It is about time when those who really don’t give a damn about us stop defining who can and can’t get covered for health care. Barack Obama has shifted the momentum today. He, his Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel and the Democratic Party are seizing the day and weighing options on how to move forward with health care reform. With Republicans incapable of modeling reform, the Democrats are considering going it alone. These days they can do that. With 60 votes in the Senate, the Dems can seize the day. The big question is will moderate Democrats abandon their party on this issue? There will be immense pressure exerted from the White House and from their own ranks if they stray. It is simply pathetic that the US is the only industrialized nation in the world that doesn’t have a nationalized health plan. It is even more pathetic that those who gain wealth from the system can also determine who can get covered, and even those who have insurance can find they are not covered under certain circumstances. Today, with nearly one in ten Americans out of work, the crisis of health care is even more pertinent. This issue has been warm since the election of Barack Obama. It is about to get red hot. As the Congressional August recess looms, critical mass is quickly approaching. All indicators are the President wishes to have significant movement on the issue by then. Obama has also pointed out the concept will not become effective until 2013 so that the minutiae of the plan can be carefully scrutinized and perfected.

We’re not going to solve all of them immediately overnight, and that’s why I think we have to anticipate this program’s not going to start up probably until 2013. That gives us four or five years to start developing programs to solve this problem.

Barack Obama (7/15/09)

The notion of it becoming a law and then enacted immediately is simply right-wing scare tactics.  After enduring eight years of insanity at the hands of George Bush and the Republicans and now realizing the fruits of change, it is time the Democrats do what we elected them to do since their counterparts are not organizing to adopt their own proposal but instead simply wish to stop health care reform.

A University of Oregon journalist has written a provocative op-ed about the absence of Republican and right wing professors on American campuses. We all know the US college system is a bastion of liberalism but Dan Lawton has a valid point. American freedom of expression should be prevalent in all venues and especially on college campuses where the exchange of ideas is a cornerstone of rational thought. Colleges are the ideal location for young minds to have their biases and beliefs challenged. As a liberal,  taking a government class from a conservative would force you to think outside of your box. It is healthy. Mr. Lawton attends one of America’s most liberal universities in beautiful Eugene and his perspective is perfectly presented.

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Nearly all my professors are Democrats. Isn’t that a problem?