i am wondering how all this mess will end. poor obama.
Dear K, I am sure you know very well, what we have in the greatest democracy the word has ever seen is not democracy at all. Well that is a bit of a hyperbole, but it is not completely outlandish.
The legislature of each state gets to draw the electoral district lines for members of congress (Same as lok sabha MP), and draw they do, that best suits their nefarious designs of maximizing their own party's chances. This process got its own name, gerrymandering, after the Mass governor Gerry who was a notorious offender.
Next, the two senator per state rule where California with almost 37 million and Wyoming about 1/2 million, both get two senators. On top of this, senate rules permit unlimited debate and 60 votes are required to stop debate. So, a group of small state senators can in effect stop any legislation they don't like.
Recently, a single senator from Kentucky was able to delay the jobs bill because the senate rules call for unanimous consent for certain senate procedural steps.
On top of all this, senators are beholden to big corporations and interest groups that make huge contributions for their electoral funds. Recently, the US supreme court struck down a electoral campaign finance reform in a broad and sweeping way that no limits now apply for the financial contributions corporations can make.
All of this contributes to changing the status quo extremely difficult, especially if corporate interests are threatened.
Now, the proposed health care reforms call for individual mandates that is going to generate huge demand for insurance companies. The insurance companies like this part of the reform. But, to keep the premium costs in check, an independent public-sector non-profit plan, was part of the proposal. This, the insurance companies did not like. So, they made sure this is killed. So, now, we have a bill that promises huge new market for the insurance companies without any restraint with respect to insurance premiums.
On the consumer side, the middle-class seniors dependent on medicare are scared stiff that they face the same predicament like Carol Y. Vliet. They are afraid the proposed medicare cuts to hospitals and doctors will degrade their health-care.
The only sensible solution that most, if not all, advanced industrial countries have found is some form of single-payer system that promises better health care at lower cost. This plan was not even part of the starting gambit because the corporate interests made sure of that. Senator Dick Durbin of Michigan said a few months back from the floor of the senate, the body to which he belongs, the senate is a fully owned subsidiary of the wall street banks. But the ownership is also shared by many large corporate interests including the health care sector. The recent supreme court ruling makes sure it stays that way.
What we have is more United State of MNC than United States of America.
Cheers!
