherwise pretty good party…it now stands for nothing of substance…..but (I got one in too, lol) will anyone step up and save the party….right now it looks fairly bleak….
If the information is any consolation (which I kinda doubt – lol) the wilderness is pretty much where our Tory Party has been for the last twelve years and Labour was somewhere about there for the previous roughly equal period.
Interestingly, they were both completely unelectable until each of them move towards the centre ground. Labour, as it always does, eventually moved back to the left and is unlikely (PLEASE God!) to be re-elected next year. I just hope the Tories remain in the middle if they do get back in at the next election – a bit of stability mixed with a hefty dose of common sense would be great for the UK.