Justice Has To Be Shown To Be Done
I grew up thinking the Supreme Court was the almighty arbiter of truth and justice. I had reverential respect for the institution.
Nowadays, I can't stop thinking of how much they disappoint me.
The Supreme Court is made of humans, and at this point in time, they've been shown everywhere as a group of dysfunctional,deeply flawed (biased) partisans, mostly Republicans. I think one of the worst, possibly the most obvious example of their inefficiency was thrust into the open for all to see when one of them called the President -- 'Liar' -- in the formal setting of the State of the Union address. Still shocks me.
Honestly, how is that a fine example of the virtues the American people expect them to possess, such as self-restraint and thoughtful consideration?
They see a police force around the country that is fragmented and unconnected and cannot possibly be doing a good job, where a speed limit charge costs more than a week's worth of groceries, and yet murderers and rapists are set free.They know this and yet do nothing to correct it, help the police patch together their findings, and prove justice is being done.
I pity them, and yet they anger me. They have the power to do a better job and make America a better place to live. It's not enough to do nothing as they often appear, they have to actually do the right thing, or at least do something.
One of the areas where they could take leadership is surely healthcare. Most studies show other countries do healthcare better. Doctors and nurses, the helping professions, must be protected from expensive lawsuits to begin with, without being totally exempt from punishment. Any basic summary of healthcare systems around the world, provided consumers like the system, shows that in all cases the government made the decision that everyone should be covered in some form. In addition, patients around the world in these better countries are covered whether they contribute or not to the system simply because they are there.
It's the civilized and the right thing to do, and the Supreme Court needs to be reminded.
Other countries are aware of how many people are in the country and who they are, but why doesn't America? America lacks in this way as well. They don't know who's even here! How can the country ignore twelve million illegals, many of whom are children? From childhood, they've been invested in, their educations funded by our property taxes, so how can they possibly be expected to self-deport i.e. just go away? Defies belief.
When the country looks to the Supreme Court for leadership, I see a breakdown in leadership, justice, and the power of the government.
Every time I hear a politician say America is the biggest and best superpower in some world, I tune out their empty words. Too late for that, I'm afraid, sorry.
AFTERWORD: I'm glad to hear the Supreme Court passed Obamacare. Not passing it would have been such a great hardship for so many. My hope is that healthcare can be unified for all, just as time zones and train track rails had to be unified by federal mandate. I used to hope business could do it, but as the auto makers proved, business cannot unify healthcare. Healthcare for all will only become a reality by federal force, as happened earlier in England and Canada.
Here's a wordle of reader's reactions to Obamacare at Daily Beast...Relief being the most popular!
Courtesy: The Daily Beast