The Health Care Reform Bill. Is it good or bad? When I first heard about this new bill I knew nothing about it, at first it didn’t dawn on me at all. I didn’t think it really affected me but it does. When I got into school everyone was talking about it and I suddenly knew what it was. I know that I don’t know everything about it but I do have my opinion. I think this bill is bad to an extent. I really don’t think it is right that the government is taking over health care and making everyone have it. There are so many holes in the bill that I believe it isn’t going to be successful. Since health care is now running off the government, it shows that it is rubbing on the constitution the wrong way. It is taking the states rights away. And I believe the government should have had a solid base of money for this to run instead of passing it and having a solid base of money behind it. Also I don’t believe that people who work hard to keep their families healthy and out of poverty have to pay for people who are in it. The people in poverty should work hard and try to get themselves out and end up getting their own healthy care, because to me health care is somewhat of a luxury/ reassurance. I know that this bill had a good intension that they want the poor to get health care and sty healthy but I don’t believe that tax payers should pay it for them. Now that the wealthy has to pay for others health care it may cause more people to go into debt and struggle to survive since there is no base of money for this bill. They are now saying that because of this health care reform bill that 1/3 of doctors are going to quit their practice. That is very unfortunate and will be bad for this bill. Finally, if the economy goes down, the government can raise the prices of taxes for this bill, which can get more people in debt as well. By reading this you can tell that I don’t know everything about it and that my thoughts are jumbled but I think the health care bill is bad. But everyone has his or her own opinion.
Before people, or Republicans, burn down every democratic congressman’s house in protest to the passing of the Health Care Bill, let us realize the more important aspects of the reform instead of whining over higher taxes.
After months of disagreement, confusion, protest, and more disagreement, the Health Care Reform was finally signed by President Barack Obama last Monday, promising health coverage to everyone by 2014. I personally do not like the fact it was a partisan bill because it separates our nation’s two parties even more when they should be working together. I also agree with the speculation of unemployed workers, mainly from the lower class, taking advantage of such a system by taking unnecessary visits to the hospital or trying less to actually find a job with coverage. This concept already exists today with unemployed workers relying on welfare.
However, it is time for America to finally progress with the rest of the industrialized nations of the world. The United States, up until the passing Bill, was the only industrialized country without a universal health care system. How can the most developed nation in the world not be able to protect its own? How can it not better its citizens back home to the level it strives for in foreign disputes? Often considered as the “global police,” the United States takes a sense of pride in attempting to regulate peace and maintain justice around the world, but that should come after its issues at home are taken care of. The bottom line is 30 million more Americans will now be covered, a fact hard to complain about.
Physicals, prescriptions, different types of therapy, surgery, and others are now available to anyone who was previously denied healthcare because they were considered a risk to the insurer. Pre-existing conditions like high blood pressure and AIDS are not the patients fault, and in most cases, these are the people who probably need medical insurance more than anyone, but with the free market of American businesses, chances of these people receiving coverage was rather unlikely. Also, Americans will still be covered after they retire, and since insurers can’t cap your coverage anymore, racking up debt in medical costs will no longer be an issue.
Since Health Care will be a government program, they will now be able to regulate rates similar to other insurance types such as car and home insurance. The competition between insurers will rise with such an increased market, helping keep rates down as well. Even with these changes, it will cost more for the future generations, but a healthier nation means more workers having longer careers, and more consumers buying products over a longer period of time, helping our economy grow.
The main protest of the bill is related to the cost, and the decision to take more from the upper class to pay for those who cannot afford healthcare alone. This raises a problem that has grown over time in our country. The distribution and taxation of incomes help the rich become richer and the poor to never crawl out of the darkness of poverty. We’re leaving the lower class behind as the middle and upper classes develop financially and increase their savings, when we should be helping out our fellow citizens. There are cases where lower class citizens depend on this help however, instead of earning their income on their own, but with so many citizens in our country, there are always going to be loopholes in any system of such size. Our country is weakened by such a gap in not only health status, but also economic status. Instead of dragging the poor to keep up and letting poverty hold our nation back, bumping up the national level of health and re-establishing a higher status quo will help strengthen America against up and coming power-nations like those in Asia. After all, you’re only as strong as your weakest link.
