It's more than just Health Care Reform

If there is anyone out there who still wonders why the problems this country faces have become all but insolvable, read the latest goings on in the Senate's debate over health care reform legislation.

Republicans as ever remain the consumate, staunch obstructionists, utilizing every tactic imaginable to delay any Democrat sponsored measure from being voted upon by the full Senate, in this instance legislation on health care reform.

When Senator Bernie Saunders, (I. VT) proposed his amendment to the health care bill, (admittedly long with 767 pages), a plan that had a single payer medicare type system replacing the current private health care system, Republicans in the body forced the Senate clerk to read the entire text of the senators amendment. After almost three hours of the clerk's reading, with only a handful of senators in attendance, Saunders withdrew his amendment to allow debate to resume.

Of course, Republicans are not alone as the only culprits in the middle of the shenanigan's that goes for "debate" on the reform of health care.

Democrats too, (who often are their own worst enemy), supposedly have the requisite 60 seat, filabuster proof majority, are beset themselves with "blue dog" members who also obstruct, delay and demand fealty to their demands and are more in line with the Republicans on the issues rather than with their colleagues in the Democratic majority. Thus the filabuster proof magic number of "60" is nothing more than a mirage that results in placating "blue dog" members with excessive damaging compromises. The ultimate result is a gutting of any meaningful reform of health care; just the continued operation of the existing uncompetitive system of private health insurers' domination as the primary providers who have been the perpetrators of the most bloated,inefficient and costly system that is rated 37th in the world in the quality of it's services.

However, it is more than just health care reform. We must face the fact that the present electoral and governing system in place makes our nations problems intractable and resistant to any real reform that would benefit its people. The system is infested with lobbyists, mostly former legislators and government insiders, who represent the big moneyed and special interests, whose contributions to the campaign chests of select legislators of Congress result in their obstruction, delay, and inaction that bring damaging compromises that results in bad legislation and laws which provide little oversight, regulation and enforcement, and all to the benefit of those interests whose influence dominates the process.

Senator Dick Durbin,D. Ill. let the cat out of the bag some months ago when he was being interviewed by a local Chicago radio station where, referring to the financial industry's influence in the Senate he confessed, "Frankly, they own the place".

Sadly, this "ownership" involves more than just the financial industry. The same can be said for the private health care industry, big "pharma", the defense industry, big oil and all the other mega corporate industries that dominate and litter the landscape. There should be no mystery as to why things are the way they are.

Views expressed on this page are those of the authors and not necessarily those of Campaign for America's Future or Institute for America's Future