Of the people, by the people and...

… For The People

The heath care bill that just passed was the single largest piece of legislation to pass in almost 50 years.  It will define Obama’s administration and for better or for worse, it will undoubtedly change our country.  And that’s where the issue lies.  Will the change be good or bad?  For the past year, health care was this nation's most combative issue.  There was a clear line drawn and you had to pick a side. 

The truth is, other than the major talking points and what I’m able to deduce from news articles, I don’t really know what’s in the bill.  It’s 1,000 pages and even if I wanted to, I couldn’t finish it let alone break down all of the possible effects that it can have on the American people.  But I support the bill and I am happy that it passed because I recently regained the one thing that this country is missing…

Trust.

We no longer trust our government to do the right thing.  We always think there’s some ulterior motive or secret agenda.  I for one held my flag of cynicism high in the sky.  In the midst of a career, a family and countless other responsibilities, its unrealistic for the average citizen to understand the nuances of every thing that happens with our government.  It’s why we elect officials - to serve our needs as their constituents.  In order for this arrangement to work, we have to trust that they will do their job.

So no, I can’t accurately predict how this Health Care bill will affect my tax bracket in 2025 or whether my grandkids will be faced with an increased deficit or not.  I’m not 100% sure that the changes to policy won’t ultimately reduce the quality of my care or indirectly drive up my premiums.  But what I did know was that our health care system was broken and for decades, my government failed to make any real change.

On November 4, 2008, I voted for a President that recognized the need to drastically reform health care and was determined to be the one to make change.  And on that day I chose to trust him.  So we can all go back and forth attempting to predict the future, but I won’t focus on moot points and irrelevant debates.  Instead I’ll focus on how my President made a promise to his constituents and asked that we trust that he’ll get it done.

And he delivered.

And I appreciate that.