Taming The Angry Mobs, Angry Mobs, Town Hall Meetings
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_________________________________________________________________________________
August 7, 2009
Special Weekend Edition
Today’s Zinger:
Congress Hear Me Roar, I Am Too Angry To Ignore
The Morning Briefing:
Anger can motivate or destroy. We have all been around angry people. Some let their anger destroy them. They become immobilized and continue to blame their situation on others. Others take the anger and channel it into a positive force to change the very things that made them angry. No matter how anger shows itself, those around angry people should understand why they are angry, not simply dismiss it. Many times the anger is justified and we can all learn, especially if the angry personcan get their message across to allow others to hear it.
Did you happen to read any of the articles in the New York Times in the past few weeks about why African Americans are angry? Much was written about this anger after the Cambridge police episode with Harvard Professor Gates. The focus of the articles by Bob Herbert dealt with the past wrongs against African Americans. In particular, it spoke of the disproportionate rate of arrests and the disproportionate prison sentences of African Americans. Mr. Herbert was angry about the arrest of Professor Gates and went on to say “black people need to roar out their anger at such treatment, lift up their voices and demand change. Anyone counseling a less militant approach is counseling self-defeat”. Click here to see the full article by Mr. Herbert.
In today’s New York Times, economist Paul Krugman wrote an article on the “Angry Town Hall Mobs”. Here is a link (Click Here for full article). Dr. Krugman calls the recent health care reform Town Hall meetings that have erupted into angry shouting matches as staged and an organized campaign against the administration's health care program. He, along with Nancy Pelosi, use the term“astro-turf” meaning these are fake grass roots organizations. Dick Durbin calls the current group against health care and the “birthers” (those that remain convinced that Barack Obama is not a naturalized citizen) one in the same. Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi takes the criticism one step further and calls participants of the town hall meetings, Nazi’s.
Are these meetings out of control or is Congress out of control?
Click on the Premalink below to read the full article:
The Discussion:
Dr. Krugman, Nancy Pelosi, Dick Durbin and most of the Democratic Congress are quick to condemn average Americans that have become very vocal against the current bill in Congress to reform America's health care system. Unfortunately our government is not listening. They are so committed to what they want to do they fail to hear what the people are saying.
According to a Time magazine survey, by significant margins, survey respondents said they believe the final health-reform legislation is likely to raise health care costs in the long run (62%),make everything about health care more complicated (65%) and offer less freedom to choose doctors and coverage (56%). Americans are also very concerned about rationing of health care and government involvement in the definition of medical protocols, each of which is discussed in the health care bill.
As a result of these concerns, Americans are flocking to these town hall meetings to be heard. Is it wrong for agroup of people to shout down a politician that wants to tell us why they are right? Maybe the politician should be quiet and just listen to the people for a while to better understand the feelings of real Americans. After the people have had a chance to talk and voice their opinion and concerns then the politicians and people can debate the issues. Unfortunately, when the government is so committed to an outcome there is no debate. The government has already committed to the key elements of this bill, not matter what they hear. It would require a radical shift in Congress to change key elements of the health care bill. This has become all or nothing, and the majority of the American people are saying, “NOT THIS BILL”.
As Mr. Herbert of the New York Times said, people need to roar out their anger…, lift up their voices and demand change. Anyone counseling a less militant approach is counseling self-defeat. This is true for all Americans,not just African Americans. Our government is accustomed to protests,angry mobs and people organized against change. They are not accustomed to angry white people doing this.
We can all remember the riots in Watts in the 60’s, the protests against war in the 70’s, Peristoika in the 80’s, race riots in LA in the 90’s. Not much would have happened without these angry citizen outcries. Is it possible that the 2000’s will be the government riots? The anger over the pace of change in Washington and the regulations and bills being passed has motivated many average Americans to take to the streets that normally are quiet, law abiding citizens. This is anger well channeled and not anger that is personally destructive.
