After months of debate, the Democratic Party delivered on its promise to pass universal health care in the United States on Sunday despite the fact that not a single Republican in the House of Representatives supported the bill.
President Barack Obama addressed the nation, saying, “Tonight, at a time when the pundits said it was no longer possible, we rose above the weight of our politics … We proved that this government, of the people and by the people, still works for the people.”
The people, however, disagree.
While support for the bill has wavered since October, according to Gallup.com, pollsters at the Wall Street Journal and NBC found an eight-point margin of opposition. At Pew and Fox News/Opinion Dynamics, an opposition margin of 10 points was reported.
Apparently partisan politics and agendas are higher priorities to members of Congress than the interests of the American people. This isn’t exclusive to one side of the aisle, however; both parties are to blame.
It is time for elected officials to do their jobs — represent the people.
They aren’t required to appease lobbyists, vote a certain way to conform to their party standards or make blanket statements from the floor that solve nothing.
It is time for the Republican party of “no” to begin voting “yes.” The GOP helped create the social problems the country currently suffers from, and they should vote to help fix them.
A strong sense of patriotism does nothing to help the sick, employ the jobless or educate the millions of students dropping out of school every year.
The Founding Fathers may have had different ideas, but in 1776, the population stood at about 2.5 million people. Today, there are around 300 million people in the U.S.
The Democratic Party also needs to remember that the states have power and resources of their own, and they should have the right to solve the problems they face without interference from big government.
America is a capitalist system, and some people are not going to fare as well as others. That doesn’t mean the country is failing them.
The role of the American government is to protect the people and provide them with a chance at life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That means ensuring people are given the opportunity to succeed. It also means giving them the opportunity to fail. It means providing a hand up, not a handout, so that future generations can enjoy the same opportunities.
Many say that an end to the current two party political system is the answer; they are wrong. Adding another party or two would just create more divisions and make it impossible for Congress to pass anything.
Instead, the representatives that we have need to go back to the drawing board; they need to go back to their constituents.
They should look closely at their motives and ask themselves if they are doing the job they were entrusted to do: represent the people.
Kristin Esparza is a history senior and may be reached at [email protected]
Wow this article is a total contradiction. Way to fail.