Majority Rules - Republicans and Health Care Reform

I watched the US House of Representatives vote to pass historic health care reform while working on a laptop computer. On Sunday night around 10 PM, on March 20th, while voting began, I was inside Maine's historic capitol building with a group of vigilant advocates. We were keeping ourselves awake while monitoring a Maine legislative Committee on Appropriations and Financial Affairs who were working on votes for the state's budget.

Democrats were easily differentiated from the Republicans in our antechamber of lobbyists. All (I mean all) the Democrats were mesmerized by our laptop computers while watching the health care reform vote on C-Span on the Internet. Republicans, on the other hand, were in the upper room attending a caucus. They clearly snubbed us Democrats by not joining with our colleagues during the history making vote.

Today, President Obama signed the Health Care reform bill into law. One would think the sky was going to cave in as Republicans whined and carried on about this landmark legislation. Although it's raining in Maine today, I expect the sun to shine tomorrow. Gloom and doomsday predictions by the Republicans are saber rattling rhetoric aimed to scare America's right wing tea party advocates into mobilizing for support of repealing this important legislation.

Respect for "majority rule" doesn't seem to hold with Republicans who now vow to repeal the reforms. They conveniently use the law to their advantage but discard the fundamentals of a majority in a democracy. Republicans often carry the US Constitution around in their pocket like a prayer book, but appear to turn on the basic tenet of a democratic government. Although the vote was not bi-partisan, it was a majority vote margin. Health Care Reform is now the law of the USA.

Truth be told, Republicans want nothing better than to stir up trouble for all social programs like Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and now health care reform. Those who support progressive social policy must diligently protect the last century's social reforms. We must protect every American's right to a life secured by an earned retirement accompanied by access to quality and affordable health care, regardless of a person's ability to pay. It's the right thing to do. Republicans who argue about doing the right thing should explain otherwise. They can't. Rather, they invent meaningless slogans like "Socialized Medicine!" Listen up, Socialism is not medicine. It's like saying Democracy is oceanography.

Now that majority rules on health care reform, we Democrats are required to protect what our predecessors fought for and, thus far, achieved. We now carry the torch for supporting social reforms to care for our fellow Americans, regardless of their political persuasion. Let's act like a responsible majority and rule with enlightened compassion. Let's also pray for good guidance during these politically charged times.

Thank you to all Democrats who voted for Health Care Reform - finally!