The Conclusion:
Change is a process. Our government is failing to manage the process. They are so focused on passing legislation as quickly as possible and installing a health system that they seem to think is better than any other alternative, that they are ignoring the process that people must go through to be a part of the change. The government's approach makes people a victim of change that is forced on them. Unless the government starts to listen to the people and respond accordingly, we can count or more protests with larger crowds and louder shouts for Congressional change, not just health care change.
Recent ZingerKing Articles:
Articles can be found under “Recent Articles” in the purple sidebar. Older articles can be found in the archives that are stored by month. These are found at the bottom of the purple sidebar. Here is a list of the most recent articles.
Creating A Free Market Alternative to Government Health Care
Cash For Clunkers
Culturalism versus Racism in America
The Revolving Door of Politics: Franken, Palin, Biden
Consequences of Taxing the Wealthy
Obama's Clintonesque Moment
Overcoming Bias: Challenging Our Own Beliefs
Health Care Just Made Me Sicker
Health Care Makes Me Sick
Social Conservatives: Avoiding the Extremes
Shameless Request For Support:
ZingerKing operates without advertising or government funding (obviously). The purpose is to inform and educate its readers about economic and political issues that affect our lives.
Help ZingerKing grow. Have you Zinged someone lately. Please forward a link to ZingerKing to a friend, family member or neighbor. If you enjoy reading the Zinger please subscribe (see the subscribe box at the top of the article in the purple side band). Subscribers receive the"Morning Briefing" when published with a link to the full article. Periodic alerts are sent to subscribers only with important updates and insights into critical issues. Your email address will not sold to others and will not be shared.
ZingerKingis published on Monday, Wednesday and Friday of each week from September through June. In July and August ZingerKing will publish on Wednesday each week.
_________________________________________________________________________________
August 7, 2009
Special Weekend Edition
Today’s Zinger:
Congress Hear Me Roar, I Am Too Angry To Ignore
The Morning Briefing:
Anger can motivate or destroy. We have all been around angry people. Some let their anger destroy them. They become immobilized and continue to blame their situation on others. Others take the anger and channel it into a positive force to change the very things that made them angry. No matter how anger shows itself, those around angry people should understand why they are angry, not simply dismiss it. Many times the anger is justified and we can all learn, especially if the angry personcan get their message across to allow others to hear it.
Did you happen to read any of the articles in the New York Times in the past few weeks about why African Americans are angry? Much was written about this anger after the Cambridge police episode with Harvard Professor Gates. The focus of the articles by Bob Herbert dealt with the past wrongs against African Americans. In particular, it spoke of the disproportionate rate of arrests and the disproportionate prison sentences of African Americans. Mr. Herbert was angry about the arrest of Professor Gates and went on to say “black people need to roar out their anger at such treatment, lift up their voices and demand change. Anyone counseling a less militant approach is counseling self-defeat”. Click here to see the full article by Mr. Herbert.
In today’s New York Times, economist Paul Krugman wrote an article on the “Angry Town Hall Mobs”. Here is a link (Click Here for full article). Dr. Krugman calls the recent health care reform Town Hall meetings that have erupted into angry shouting matches as staged and an organized campaign against the administration's health care program. He, along with Nancy Pelosi, use the term“astro-turf” meaning these are fake grass roots organizations. Dick Durbin calls the current group against health care and the “birthers” (those that remain convinced that Barack Obama is not a naturalized citizen) one in the same. Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi takes the criticism one step further and calls participants of the town hall meetings, Nazi’s.
Are these meetings out of control or is Congress out of control?
Click on the Premalink below to read the full article:
The Discussion:
Dr. Krugman, Nancy Pelosi, Dick Durbin and most of the Democratic Congress are quick to condemn average Americans that have become very vocal against the current bill in Congress to reform America's health care system. Unfortunately our government is not listening. They are so committed to what they want to do they fail to hear what the people are saying.
