Congress crowded with healthcare hypocrites

by Thomas D. Mooney, entertainment editor

 

Earlier this month,  19th  Texas District U.S Representative Randy Neugebauer had surgery to remove his prostate.

Neugebauer had the gland removed since he recently was diagnosed with prostate cancer. After successful surgery, Neugebauer released a statement on his official site (and from his Facebook) in which he said, “I am relieved to have the surgery over with and to be able to say that I no longer have prostate cancer, but I HAD prostate cancer. I would like to thank all of the doctors and nurses for their extraordinary care.”

I guess it’s safe to say that Congressman Neugebauer made it past all those “death panels” that Sarah Palin (whose official page is her Facebook) has been warning us about for some time now.

Neugebauer is a Republican from Lubbock who has been a major opponent of health care reform in the United States House of Representatives. 

In late August, Neugebauer said at a Town Hall Meeting in Lubbock that “I’m not going to vote to turn your health care over to the federal government.” He is definitely a staunch conservative. “It’s not just health care that bothers me, it’s the massive intrusion of the government into all areas of this country.”

Of course if I was Neugebauer, I’d love the fact that “intrusion of the government” paid for that prostate removal surgery.

Who is really paying for all these bills? That God-awful communist fascist United States Government-provided health care insurance, that’s who. In other words, taxpayers.

Neugebauer went on to say that the cancer was found during an annual physical, and that he was thankful the problem was detected early.

Dr. Patrick Walsh, the surgeon who performed the surgery, released a statement saying, “this was a textbook case that went perfectly. I expect Congressman Neugebauer to make a full and complete recovery.”

Here is yet another reason that Neugebauer should consider himself lucky. He made it past those tricky ol’ panels of death and destruction, but he also was able to get the surgery done by a physician who is considered to be  one of the top surgeons in the country. As a matter of fact, Walsh has authored the best-selling books “The Prostate: A Guide for Men and the Women Who Love Them” and “Dr. Patrick Walsh’s Guide to Surviving Prostate Cancer.” I guess it’s just the luck of the draw that Neugebauer was able to land the 2007 National Physician of the Year for Clinical Excellence, and not Dr. Just Graduated.

This really isn’t a laughing matter, and I’m glad that Neugebauer has had the surgery, but it really is something. Not too many people have been able to dodge two bullets simultaneously. The two bullets of course being prostate cancer and U.S. Government-controlled health care.

What I am saying is that Neugebauer (and most of his GOP cronies) is being hypocritical. It just seems to me that the “Grand Ol’ Party” just isn’t being fair in this whole health care debate.

On the official Republican website (surprisingly, not Facebook), they claim that they “BELIEVE in equal rights, equal justice and equal opportunity for all, regardless of race, creed, sex, age, or disability.” I guess just not economic status.

They go on to say that they “BELIEVE all people are entitled to equal rights.” Just not when it comes to health care, I’d assume. And of course we should BELIEVE them, since they capitalized the entire word.

They might “BELIEVE” in these “equal rights,” but I think the 47 million uninsured United States citizens might see it a little differently.

I’d actually go as far as to say that not only is the Republican Party full of hypocrites, but that they are just blatantly “anti-American” and “unpatriotic,” two words they just love throwing around about anyone who questions military action and doesn’t have a USA flag bumper sticker.

It’s about time that Democrats give them a dose of their own medicine, no pun intended, when it comes to the health care debate.

Republicans apparently support the troops and Armed Forces more than most, but they just don’t care about poor people. Simple as that.

They have a problem with big government, but they have no trouble with giant corrupt corporations that make the disparity between the upper-class and the rest of Americans grow wildly out of control.

Furthermore, a September poll by The New York Times/CBS found that 65 percent of Americans support and want a public health care option. So why isn’t it a done deal? Why hasn’t Congress just whizzed a bill out? Why, because we haven’t made them. The American people haven’t put enough pressure on their congressmen and congresswomen, and because Democrats are just too passive.

So, it’s fine and dandy that Congressman Neugebauer receives government-issued health care, and that the average American citizen can’t. Or at least that’s how the GOP sees it.

They are just fine with reaping the benefits and selling the rest of America down the river. They do things that are in their best interests, not in the best interests of the country, and by my definition, that’s just as unpatriotic as anything they claim Democrats do.

Should U.S. Government officials receive health care? Of course, but so should every American, and that’s something we should all BELIEVE in.