Why fuss about being a good American?
By Staff
Scot Beard
One week ago President Barack Obama stood before Congress during a nationally televised address to gain support for his proposed health care reform.
During the middle of the speech Representative Joe Wilson – a republican from South Carolina – grabbed headlines across the country by shouting, "You lie" at the president.
Obama was talking about how the changes to health care would apply to illegal immigrants.
Obama said illegal immigrants would not be covered under the plan. One of the several proposed bills making its way through Congress provides health coverage to illegal immigrants.
People, mostly democrats, became enraged by Wilson's behavior. He later called the White House and apologized.
That was not enough and leaders in the Democratic Party have called on Wilson to formally apologize on the floor at the House chamber. He has refused.
Was Obama lying? Maybe.
Was his outburst in poor taste as many people claim? Yes.
Was the backlash from his comments overblown? Absolutely.
In case anybody has forgotten, this is America. There was a time when people were free to express their opinions, which Wilson was doing.
While not knowing the true motives behind his outburst, it is possible that he was doing what everybody in the United States should do – question the leaders of the government.
This country became great many years ago because the lawmakers wanted to make it great. Now, lawmakers only seem interested in themselves. They do or say whatever it takes to get reelected.
Unfortunately those actions have driven away some voters and given many other voters a distrust of the political process.
I would not be surprised to find a poll somewhere that shows a politician's rank on a scale of trustworthiness falls between car salesman and crack head.
It is nice to know there is at least one politician willing to stand up for what he believes in, whether he is right or wrong.
Wilson obviously felt Obama was intentionally deceiving the American public and he acted the best way he saw fit.
Wilson was only continuing a long line of political questioning that began more than 200 years ago when a bunch of guys got together in Philadelphia to commit treason against Britain. Those guys – the Founding Fathers – did not trust in a British government that taxed the colonies without representation.
Wilson does not trust an American government where one political party can force through legislation without compromising with the other party.
The Founding Fathers did not trust the federal government. The system of checks and balances they instituted are some of the most complex found in any democratic government on Earth.
Wilson was merely continuing that distrust.
Was his choice of timing and setting the appropriate place to make such as stand?
That is not the question that should be asked. People should ask, "Why aren't more legislators doing the same thing?"
