Would people mind to just take it easy on all of the overblown rhetoric? Critics of healthcare reform call Barack Obama a Nazi. Critics of the Patriot Act called George W. Bush a Nazi. There are people who are complaining at town hall meetings on healthcare reform. They don’t like what they’re hearing, and they are vocal about their concerns. Critics of the complainers have said that their complaints are insane. Insane? Really?
I wish people would stop the meaningless, overblown rhetoric. Just because you don’t see the logic of someone’s position, it doesn’t make that person insane. Just because you don’t agree with what W. (and the Republican controlled Congress) did with the Patriot Act after 9/11, it doesn’t make the former President another Hitler. Just because you don’t like President Obama’s (and the Democratic controlled Congress’) ideas on healthcare reform, it doesn’t make the current President another Hitler, either.
Good grief.
After 9/11 we had (and still have) legitimate concerns about protecting ourselves from terrorist threats. The Patriot Act was intended to help law enforcement personnel do their jobs against suspected terrorists. Some people had (and still have) concerns that such legislation is a threat to our civil liberties. There are some logical people on both sides of this argument.
Healthcare costs have been going up for quite some time. Also, a lot of people in this country don’t have healthcare coverage. Healthcare reforms are being drafted to deal with both of these issues. Some people are concerned that you can’t lower costs and provide more people with coverage (especially when the federal government is involved). There are some logical people on both sides of this argument, too.
I have definite opinions on these issues, but it really wasn’t that hard for me to be reasonably even handed in how I presented the information. Why do people make comparisons to Nazis? The Nazis slaughtererd about 11 million people (roughly six million were Jewish) in their death camps because of the Nazis’ repeatedly stated belief in their genetic superiority. And they started a war that killed millions more. None of our politicians are like that, and when people throw names like “Nazi” at politicians they don’t like, what it really shows is a lack of respect for the victims of the Nazis. The sufferings of these victims are trivialized.
The opportunity to debate is an important freedom in our great country, but let’s show a little class in the process.