The Christian Side of the Health Care Reform Debate

While I myself don't proclaim to be a practicing Christian, I have read the Bible cover to cover and have grown up in the Methodist Church with an ordained elder for a father. I do, however, enjoy reading about and researching all religions, and the fascinating (and sometimes destructive) impact they have on their followers and the rest of the world.

I do know that Christianity is largely based on the teachings of the New Testament, and the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, as well as the story of Jesus. There are parts of the Old Testament added to the original Torah (Pentateuch- first five books of the Bible) also followed by Christians. Jesus himself had a righteous message; one of stewardship, nurturing, charity, humility, and a universal Christian brotherhood (communion).

It's no secret that today, most churches in the Christian faith are heavily represented by the right wing; churches adamantly refuse to marry homosexuals or even recognize their lifestyle as a normal one. The role of women in the church has long been suppressed by the right wing, at least in leadership positions. The religious right also claims to venerate the "traditions" and "heritage" of our Puritan ancestors. As we all know, our country was founded by Puritanical settlers with very conservative views of society and people.

That carries on through today, where Glenn Beck's "9/12 Project" venerates a strong faith in God as one of the primary values of American conservatives. That being said, it's safe to say that not all Christians are conservative, but a vast majority of conservatives are Christians. So, to those on the right wing who identify themselves as Christian, I'm writing this especially for you. This goes double for those who stand against health care reform.

In last week's health care poll (I'm still collecting data, conclusion to come shortly) I conducted here, most conservatives who took the time to answer my questions believed health care was not a right, but a privilege. They believed it was wrong for taxpayers to demand that their money go toward public-funded health insurance to cover those who can't afford a premium from a private insurer. For the most part, these conservatives sided with the wealthy private health sector, and were united in their cause of health care accessibility only for those wealthy enough to afford it. When questioned about the poor 47,000,000+ in our country with no insurance, their response was something along the lines of "should have worked harder," "not my problem," and "no government mooching."

A friend of mine who works for a Christian-based broadcasting network shared with me a wealth of Bible verses from the Old and New Testaments, and these verses speak volumes about how the conservative Christians of the modern era have failed in their Biblical duties as true Christians. Particularly when it comes to their apathy toward the poor and uninsured. These Bible verses speak for themselves. If I have prompted you to respond, feel free to do so.
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"If a man shuts his ears to the cry of the poor, he too will cry out and not be answered."
-Proverbs 21:13


"Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy."
-Proverbs 31:8-9


"No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money."
-Matthew 6:24


"Then Jesus said to his disciples, 'I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.'"
-Matthew 19:23-24


"Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.' They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?' He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least among you, you did not do for me.'"
-Matthew 25:41-45


"He who mocks the poor shows contempt for their Maker; whoever gloats over disaster will not go unpunished."
-Proverbs 17:5


"He who oppresses the poor to increase his wealth and he who gives gifts to the rich--both come to poverty."
-Proverbs 22:16


"Jesus answered, 'If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.'"
-Matthew 19:21


"He who gives to the poor will lack nothing, but he who closes his eyes to them receives many curses."
-Proverbs 28:27


"People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs."
-1 Timothy 6:9-10


"Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life."
-1 Timothy 6:17-19


"Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy."
-Ezekiel 16:49


"Rich and poor have this in common: The LORD is the Maker of them all."
-Proverbs 22:2


"He who oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God."
-Proverbs 14:31


"A generous man will himself be blessed, for he shares his food with the poor."
-Proverbs 22:9


"Better a poor man whose walk is blameless than a rich man whose ways are perverse."
-Proverbs 28:6


"A faithful man will be richly blessed, but one eager to get rich will not go unpunished."
-Proverbs 28:20


"The righteous care about justice for the poor, but the wicked have no such concern."
-Proverbs 29:7


"Wealth is worthless in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death."
-Proverbs 11:4


"Do not exploit the poor because they are poor and do not crush the needy in court, for the LORD will take up their case and will plunder those who plunder them."
-Proverbs 22:22-23


"Do not wear yourself out to get rich; have the wisdom to show restraint. Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone, for they will surely sprout wings and fly off to the sky like an eagle."
-Proverbs 23:4-5


"Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless."
-Ecclesiastes 5:10


"A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold."
-Proverbs 22:1


"There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your brothers and toward the poor and needy in your land."
-Deuteronomy 15:11


"Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have."
-Hebrews 13:5


"You evildoers frustrate the plans of the poor, but the Lord is their refuge."
-Psalm 14:6


"He who is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and He will reward him for what he has done."
-Proverbs 19:17


"A rich man may be wise in his own eyes, but a poor man who has discernment sees through him."
-Proverbs 28:11


