Mary Laney 12 August 2009 6 Comments

“There’s something happening here…”

It began with the tea parties. People of all ages joined in huge protests against the
massive spending approved in Washington. They gathered by the thousands in cities and
towns from coast to coast to speak out against the huge stimulus plan. Yet, for months
not much was covered by the mainstream media and President Barack Obama told the
press that he didn’t know anything about the tea parties.

“What it is ain’t exactly clear…”

Forty years ago Buffalo Springfield sang about the protests against the Viet Nam war and
the mainstream media covered the protests on front pages, covers of magazines and on
the nightly news. In fact, the late CBS anchor Walter Cronkite devoted an entire
newscast to the protests and gave the protestors their full voice in demands to end that
war. It wasn’t long after that President Lyndon Johnson announced he would not seek
another term of office.
But this time everything is turned around. The protestors aren’t being heard on Capitol
Hill. In fact, the US House ignored the people’s demands to put a hold on spending and,
instead, proceeded to pass the so-called “Cap and Trade” bill, which, if approved by the
Senate would raise rates you pay on everything from the gas you put in your car to the
lights you use in your home, to the power you use to heat or cool your home, to the
energy you use to cook your meals. And then they turned to nationalized health care.

“What a field-day for the heat. A thousand people in the street. Singing songs and
carrying signs. Mostly say, hooray for our side.”

The numbers of protestors grew. They showed up at Senators’ and Congressmen’s
offices and town hall meetings to speak their minds.

In the war years, President Richard Nixon called the protestors “bums”. This time,
President Barack Obama has told them to shut up. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi
called the protestors “un-American”. And, when the media finally began covering the
protests, organized union opposition curiously arrived to shout the protestors down and,
in some cases, attack them. You can tell who these thugs are. They carry professionally
printed signs with union bugs. The protestors carry home made cardboard signs.

“There’s battle lines being drawn. Nobody’s right if everybody’s wrong…”

Washington’s attacks on the protesting people have, in the words of Admiral Yamamoto,
awakened a sleeping giant – Middle America. Average Americans have watched as
companies closed, unemployment grew, and once-busy stores turned into boarded-up
empty spaces. They’ve seen their retirement accounts evaporate. And, in the midst of
this, as President Obama told the nation that they would have to make some sacrifices,
they’ve watched this President plan to take his family to a multi million dollar estate on
Cape Cod for the summer. They’ve watched Congressional members travel to far away
places to snorkel under the ruse that they’re investigating climate change. They’ve
watched the House attempt to tuck into a defense budget 500 million dollars for eight
luxury jets for their own use. And they’ve noticed that, while they’re being told to accept
a public option health plan, the President, members of Congress and all federal
employees will continue to enjoy a health care plan that gives them private insurance top
of the line coverage all paid for by them, the American taxpayers.

“Paranoia strikes deep. Into your life it will creep…”

Public option has been tried and failed in Canada and England. It has amounted to
rationed care, long waits to see a Doctor and denial of services to those considered less
likely to live as long as others. England cannot get rid of its public healthcare now
because bureaucrats running its public health system are now the third largest block of
employees in the world.

The protestors know this. They also know that the numbers being given on those without
insurance are wildly inflated as 40 million. Take out the 10 to 20 million illegal aliens,
remove the 8 to 10 million who can afford insurance but choose not to get it, and the
number shrinks considerably. It would be cheaper for the government to simply pay to
cover those who can’t afford insurance than to spend 17% of the nation’s economy to rip
up the best health care system in the world. People may not like their insurance, but they
prefer it to Obamacare. They’d rather see reform of the health system by allowing
Insurance companies to compete nationally, across state lines. For instance, an insurance
company in Wisconsin might offer lower rates, but someone living in Illinois can’t get it
under current laws. Open up free trade lines and watch healthy competition take place.
It’s better to have coverage where you can argue over a claim, than coverage where the
government tells you what your coverage is and you have no where to take your

argument. Many in Middle America are asking, is this push for Obamacare about health
or is it all about power and turning America into socialism?

The leadership in Washington appears to have been purposely deaf to Middle America’s
voice and its power at the polls. Playing games with the census won’t be enough to stop
the votes to oust them if they don’t begin to listen to the people. Their numbers are
growing, not through the SEIU and ACORN paid organizing of Obamacare storm
troopers – Obama’s praetorian guard — but through word on the street among everyday
people and over their kitchen tables. Friends are telling friends and those friends are
showing up, no matter that Washington leaders are calling them a mob. They’re growing
in numbers and showing up with their children in tow, pushing baby buggies, or in their
walkers and carrying oxygen. Their message is clear. They want Washington to stop the
spending spree, read bills before they pass them, and give them some tax relief. It’s time
for Washington to begin to listen.

“We better stop, hey what’s that sound. Everybody look what’s going down.”

**
Mary Laney is a regular columnist for the Chicago Daily Observer