Haiku 081909

the tree carries

Converse rubber shoes

a crescent moon

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Recently, we read the following:

Star Tribune: “Obama goes on offensive in support of health care plan, saying critics using 'scare tactics' “ by Philip Elliot (Associated Press)

“Braced for a fight he never got, President Barack Obama went on the offensive in support of his health care plan Tuesday, urging a town hall audience not to listen to those who seek to 'scare and mislead the American people…'

“Retooling his message amid sliding support, he addressed some of his remarks to a vital and skeptical audience: the tens of millions of people who already have health insurance and are generally satisfied with the care they get.

“He said the overhaul is essential to them, too, contending it is the way to keep control in their hands. Obama said while government bureaucrats should not meddle with people's care, bureaucrats at insurance companies should not, either...

“He singled out the charge that the Democratic health care legislation would create "death panels" to deny care to frail seniors. Former Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin has said the Democrats' legislation includes "death panels" that could deny care.

“Obama declared that a provision that he said had caused the uproar would only authorize Medicare to pay doctors for counseling patients about end-of-life care, living wills, hospice care and other issues, if the patients wanted it...

“He also disputed the notion that adding a government-run insurance plan into a menu of options from which people could pick would drive private insurers out of business..."

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And we thought:

...This is exactly what President Obama should be doing on a regular basis. He should leverage his credibility to periodically re-assure people. He should help outline the benefits of his proposed health care program to make it easier to digest. He should meet critics’ outright lies and scare tactics head-on.

After all, he did have a 3-million-vote majority that rejected McCain and his fellow doomsayers. And Palin – who has been mislabeling doctor counseling as “death panels” -- she and her ilk are only credible to those who lack critical thinking and can’t debate intelligently -- or at least, coherently -- like herself.

Change is difficult. Positive change is more difficult because of the unknowns. It's difficult to shed the old that one has gotten used to, with its flaws and all. But the worst we can do is to do nothing at all...



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