"A fortune made by a lying tongue is a fleeting vapor and a deadly snare."
-Proverbs 21:6


"The wealth of the rich is their fortified city; they imagine it an unscalable wall."
-Proverbs 18:11

A Unique Perspective

In my quest for employment after graduation, I've applied for jobs in both radio and television in 25 states literally across the country, from Alaska to California to New York City. I've just finished applying for an Assistant Producer position to WNYC's new morning program, "The Takeaway." The application process was interesting, as it didn't require filling out a form or attaching the obligatory air check, reference list and resume. Instead, applicants are required to write. There were four questions, each one necessitating a heightened level of reading/writing and thinking. I won't tag anyone in this, but I found each question thought-provoking, and my answers even surprised myself. Feel free to give it a read if you like.
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Question A: What is your unique perspective? You’re sitting at the daily morning editorial meeting with 10 colleagues. You’re all planning the next day’s broadcast, and each of you brings a different perspective to the table – whether due to your varied backgrounds, interests, skills, education, or life experiences. At that table, what is your unique perspective? What sets you apart from the others? And what about your background, interests, skills, education, or life experiences have shaped that perspective? Tell us in 500 words or less, and please be specific.

As long as I can remember, I’ve been fascinated with learning new information. Attending college in Eastern Kentucky, I was privy to the stories of hundreds of individuals—each with their own moving, tragic tales of drug-addled rural mining communities, corrupt politicians buying votes, and genes that never stray too far from the pool.

Along with each of these heartbreaking stories were dozens more about individual perseverance, moments of triumph, and a hunger to change the self-destructive habits of the people around them. It wasn’t long before I changed my major from Jazz Studies to Journalism, and began working tirelessly in the newsroom of my local NPR affiliate station. Each story drove me to learn more, to read, to interview, to write, and to share that information with all of our listeners.

From the age of 18, my short four years of college were as devoted to journalism as they were to studying. As Kentucky’s Hispanic population rapidly expanded over the years, I picked up a Spanish minor and learned to communicate with Mexican immigrants and migrant workers as I had done in high school. With a bi-lingual edge, I had the opportunity to learn poignant information previously unknown to my colleagues and others in the community. My hunger for storytelling became insatiable, and I took the initiative to work after-hours at the radio station to meticulously craft personal feature projects, which aired weekly.

Along with a full class schedule, work at the radio station and frequent roles in theatre productions, I also took it upon myself to learn all about the craft of television broadcast journalism. Before long, I had taught myself how to operate a camera, capture creative images for news packages, and compress a healthy amount of information into a 90-second news package. I was soon promoted to lead anchor for Morehead State University’s student-ran TV station, and subsequently promoted to Assignment Editor the following semester. My fascination for politics prodded me into personally scheduling an interview with Governor Steve Beshear on the second Tuesday of each month during Kentucky’s general assembly and each month thereafter, where I got 15-20 minutes to ask him about pressing state issues.

This was still not enough to quench my never-ending thirst for learning and sharing new information. I soon began my own personal project online, The Faux Radio Show.

After booking guests, I joined online communities and personally promoted each upcoming episode of my program, and soon gained a devoted regular listening audience. Many times, audience members frequently called into my programs to ask questions to myself and my guests. It has since become a wonderful 21st century tool for provocative citizen journalism. Presently, I have succeeded in my goal bringing the show back in September to interview Bestselling Author John Perkins live on the air about his book, “Confessions of an Economic Hit Man.”

As such, my unique perspective is that of a passionate journalist with a yearning to learn more and share with others using whatever means necessary.

Question B: Where do you get your information that interests you? Please limit your response to 100 words or less.

I believe opening dialogue with others who have opposing views is key to understanding and self-improvement. Without being challenged, we cannot grow as intellectuals, and will never be forced to re-evaluate our positions and values. I’ve learned the best way to persuade and make others think is to communicate your values through facts, using information gained by respected sources. For most issues, my sources include the New York Times, the Washington Post, the BBC, and NPR. For environmental/health issues, I rely on peer-reviewed sources like the Nature scientific journal and National Geographic, and the World Health Organization.

Question C: What are your favorite investigative tools or techniques for your life, job or interests? Please limit your response to 100 words or less.

For gathering new information, I find there is no better source than the internet. Online is the only place where information flows freely and nonstop, and most of my preferred sources of information are easily accessible online. However, I still believe maintaining and developing personal relationships with elected officials, citizens, intellectuals, and others is the responsibility of any serious journalist. As human beings, we depend on contact with others to ease our need for social interaction. As such, a staple of investigative journalism will always be a one-on-one intellectual conversation.

