Where Do We Draw The Line?

Business groups claiming that a generous family medical leave program will basically ruin all American businesses.

Anti-healthcare reform groups encouraging citizens to "shout down" others at meetings with local representatives during the August recess.

A coal company's subcontracted advocacy group stealing the identities of Hispanic and African American groups and sending letters to Congress, supposedly from these groups, saying they're against climate and energy bills.

To add outrage to outrage, I keep hearing that the shouting and yelling citizens at healthcare reform town meetings say they want to "take back America" because I guess the Dems are ruining this country. While all along it's really the puppet master special interest groups pulling their strings that are really ruining the country.

Here's a great commentary, written by Julian E. Zelizer, a professor of history and public affairs at Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School, about special interest groups going too far. How can we stop them?!

How Do You Know Who's Lying?

If you listen to politicians and special interest groups with a touch of cynicism, you probably won't be surprised to hear this: Everything they say is carefully constructed to appeal to certain human emotions (fear, anger, loss, etc.). Speeches are crafted to include easily-digestible "sound bites" that have a nice ring to them. Whether or not there's truth in what's said is secondary -- or not factored in at all.

Here are two "health care reform must fail" strategies that I would find funny if it weren't for the fact that a shocking number of people blindly believe them. These new catchphrases/witticisms are, at best, loosely based on reality. But as long as they mislead a gullible public ... that's all that counts to those who keep repeating them (and repeating them and repeating them).

Health care reform will result in "death care", so say goodbye to granny while you have the chance.
This is, I think, supposed to be loosely based on the fact that some people would like health care reform to emphasize quality-of-life care and end-of-life counseling. But since calling estate taxes "death taxes" was a real bonanza for the GOP in the past, why not revive this old chestnut and use it against health care reform?

Health care reform will turn us into socialists and you'll die waiting for surgery. Or, health care reform will make us like Canada where people wait forever for surgeries and appointments.
This one is always amusing for me, since it's actually pretty tough to find people in Canada who don't like their health care. I know a few people who live there (one isn't even a citizen) and they all love the health care system. And since the cost per citizen is about half of what we pay here ... while still covering EVERYONE ... kinda seems like it would be smart to NOT draw comparisons with Canada if you're looking to point out failure.

Maybe the problems isn't that politicians and special interest groups lie. (Well, that is the problem, but if we're looking for a solution, we can't look to them for one. Why would they stop doing what's always worked?) Instead, we all need to take some responsibility for checking facts and not blindly believing someone just because they're in the same party that we are. In fact, if you're too lazy to check facts, just assume you're being lied to. At least you'll be right most of the time ...