Oh, Just Grow Up...

Disgust is the best way to describe my feelings about this fading political summer. At least the health care reform debate is moving back into the halls of Congress and away from the frenzy of various town hall meetings.

Not that I expect much better from our representatives in Congress. Prime example: the performance of South Carolina Congressman Joe Wilson. His apopletic shout of "You're a liar" during the President's address showed how much civility we can expect in the coming weeks.

All this sound and fury - signifying nothing.

Meanwhile, 47 million Americans are without health insurance. Other millions with pre-existing conditions are afraid of losing their jobs - or moving on - because of the fear of losing their health insurance. And then there are those who suddenly find themselves without insurance, their policy cancelled because of some fine print.

That's what happened with my mother. At the age of 60, her insurance was suddenly cancelled. The insurance company said the benign breast cyst she'd had in her 30's was too much of a risk. If she wanted insurance - and she did, desperately, widowed, alone, and scared to death of catastrophic expenses eating into her savings - she had to pay $1500 a month. In 1989 dollars. Luckily, she was able to afford it - but was greatly relieved when she hit 65 and Medicare kicked in.


Meanwhile, we've got the most expensive health care system in the world - but don't have the results to show for it. The system is broken and it's (literally) killing us.


Meanwhile, our politicians and pundits bloviate - and nothing happens. Sound and fury.

We need a national mother. (Sorry, mine's no longer available - but she would've been great.) We need someone to tell the politicians - and the rest of us - to be quiet, go to our respective corners, and to sit and think about what all this incivility - on both sides - is doing to our national culture and character.

Can't we all just shut up? Quit the ad hominem attacks, stop demonizing those with whom we disagree, and try to figure this out?

I'm sick of all the yelling. Sound and fury...