They aren't listening to us

Tea baggers are all the rage with the news media. And why not. They can usually be worked up into some juicy quotes for the camera. It's all great TV. Visually interesting, lots of volume, and pathos all at the same time.

Pathos? One comment from a tea bagger struck me as defining their real issue. He said "They just aren't listening to us."

He is wrong. Washington is listening to them. How could politicians in Washington avoid the constant news stories, the constant bleating of the Republican Party faithful, the ever moving mouths of Palin and her ilk? The problem, at least from the tea bagger perspective, is that Washington listens to them and then acts on the voice of a different constituency.

Therein lies the pathos. The tea baggers have had their concerns held on high for some time now. They are concerned and alarmed that their voice is no longer the defining voice of American government. In truth, their signs could as easily read "What Happened?"

Are they nut jobs because they are following the tea bagger movement? No. They have their point of view and are entitled to voice it. Are there some extremists and half wits involved? Sure. The Democrats have extremists and half wits aplenty as well. Life is just like that.

Do I think they are wrong on health care reform? Yes. It's not a perfect measure by any means. Nor is it hideous. We have to do something and a small step is better than nothing at all. Because we all pay for health care for those who cannot afford it, whether directly, or indirectly. Hospital emergency rooms can't just magically absorb the costs of treating indigent patients. They pass the costs on to patients who can pay, or to insurance companies that do pay. The doctors pass their costs on to other patients as well. Municipal governments who support those hospitals raise taxes, or lower other services to absorb the cost. Insurance companies simply raise their premiums, or find even more ways to deny coverage for those who pay policy premiums. We pay even more for care because hospital emergency rooms are designed for emergencies, not day to day internal medicine.

Is health care reform a refutation of the American entrepreneurial spirit as David Brooks suggests? Maybe. On the other hand, I have a hard time believing that health insurance companies exemplify the American entrepreneurial spirit either.