Civility is Alive and Well in National Politics...YOU LIE!

This just in...Joe Wilson is an asshole with no manners. But it isn't just Joe Wilson that has forgotten what his mother taught him. People are ranting and raving at townhall meetings, parents are afraid to let their children hear an innocuous speech by the President, and the punditry continues to stoke the fire.

Now, I'll cut the pundits a break here, because that's what they do-they stoke the fire, talk in histrionics, and make sweeping over-generalizations and intellectually lazy arguments that appeal to the groundling in us all. Maybe I'm giving humanity a little too much credit, but I can't bring myself to believe that the pundits truly believe the tripe they spew on the cable news networks. This is true for both the Fox News and the MSNBC crowds. It's all about the ratings, people.

But the virulent river of wasted words has begun to flood into the halls of Congress, from the mouths of our elected representatives. This is pathetic. I repeat, this is pathetic. Civility is a cornerstone of democracy. Without civility, without an ability to hear opposing points of view, we will never reach the compromises that have defined our legislative process since the Constitution was written. When the Joe Wilsons of the world interrupt a speech, they signal an inherent disrespect for the speaker that in turn signals an unwillingness to compromise and build legislation that will move our country forward.

I am of the firm belief that the legislative process should be like settling a lawsuit-the best settlements, like the best legislation, truly please no one. Everyone had to give up something in order to get something. That is a principle I think we have forgotten as a nation. You must experience some pain to bring about positive change. But instead of girding our proverbial loins, and accepting a solution that might cause a little pain in the short run, we act out like children. This is truly a pathetic state of affairs.

Joe Wilson makes a valid point, that the healthcare legislation must address how we pay for healthcare for illegal immigrants. But Joe Wilson is fooling himself if he thinks that we don't already subsidize hospital care for illegal immigrants. Our hospitals cannot turn anyone away, by law, until that person is in stable condition. If an illegal immigrant shows up in the emergency room, he must be stabilized. Assuming that person has no health insurance, it is highly unlikely that he will be able to pay the bill. The hospital, after a meaningless effort to collect the money owed it, will then in turn write off the bill on its taxes. We, the American taxpayers, have just subsidized health care for an illegal immigrant. And we have been doing it this way for years.

So why not address the problem in legislation, that will set out a proactive process for handling the issue, instead of allowing the money to seep into the system through the back door? Why not assert a little control over the situation, give the government a little more say in how it spends its money? Because Joe Wilson, and people like him, are assholes, that's why.