The topic of health care around the country is a sticky one to say the least. Depending on what political party you put your faith in or what point of view you examine the situation with, the main thought that should come to one’s mind is this, morality.
How is it that the self proclaimed powerhouse of the world, the most industrialized society, doesn’t have a universal health policy for protecting its citizens. How is it that health insurance companies can deny possible patients because they have too may jobs and are seen as a liability? The simple fact that one can be consider ‘working too much’ is appalling. How is that the very principles the country were built on, that hard work will get you somewhere in this country, is now being seen as a liability to health insurance everywhere.
The United States government is telling its citizens that the well being of the insurance agencies and the stability of the economy is more important than the health of the citizens. What the government is not telling the people is that the new health care bill would not only benefit them, but make the treatment more affordable. As mentioned in an article seen here, the addition of the uninsured to health insurances will dramatically cut the amount of uninsured. A woman with a $12,000 operation who is uninsured would now pay $5,000 for the same operation under the new health care bill. Numbers and instances like this across the country will only benefit the American people over time. On top of this, the American citizens who are born with a pre-existing disease that they can not control, will now be guaranteed coverage by health insurances.
I am not here to hammer away at the Republican Party or the doubters of the bill, I am simply stating that people need to stop looking at the numbers of the bill and focus on the key point at hand. The bill promises stability and peace of mind to citizens across the country, not just the old and fragile, but the young who were born into less than average circumstances or an individual with a pre-existing condition. The nay sayers who claim the bill is supporting those who are lazy and don’t work, need to take a look around and research how the business works. The overall health insurance market is an over priced scam and it is time for a change. I think people need to give the bill a chance and rather than bashing it, congratulate the president for finally making a change the people voted for.\
The Healthcare Bill: Another Step towards Socialist America
As you all know the healthcare bill was signed by President Obama earlier this week. The bill provides healthcare for all and is suppose to be a giant step forward for America. I am completely opposed to the bill. I feel that it is a giant step in the wrong direction. Most importantly I feel that it is unfair for those families who are more affluent to have to pay for those families who cannot afford healthcare. It is not our problem if some family is too poor to afford healthcare, this is America the land of opportunity, you need to work for it if you want it. Also, many of the people who cannot afford healthcare are illegal immigrants and others who will abuse the system; I resent the idea for paying illegal immigrants and others who will just take the tax payers handouts and take full advantage of the system. Now don’t get me wrong, I am completely opposed to paying for illegal’s and others who abuse the system, but I do feel that some people truly work hard and still cannot afford to pay for healthcare, for these truly hard working honest Americans I feel we should have a healthcare plan for them, it is only fair, but I feel a healthcare plan that covers all is wrong. On another note I am opposed to the healthcare bill because it is a definitive step towards America becoming a socialist country. America has become a non-capitalist country and with this bill passing America has taken a giant step towards becoming a socialist country. I feel that this is wrong because America became a world power because of capitalism, why change something that works so well? Also, a socialistic America, I feel will be a self defeating America.
After watching the movie, my view on universal healthcare has not changed and I feel the movie was very biased in the way it approached the issue. The film was completely one sided it only showed the faults in America’s healthcare system, what about highlighting the great things the healthcare system has done for many Americans and people across the globe. Now, I feel that one of the major problems with the healthcare system is the price of prescription drugs, many people, especially highlighted in the movie, have trouble paying for their drugs because the cost is so high. Now, although these companies probably spend too much money on advertising, the real cause behind these high prices are the taxes that the government enforces on these companies just to develop and produce these drugs. Along with high taxes, the FDA, a government run program, makes the companies go through so many regulations and pay so much for these drugs to be approved by the FDA that these companies are forced to charge higher prices for these drugs and consequently the American people have to pay more for these drugs. I understand that the FDA is necessary to ensure safe drugs are put on the market, what I am saying is that the regulations a company must go through and pay for are way overdone, unnecessarily overdone. We live, or are supposed to live in a free market capitalist society, with government taxations and plans like the healthcare bill America is turning into a socialist country. Our big companies are being taxed more and more and these high taxes only hurt the American people. Universal healthcare is another way the government is controlling everything and taking away the freedom that all Americans are so lucky to enjoy.