Question D: When have you worked as part of a team of people who didn’t share your background or think the way you do? Describe the experience. Please limit your response to 100 words or less.

As an actor, I’ve frequently found myself working in close-knit ensembles to achieve the common goal of telling the story as effectively and as convincingly as possible. Despite all of our differences and backgrounds, the script always brings the cast together into a single unit. For those few months, each actor would treat his or her fellow cast members as their own family; not only would we work together, but we would eat, socialize, and study together as well. Even after the play’s run was through, the relationships built with the cast would last for years.

Just Say No to Socialism

One of the staples of the neoconservative argument against healthcare reform is that it smacks of "Socialism," "Marxism," "Communism," and various other -isms with negative frames attached. They then reinforce this argument by saying that the government produces nothing of value and needs to stay out of people's lives.

That being said, I found this post the other day courtesy of my buddy John. I had to share it with the rest of you, because it's so true. Read it all the way to the end. If you liked it, pass it on!
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This morning I was awoken by my alarm clock powered by electricity generated by the public power monopoly regulated by the US Department of Energy. I then took a shower in the clean water provided by the Municipal Water Utility. After that, I turned on the TV to one of the FCC-regulated channels to see what the National Weather Service of the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration determined the weather was going to be like using satellites designed, built, and launched by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. I watched this while eating my breakfast of US Department of Agriculture inspected food and taking the drugs which have been determined as safe by the Food and Drug Administration.

At the appropriate time as regulated by the US Congress and kept accurate by the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the US Naval Observatory, I get into my National Highway Traffic Safety Administration-approved automobile and set out to work on the roads built by the local, state, and federal Departments of Transportation, possibly stopping to purchase additional fuel of a quality level determined by the Environmental Protection Agency. On the way out the door I deposit any mail I have to be sent out via the US Postal Service and drop the kids off at the public school.

After work, I drive my NHTSA car back home on the DOT roads, to house which has not burned down in my absence because of the state and local building codes and fire marshal’s inspection, and which has not been plundered of all it’s valuables thanks to the local police department.

I then log on to the internet which was developed by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Administration and post on freerepublic.com and fox news forums about how socialism in medicine is BAD because the government can’t do anything right.

Interview with the Governor (Healthcare, Energy, Economy, Social Reform)

It's been awhile since I've gotten to do the monthly interview with the Governor. He bailed on me last month, I was out of town in June, and he was visiting the flood site in Breathitt County in May. It was good to finally ask him some questions that had been piling up this Summer.

While there are plenty of national issues to concern ourselves with, those readers of mine in Kentucky have a whole set of problems to face on our own. With a mounting budget deficit, a danger in losing the state's horse industry, and healthcare reform, there is plenty to be concerned about if you're a Kentuckian.

I spoke with Gov. Beshear earlier today on a bevy of these state and national issues. Also on the call was Susanne Duvall from WHAS radio. She asked some questions about the flooding in Louisville. You can listen to the sound in .mp3 format here. Here are the questions I got to ask him-

-Concerning the ongoing debate over national healthcare reform, what reforms, if any, are you considering for Kentucky's Medicaid and SCHIP programs?

-As I'm sure you're aware, Maine will legally recognize gay marriage as of September 11th. As Governor, do you think the freedom to marry who you want is a matter of equal rights under Kentucky state law?

-Talk about the progress made on the hydroelectric plant in Hawkesville and the lithium battery plant in Western KY. What kind of economic impact will those have on the Commonwealth?

-Given its healing potential and tax revenue potential in a budget crisis, do you feel Kentucky would benefit from the regulated use of medical cannabis or industrialized hemp, as 20 other states have done?

-With the defeat of the slots bill in the Senate during the special session, do you still plan on pushing for a constitutional amendment allowing casino gambling in Kentucky?

-As buildings now have the ability to generate most of their own power through clean energy sources, do you foresee pushing for a widespread geothermal energy grid in Kentucky?

-Kentucky's US senate primary is already ranked as one of the most competitive and crucial nationwide. Do you have any comments on how the race has progressed so far?

Again, you can listen to the full interview here. Hope this was a satisfactory update!

Public Opinion Research: Health Care Reform

As much as we lament about the media's failure to cover the stories of real people and real events and stories that constantly go under the radar, we still have to depend on them for our answers.

Either that, or we can take the citizen journalism approach and get the answers from the people on our own.

Thus, I'm posting here a series of short questions that I would love for all of my readers to answer; either here in a public forum, or privately messaged to me if you don't want to share your answers with everyone else.

