Signs of Sanity

Occasionally, sanity prevails and candid, honest appraisals of the situation bubble up from the rhetoric. Joe Cao, the sole Republican representative who voted yes on the Health Care bill offered the most refreshingly real answers to really serious questions. Asked why he voted on the bill, he noted that many in his district are poor and in need of health care (he won a typically democratic seat when William Jefferson was indicted on a number of counts of fraud, et al.). And, he hinted at the fact that nobody really knows what is the right or wrong thing to do here, because politics and solving big problems require "leaps of faith."

Only time will tell, that is if the Senate successfully passes a bill, if this works. Action is often better than inaction, but like my perspective on gay marriage (see a prior post), I am willing to take a wait-and-see approach. Likely nothing bad will happen, and with any legislation, loopholes can be fixed, new legislation can be amended in light of new information, and nothing truly is irreversible. Bigger deficits are not good, but neither are uninsured peoples, uncapped and rising health care costs, and insurance companies in general. Vested interests are anathema to the democratic process.

Finally, I don't know how excited to be. Last night I felt like we took a huge step towards providing a stronger social safety net, though this morning sober practicality has led me to wonder just what we are doing. As a humanist, I know this is the right path; as an evolutionist I wonder if we should let nature take its course; and as a sociologist I know the middle choice is indefensible given the way resources are unequally distributed, and not simply because some work harder than others. Let's hope we get this right, because we are running out of time.