What are your reactions to President Obama’s speech to American students? Do you feel he made a solid case for asking students to be active participants in their education. Did he focus on responsibility too much? What did you think? Was he persuasive or did he miss the mark?
January 20th, 2009 was not a regular cold, winter-like Tuesday. It was instead one of those days that will be referenced to in every history textbook and probably will be one of those days you have to remember the date from when talking about American History. This day was the Inauguration of President Barack Obama.
This day will be remembered forever because of multiple factors, besides the fact that it was a President’s Inauguration. The first reason for this day being so important, was that it was the Inauguration of the first minority president. This is such a big deal because of the history of minorities in the United States. For a long time in America, minorities, including African-Americans, were treated as lower citizens than Caucasians. They were put into slavery for hundreds of years and after they were granted their freedom, they were still segregated against. This day will serve as a major stepping-stone for the civil rights movement, as America finally looks like it is treating everyone as equals. Having a minority as president was long overdue, and on 20th of January, it became reality.
Another reason why this was such an important Inauguration, was because it also marked the end of the last president, and the tough times America is going through as a result of the last president. Over the course of the last eight years under President Bush, the country has gone from being ahead of everyone in almost every category to becoming the world’s dormat. With the economy in turmoil, the country being involved in two wars, and with America having the worst image it has had in a long time, Barack Obama came to the surface preaching of change and hope for a new future. January 20th will mark as both the end of tough times for America, and the start of a new beginning.
The last reason why I believe that January 20th will be a date that is remembered forever, is because of what I think will be the result of Barack Obama being inaugurated. I think from that day forward, the country will forever be changed. I believe that Barack Obama, although it will be very difficult to do, has the right mindset, personality, and ideas to bring about change to America. America will once again be known as the greatest country has I believe the economy will go up, the wars will slowly come to an end, and the use of different energies will help our environmental state. I believe that January 20th 2009 will be forever remembered because it will be known as the beginning of new times for America, and probably the world too.
This is huge. This is monumental. This is colossal. This is… how about historic?
The presidential election of 2008 has been by far the most historic. With a diverse lot of candidates, the election had already spun the minds of democrats, republicans, and anything in between. The icing on the cake was the election of the first ever African-American president. The election itself was a beating and a half. But if one were to look at the circumstances, the question might arise, “how did that happen”? The answer: social media.
Like I said, historic.
The election was historic not only because of the result, but also because of the process that led to the result. With the integration of social media into politics, Barack Obama was able to promote and advertise his campaign, far greater than what he would have been able to accomplish without the use of social media. With tools such as Facebook, and YouTube, he was able to captivate his audience, with overwhelming success, I might add.
And to think, I, little insignificant Josh Lopez from Worcester Academy, will be able to report on it, with the title “social media reporter”–that is intense. But hey, historic times, calls for historic measures.
Obama 365, McCain173. A smack down. That’s exactly what this past election was. Barack Obama beat John McCain in every aspect of the election. Although there are many factors that might have led to this, there is one that stands out above the rest.
That would be the modern campaign that Obama ran in his journey to the White House. Instead of following with the norm of the traditional campaigning, such as spending most of campaign money on rally’s and appearances, Obama used other tactics such as networking on the internet, podcasts, and Youtube videos. Of course, Obama did not abandon the traditional campaign. As he held numerous rally’s across the country, in front of large and small crowds instead. He combined new and old techniques in order to win the election.
First, He created an interactive website, following the popular website Facebook. On his website people could create a personal account, become friend with other members, and join groups to support Obama, such as “Massachusetts 4 Obama” and “Lawyers for Obama”. People in the groups had an easier time than in past campaign’s with setting up events in support of the Democratic candidate, raising money, or just blogging against John McCain. By basing his website, mybarackobama.org, off the popular Facebook, Obama was able to accomplish some key goals in his campaigning and created the most modern campaign site to date.