All of the questions below are simply meant to gauge public opinion about reforming our nation's health care system, and what people feel should be done. The more answers I get, the better conclusion I can come to. I'll make sure I share these answers and my own conclusion after I've gotten enough information. If you feel you must send me your answers privately, I will keep your answers confidential. Answer away!

1. Do you feel our health care system needs reform? If yes, what is the best approach?

2. Do you support a free, taxpayer-funded insurance option? Why or why not?

3. Do you or your family use Medicare? If not, why?

4. Are you insured? If yes, how expensive is your coverage? Does it cover you and your family adequately? If you aren't insured, why?

5. What is your biggest complaint about hospital service? How would you go about fixing that problem?

6. If you are uninsured, how do you finance your medical bills?

7. Do you trust private insurance companies to have your best interests at heart? Why or why not?

8. Do you feel Medicare is adequate as a program? Why or why not?

9. There are 40,000,000+ uninsured citizens currently in the USA. What would you say to those who want, but cannot afford a private insurance plan?

10. There are close to 14,000 people each day that lose their health insurance coverage. What reforms would you implement to make sure people don't lose their insurance?

Take your time, and send me your answers either by responding below or messaging them to me in private! I'll compile my results and come to a conclusion sometime next week.

"The Town Hall Mob," by Paul Krugman

A family member sent this to me in an email the other day. It's an op-ed piece by Paul Krugman (winner of the 2008 Nobel Prize in Economics) about the special interest-financed lynch mobs traveling to disrupt peaceful town hall meetings. He touches on all of the points I made in my previous note, but with less words and more eloquence (That's probably why he writes for the NYTimes and I don't).
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Op-Ed Columnist
The Town Hall Mob
By PAUL KRUGMAN
Published: August 6, 2009

There’s a famous Norman Rockwell painting titled “Freedom of Speech,” depicting an idealized American town meeting. The painting, part of a series illustrating F.D.R.’s “Four Freedoms,” shows an ordinary citizen expressing an unpopular opinion. His neighbors obviously don’t like what he’s saying, but they’re letting him speak his mind.

That’s a far cry from what has been happening at recent town halls, where angry protesters — some of them, with no apparent sense of irony, shouting “This is America!” — have been drowning out, and in some cases threatening, members of Congress trying to talk about health reform.

Some commentators have tried to play down the mob aspect of these scenes, likening the campaign against health reform to the campaign against Social Security privatization back in 2005. But there’s no comparison. I’ve gone through many news reports from 2005, and while anti-privatization activists were sometimes raucous and rude, I can’t find any examples of congressmen shouted down, congressmen hanged in effigy, congressmen surrounded and followed by taunting crowds.

And I can’t find any counterpart to the death threats at least one congressman has received.

So this is something new and ugly. What’s behind it?

Robert Gibbs, the White House press secretary, has compared the scenes at health care town halls to the “Brooks Brothers riot” in 2000 — the demonstration that disrupted the vote count in Miami and arguably helped send George W. Bush to the White House. Portrayed at the time as local protesters, many of the rioters were actually G.O.P. staffers flown in from Washington.

But Mr. Gibbs is probably only half right. Yes, well-heeled interest groups are helping to organize the town hall mobs. Key organizers include two Astroturf (fake grass-roots) organizations: FreedomWorks, run by the former House majority leader Dick Armey, and a new organization called Conservatives for Patients’ Rights.

The latter group, by the way, is run by Rick Scott, the former head of Columbia/HCA, a for-profit hospital chain. Mr. Scott was forced out of that job amid a fraud investigation; the company eventually pleaded guilty to charges of overbilling state and federal health plans, paying $1.7 billion — yes, that’s “billion” — in fines. You can’t make this stuff up.

But while the organizers are as crass as they come, I haven’t seen any evidence that the people disrupting those town halls are Florida-style rent-a-mobs. For the most part, the protesters appear to be genuinely angry. The question is, what are they angry about?

There was a telling incident at a town hall held by Representative Gene Green, D-Tex. An activist turned to his fellow attendees and asked if they “oppose any form of socialized or government-run health care.” Nearly all did. Then Representative Green asked how many of those present were on Medicare. Almost half raised their hands.

Now, people who don’t know that Medicare is a government program probably aren’t reacting to what President Obama is actually proposing. They may believe some of the disinformation opponents of health care reform are spreading, like the claim that the Obama plan will lead to euthanasia for the elderly. (That particular claim is coming straight from House Republican leaders.) But they’re probably reacting less to what Mr. Obama is doing, or even to what they’ve heard about what he’s doing, than to who he is.

