Respect Others, Respect Self

These days I try not to read disturbing news related to health care reform. It does not really matter in what particular program President Obama is involved he is going to be ripped apart by the right-wing conservatives of our country.

First he and his constituents are being lam-blasted because of health care reform. Then he is being assaulted for wanting to speak to and encourage the school children to make goals for bettering their education. What will be next?

It is immensely disturbing to me that at Town Hall Meetings some people try to shout down the speaker who is trying to answer questions about health care. It is frightening to me that conservatives are so seemingly hate filled that they cannot allow civil discourse to take place. It shows a disrespect for our system of government and for democracy itself.

It is even more disconcerting to me that some individuals attend these meetings with rifles or handguns. To me that does not just say I have a right to bear arms, it is saying I have a right to intimidate everyone around me into being quiet. Not only is it frightening to people who attend these meetings, but when this is done at an event where the president or vice president are present it makes the job protecting them even more difficult for the secret service and police officers.

Last night was a prime example of showing disrespect when a congressman yelled out during the presidents speech, "You lie!". Thankfully he was asked by members of his own party to apologize to the president for his outburst. He did apologize, but the damage was done. The entire country saw what a disrespectful person Representative Wilson is and I wonder how many people lost respect for the congressman because of his remark.

Perhaps the divide is too great, perhaps hope is waning for liberals, moderates, and conservatives of Congress come together in some bi-partisan fashion to reform health care in our country. We do not need scare tactics in the form of wrong information being put out to frighten citizens. We need honest answers to honest questions.

If Congress and Presidents past had not shown courage in the face of diversity we would still be a segregated country and many people (women and minorities alike) would not have the right to vote. Surely we can overcome this divide to discuss what we can do to provide health care for all Americans.

Change is difficult, but that does not mean it is a bad thing, is wrong, or will make us become a Fascist country. What it does mean is we as human beings care about our fellow man/woman and want to do what is necessary to improve the lives of us all. If we must debate these issues let us not partake in name-calling and intimidation. Rather let us debate the issues using civility and showing respect for one another.