Obama also used podcasts to help win the election. The podcasts enabled people to be able to hear Obama’s thoughts and ideas on their iPods or computers. Everyone these days uses iPods. The podcasts were short, monthly episodes that would provide information on Obama’s campaign and the upcoming schedule. This way people who maybe did not have time to go check the status of the campaign on television or online could listen to the podcasts whenever, whether they were working out, driving to work, or just missed the news. The podcasts also reached out to younger voters, as they were the ones most involved in new technologies like the podcasts. The podcasts that Barack Obama put online were very helpful in his modern campaign.
The third factor of the modern campaigning that helped Obama become elected, was the development of online videos, most notably on the popular site Youtube. Many Barack Obama supporters used sites such as Youtube as a way of free advertisement. When you search “Barack Obama” on Youtube, it says there are 68,900 like videos about the President Elect. These videos were mostly put up by Obama supporters. This modern technique of campaigning again helped to gain votes by the younger voting age bracket. Youtube is one of the most visited sites online today, especially by people between 18-25. This age bracket lives on this site and it would probably be very likely that they would see atleast one video supporting Obama everytime they checked the site. Obama and his staff took advantage of this by having videos put up daily, everything from his press conferences, to his rallies, and even videos made by celebrities. This free advertising helped to connect with young voters and grow their level of support. Obama conquered Youtube, and in turn it helped to conquer the election.
Barack Obama used a modern campaign to capture the White House. Obama stayed ahead of the curve and moved from old ways of campaigning to new modern ways. By the using his website, podcasts, and videos on Youtube, Obama was able to adapt to change in times and create a totally modern Campaign that helped him win the Election. If Obama’s opponent, John McCain had tried to adapt to the modern campaigning then this election might not have been such a smack down.
Just recently a proposition for same sex marriage was voted on in California. Proposition eight was written to amend the states constitution to change the definition of marriage and restrict it to just between a man and a woman. Even though there was recently a California State Supreme Court decision making same sex marriage legal, this ballet overrode that decision. To vote yes on this amendment meant that you were in favor of changing the constitution and against same sex marriage. There was a five-point percentage difference between the yes and no votes. The people against same sex marriage won with 52.2% and the people for same sex marriage lost with 47.8%.
Many have struggled and sacrificed a great deal to try and convince people to vote no against a second-class status for same sex couples. Same sex couples want the equality and freedom that heterosexual couples have. California has been one of the first states to have voted for the freedom of marriage and the equality of all spouses no matter what gender they are.
Proposition eight eliminated the rights for a large group of people living in California. One reason people voted for the proposition is because they believed that allowing the law to stand would allow children to be taught about same sex marriage in schools. In fact, California law prohibits children to be taught about family or health issues without the consent of a parent. Every one, even people living in California, should have the choice to marry who they want, it is a freedom guaranteed by the California Constitution, proposition eight aims to take away basic freedoms from same gender couples.
Since same sex marriage has become illegal in California people who supported same sex marriage came together in a rally of protest. Though it is not yet clear what impact the ban will have on approximately eighteen thousand same sex couples in the state. The California Constitution should guarantee the same freedoms to everyone; no one should be singled out and be treated differently. In the United States the founding fathers desired equal protection under the law. To take away the rights of one group may lead to the seizure of other rights such as religious, freedom or civil rights. The freedom to marriage is essential in our society and by letting same sex couples marry it conveys the dignity and respect to the lifetime commitment couples make.
Some people are concerned that traditional marriage may be impacted; however one abolished marriage tradition was only allowing members of the upper class or the nobility to marry. Also, arranged marriages that proceeded without the couples consent were once tradition. There was once only a tradition for white people to marry and for races to never mix. Again, all these various marriage traditions have been destroyed or changed. How come the constitution cannot include same sex marriage?