According to a Time magazine survey, by significant margins, survey respondents said they believe the final health-reform legislation is likely to raise health care costs in the long run (62%),make everything about health care more complicated (65%) and offer less freedom to choose doctors and coverage (56%). Americans are also very concerned about rationing of health care and government involvement in the definition of medical protocols, each of which is discussed in the health care bill.
As a result of these concerns, Americans are flocking to these town hall meetings to be heard. Is it wrong for agroup of people to shout down a politician that wants to tell us why they are right? Maybe the politician should be quiet and just listen to the people for a while to better understand the feelings of real Americans. After the people have had a chance to talk and voice their opinion and concerns then the politicians and people can debate the issues. Unfortunately, when the government is so committed to an outcome there is no debate. The government has already committed to the key elements of this bill, not matter what they hear. It would require a radical shift in Congress to change key elements of the health care bill. This has become all or nothing, and the majority of the American people are saying, “NOT THIS BILL”.
As Mr. Herbert of the New York Times said, people need to roar out their anger…, lift up their voices and demand change. Anyone counseling a less militant approach is counseling self-defeat. This is true for all Americans,not just African Americans. Our government is accustomed to protests,angry mobs and people organized against change. They are not accustomed to angry white people doing this.
We can all remember the riots in Watts in the 60’s, the protests against war in the 70’s, Peristoika in the 80’s, race riots in LA in the 90’s. Not much would have happened without these angry citizen outcries. Is it possible that the 2000’s will be the government riots? The anger over the pace of change in Washington and the regulations and bills being passed has motivated many average Americans to take to the streets that normally are quiet, law abiding citizens. This is anger well channeled and not anger that is personally destructive.
The Conclusion:
Change is a process. Our government is failing to manage the process. They are so focused on passing legislation as quickly as possible and installing a health system that they seem to think is better than any other alternative, that they are ignoring the process that people must go through to be a part of the change. The government's approach makes people a victim of change that is forced on them. Unless the government starts to listen to the people and respond accordingly, we can count or more protests with larger crowds and louder shouts for Congressional change, not just health care change.
Recent ZingerKing Articles:
Articles can be found under “Recent Articles” in the purple sidebar. Older articles can be found in the archives that are stored by month. These are found at the bottom of the purple sidebar. Here is a list of the most recent articles.
Creating A Free Market Alternative to Government Health Care
Cash For Clunkers
Culturalism versus Racism in America
The Revolving Door of Politics: Franken, Palin, Biden
Consequences of Taxing the Wealthy
Obama's Clintonesque Moment
Overcoming Bias: Challenging Our Own Beliefs
Health Care Just Made Me Sicker
Health Care Makes Me Sick
Social Conservatives: Avoiding the Extremes
Shameless Request For Support:
ZingerKing operates without advertising or government funding (obviously). The purpose is to inform and educate its readers about economic and political issues that affect our lives.
Help ZingerKing grow. Have you Zinged someone lately. Please forward a link to ZingerKing to a friend, family member or neighbor. If you enjoy reading the Zinger please subscribe (see the subscribe box at the top of the article in the purple side band). Subscribers receive the"Morning Briefing" when published with a link to the full article. Periodic alerts are sent to subscribers only with important updates and insights into critical issues. Your email address will not sold to others and will not be shared.
I appreciate a well-written column and a well-reasoned argument from an intelligent colleague. I respectfully disagree with much of it however. To keep this short, I will bullet point rather than get into lengthy diatriabe:
1. Many of these so-called "average citizens" who are expressing their anger at the proposed health care overhaul have indeed been organized by well-funded, well-known health care and GOP-sponsored organizations. These folks are recruited and sent specific instructions on how to rattle the speaker, and use whatever means necessary to disrupt the proceedings. Town hall style meetings are critical to giving voice to the citizens and provide an equal platform for both dissent and CONSTRUCTIVE dialogue. These "shout down" events are devoid of this.