That is, the driving force behind the town hall mobs is probably the same cultural and racial anxiety that’s behind the “birther” movement, which denies Mr. Obama’s citizenship. Senator Dick Durbin has suggested that the birthers and the health care protesters are one and the same; we don’t know how many of the protesters are birthers, but it wouldn’t be surprising if it’s a substantial fraction.

And cynical political operators are exploiting that anxiety to further the economic interests of their backers.

Does this sound familiar? It should: it’s a strategy that has played a central role in American politics ever since Richard Nixon realized that he could advance Republican fortunes by appealing to the racial fears of working-class whites.

Many people hoped that last year’s election would mark the end of the “angry white voter” era in America. Indeed, voters who can be swayed by appeals to cultural and racial fear are a declining share of the electorate.

But right now Mr. Obama’s backers seem to lack all conviction, perhaps because the prosaic reality of his administration isn’t living up to their dreams of transformation. Meanwhile, the angry right is filled with a passionate intensity.

And if Mr. Obama can’t recapture some of the passion of 2008, can’t inspire his supporters to stand up and be heard, health care reform may well fail.

The Right's Latest Campaign: The War on Public Opinion

Introduction
Town hall meetings were made popular in the last election. Both Obama and McCain traveled the nation, addressing small gatherings of citizens with pertinent questions on the issues. They're great ways to ask elected officials about the things we care about as citizens--things the mainstream media too often neglects in their own interviews. Town hall meetings are the epitome of intelligent public discourse; the people demand answers, and elected officials are held directly accountable by giving those answers instead of standard campaign platitudes. I covered one of John McCain's own town hall meetings in Inez just over a year ago.

With so many questions about the recently approved and incredibly complex health care legislation in the house, democrats who voted in favor of it are giving town hall meetings in their own districts. This gives their constituents a direct opportunity to ask questions about how the bill will affect them as a family or a community. Again, great opportunity for public discourse and getting answers.

But as we've seen, the extreme right isn't interested in intelligent discussion, when fearmongering and xenophobia are much more effective in influencing opinion. Thus, the right wing's latest strategy is to gather the teabaggers we saw in April to travel to these town hall meetings and create a nuisance, preventing people from asking questions about legislation that affects them. It also gives an opportunity for the right wing media to spin this as a populist movement; the people versus the politicians. Places like FOX news and Drudge will pick up on this, and report the Recess Rallies as democratic constituents standing in opposition to democratic legislators.

This latest tactic of the right is nothing new--similar tactics were staged in Iran in the middle part of the 20th century. To better secure US oil interests, Eisenhower deployed CIA operative Kermit Roosevelt (Teddy's grandson) to Iran in order to stage false rallies and protests (think Tax Day Tea Parties) to make it look like their democratically-elected prime minister, Mohammed Mossadegh, was incompetent and not in control of his people. This was spun in US papers as a populist uprising, and in a carefully-staged coup, Mossadegh was overthrown and the Shah of Iran was put in power. As a puppet government supported by US corporate interests, the Shah turned Iran into a very profitable scheme for the US.

The Recess Rallies are no different. You've most likely seen your friends post a link to this on their twitter or facebook pages.

The Recess Rally is thus nothing more than a carefully-staged coup, organized by the vast right wing conspiracy and choreographed to resemble a populist uprising. This is a low-down, below-the-belt political strategy that ultimately seeks to undermine the credibility of democratic lawmakers and sow the seeds for the extreme right's puppets to take their place.

The Real Goal of the Recess Rally

I'm currently in the process of writing both the second piece in my latest blogging project on how right wing extremists think and how progressives can effectively counter their strategies. That project was interrupted after I read gained a wealth of previously unknown information on shady US foreign policy after WWII.

But now, I've put both of those projects on hold to address an extremely dire situation that is currently in the works as I'm writing this sentence.

The right wing hate machine has focused its efforts on shouting down intelligent discussion at these town hall meetings. This is also a strategic political intiative, as these rallies serve to provide an illusion to the media that people are at loggerheads with their elected officials in democratic districts, paving the way for a right wing power grab in 2010.

It is imperative that each of us, as media consumers, read between the lines as these stories surface, and realize the significance of this latest conservative strategy. It's no longer the fringe conservatives that are a part of this movement; the Becks/Hannitys/Levins/Limbaughs/Savages of the world have successfully shouted down all moderate conservatives either our of the party or into submission.

As progressives, we must stop underestimating the power conservatives have on our public discourse and in their numbers and powerful organization, and work to reverse it.

Go to these town hall meetings, and expose the teabaggers for what theyb are to any media outlet willing to give you your peace of mind. We cannot let neoconservatives steal the public dialogue any longer.