Marriage is a right and should not exclude same sex couples. Even though proposition eight was passed in California there will be another vote. The couples that have been married since the law passed in June that made homosexual marriages legal in California face legal limbo. By passing this proposition a group has been singled out and rights have been taken away. No group of people should be discriminated against because of their sexual preferences.
A day can seem like a very long time, especially when many things happen to someone. My personal experience goes to prove that one seemingly ordinary day can turn out feeling like a year. What I mean by this is that so many things can happen, that they all seem to blend together and seem to go by so fast. One of these days occurred to me just this week, on the day of the election.
I was driving to work when I saw light flashing up ahead. That was when I thought it might just be cross-town traffic. Of course, it wasn’t. What it was police officers pulling over every car and inspecting them. Not just looking at the driver and looking under the car. We are talking about full out searches. There were police officers tearing apart the cars that they had stopped. I so hoped that I would not get pulled over. All I had intended to do this morning was to go down the highway a few exits to the local high school, vote for Barack Obama, and be on my way to work. My day was much more complicated than this.
Upon reaching the roadblock, I was waved over to the side of the road by one of the officers. I pulled over, and rolled down my window and greeted the Police officer. After looking at the officer for a second, he exclaimed that I had to exit my car, and go with him. Of course I was opposed to this, and told him so. I asked him why should I go with him. I hadn’t done anything wrong. I was just on my way to vote for our next president. The officer demanded that I come with him, before he took me by force. Still not receiving an answer, I become very enraged. I then proceeded to start the engine of my car.
Upon starting my engine, the police officer pulled out his gun, and threatened to shoot me if I did not exit my vehicle, and come with him. I do not know what compelled me to, but I felt the need to go, so I floored the gas, and was on my way very quickly. I did not know why I had just done what I had, but I decided that there was no turning back now, so I proceeded to speed down the interstate, and off at my exit. Looking in my rear view mirror right before getting on the exit, I saw what appeared to be a storm of flashing lights behind me. The police had perused me, and I did not even know why I was in trouble to begin with.
All I could think about in my mind was getting to the high school, and voting. That was my biggest worry, and I felt that it was my duty to vote. My vote makes a difference, and I wanted to voice my opinion. After racing past countless blocks of non-descript buildings, I reached the high school, and hastily got out of my car. I ran into the lobby and prayed that there wasn’t a big line, and thankfully there wasn’t.
Receiving my ballot, filling it out and turning it in seemed amazing to me. It was the first time that I had voted, and it felt great to know that I had a part in the future of my country. While leaving the school, I had totally forgotten about the police offices chasing me. That was when the beanbag hit me, and I passed out. What a wonderful place America is.
The Health Care Reform Bill. Is it good or bad? When I first heard about this new bill I knew nothing about it, at first it didn’t dawn on me at all. I didn’t think it really affected me but it does. When I got into school everyone was talking about it and I suddenly knew what it was. I know that I don’t know everything about it but I do have my opinion. I think this bill is bad to an extent. I really don’t think it is right that the government is taking over health care and making everyone have it. There are so many holes in the bill that I believe it isn’t going to be successful. Since health care is now running off the government, it shows that it is rubbing on the constitution the wrong way. It is taking the states rights away. And I believe the government should have had a solid base of money for this to run instead of passing it and having a solid base of money behind it. Also I don’t believe that people who work hard to keep their families healthy and out of poverty have to pay for people who are in it. The people in poverty should work hard and try to get themselves out and end up getting their own healthy care, because to me health care is somewhat of a luxury/ reassurance. I know that this bill had a good intension that they want the poor to get health care and sty healthy but I don’t believe that tax payers should pay it for them. Now that the wealthy has to pay for others health care it may cause more people to go into debt and struggle to survive since there is no base of money for this bill. They are now saying that because of this health care reform bill that 1/3 of doctors are going to quit their practice. That is very unfortunate and will be bad for this bill. Finally, if the economy goes down, the government can raise the prices of taxes for this bill, which can get more people in debt as well. By reading this you can tell that I don’t know everything about it and that my thoughts are jumbled but I think the health care bill is bad. But everyone has his or her own opinion.
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