2. Of course change is difficult to imagine and to implement. Heck - how hard was it to "re-engineer" a single company - let alone something as monumental as health care. However, few people argue that fixing our financial crisis is intrinsically linked to fixing health care. Hence the urgency.
3. If a public option is going to be such a bad option for the country, why would any health care organization be afaid to compete with it?
4. A country as great, powerful, wealthy, and honorable as the USA should care about all of it's citizens not just those who can afford health care. It's been said that if you don't have your health, you don't have anything. It's also been said that you can judge a culture by how it cares for its least fortunate citizens. What kind of country leaves 40-50 million of it's fellow countrymen without health care? Who does that with a clean conscience.
5. No political party has all the answers or has the moral high ground. And frankly neither of these two useless parties has been able to shed their arrogance, ignorance, greed, hypocrisy or partisanship to get the real work done needed in this country. Hence, i have turned independent and will continue to push for a viable third party to help step this insanity.
6. what in the world has happened to civil discourse? when we're relegated to vapid rants on the radio and television, based on proving the other side as demonic, treasonous and even murderous (as in Sarah Palin's recent Facebook entry where she equates the healthcare proposal as "Obabma's Death Plan" and insinuates the plan will be making life/death decisions like they did in the Nazi death camps. Yikes. And she was going to be VP? How far we've fallen. And of course it's not just the right demonizing others as the left does it's fair share.
Bottom Line: Health care should be a right for ALL it's citizens, none of which is more superior than another. A healthy nation is a strong nation. Healthcare is a vastly important issue and must be challenged and worked thru. But NOT by angry mobs burning others in effigy or pictured with demon horns. How about honest discussions, contructive debate?
respectfully
Reply to this
WE don't have 40 or 50 million people without health care. 11-15 are not citizens, they are illegal aliens that broke our immigration laws. Twenty million are people that do not want to be on a health care system which leaves about 10-15 million without health care.
The governments proposed system will add approximately 10 million people to the rolls and will affect 100% of the people in America, even those that are satisfied with their current situation, which is the majority of Americans.
No one likes violence or screaming, but there are times that require a harsh response to get attention.
If the people had not risen up in loud protests, tea parties and town hall meetings, Congress would have already passed a second stimulus bill and this health care bill. Neither of these bills are effective. The governments spending on ineffective legislation is a crisis.
Lets slow down, take a breadth and lets get it right.
By the way, you obviously know ZingerKing.
Who is Zingerking?
Reply to this
The town hall meetings that I have attended were comprised of Dems, Indep and Rep. There was some shouting but nothing like the news reports of a few meetings. These people have legitimate concerns. If the government program is good then communicate the program properly. Lets take the time to understand how things will work. Right now this is being driven very hard and fast which concerns a lot of people. Lets not condemn all attendees because of some of the people. Besides, there is political capital to be gained if these town hall protests can be labeled organized and funded by special interest groups.
Zinger has no problem with a public option that is honestly administered and accounted for. I will write an article on the public option in the near future.
As my past articles have said, health coverage for every citizen is a good idea and one that we can afford if done properly. If the program is set up incorrectly I would rather have no program at all because it will lead to major problems in the future.
Lastly, concerning civil discourse. Our country was founded on the shot heard round the world. Civil discourse does not always work. Sometimes people need to be heard in a harsh way to get peoples attention. The civil rights movement would have never occurred had it not been for civil disobedience. When a government is moving this quickly to make the dramatic changes envisioned, it should be expected that people will react. Change is hard enough, lets get more thoughtful about the process.
That's my view.
ZK
Reply to this
Here is an article that appeared in the Wall Street Journal that looked into the angry town hall mobs. It shows a very different view than the claims of many of those that say these crowds are orchestrated. If the link does not work when you click on it then cut an paste the link into your browser.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204908604574334310398020486.html
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