As an outsider
observer, it disturbs me a bit that protest marches are becoming more
popular in the US. This reflects a wider disconnection between people
and their government. In my Venezuelan case these kinds of marches
have occurred nonstop since the very beginning of this twenty-first
century and nothing beneficial has been achieved for any of the
parties involved. I see marches as a waste of time and resources, as
a new source of mass entertainment that eventually leads to mass
exhaustion. The recent protests in the U.S. are portrayed against
health care but they are also against inflation, taxes and huge
spending by the federal government. The marches could even include
paid propaganda as well. People are paid all the time in third world
countries to protest against or support any number of things. Which
is then a good way to protest against economic mismanagement? Another
popular way of protesting is having lots of similar-minded people
posting their protest in narrow-niche web pages only read by their
supporters. It seems to me that there are more ways to protest than
ever before but their effectiveness with respect to a beneficial
change in public policy are slim.
Paragraphs
throughout this article include juxtaposed, edited and isolated views
from a number of people, including Mary Los and her friends, Kyrriell
Noon and his friends, and E. Varick Wettlaufer. Their input is not
necessarily transcribed in context. Editing these sentences and
deciding their order within this text was actually a minor nightmare
for me. I just limit myself into concluding in the final paragraph
that the current US polarization is widening to everyone's
dissatisfaction.
Many
Americans do not understand why the need for reform on health care
and health insurance is debatable. They argue that even if a person
is sitting pretty and has no personal need for better public policy,
access should not be denied to other, less fortunate people. In their
opinion, health care should be considered a right of citizenship, and
the responsibility should be on all Americans to pay their fair
share. The claim is that the fortunate ones need to learn to live
simply in order that others may simply live. Despite the fortunes
spent, many Americans have not had health care due to their inability
to afford it. Many other industrialized countries have state-funded
healthcare and the system is believed to function successfully, so
theoretically the new United States healthcare system should be able
to function as well. The left claims that the right is terrified of
all the sociological changes they are powerless to control. The left
claims that the right lashes out in impotent rage, shouting "Fire!"
in a crowded, dilapidated, depraved theater, and that the right does
not have a leg to stand on, no evidence of claims, and no alternative
solutions.
There
is also wide support behind the naysayers of healthcare reform.
According to their view public money for healthcare will result in a
system where patients will be waiting for hours at understaffed state
clinics with lousy service. There is also the brainwashing issue,
probably agreed upon by several on both sides of the political
spectrum. Most people in the United States are said to be happy to
believe what they're told. How many genuine free-thinkers are there
in the United States? Anecdotal exaggerations estimate in 5% the
population that makes the effort to think for themselves, so the rest
get fed thoughts by the TV networks, which in turn get fed content by
whoever pays their bills. Masses then sit around to absorb
meaningless messages. Further anecdotal evidence suggests a rise in
expatriates holding permanent residency visas abroad, as they see
their country increasingly heading into the wrong direction.
One
reader of my recent Tax and spend vs. don't tax but spend just as much article asked, “what credibility does a Venezuelan
commentator have when commenting on the American political scene?”
At that time I replied to him that I have as much credibility as the
care I took when compiling the research from many sources. I lived in
the United States for almost seven years and I am well versed on
United States issues because I always keep myself informed over the
internet.
I did not intend then, and do not intend now either, to
supply any prescription or prognosis. That is left out entirely to
the reader. However, on this occasion I can confidently respond a
little further. Having experienced similar plights during the last
decade, a number of Latin American individuals, as opposed to our
similarly inefficient governments, can elaborate with expertise on
United States issues today. What nation doesn't benefit from the
opinions, perceptions, and analysis of outside observers? The
unfortunate experiences of outsiders should serve as an example to
spare US citizens from further political madness.
Rubén
Rivero Capriles, Rivero & Cooper, Inc.
Caracas,
September 17, 2009
