If not reform now, reform when?

Outright lies and blatant misinformation is compelling crowds of ordinary folk to swarm town hall meetings demonizing healthcare reform. Some are getting downright rabid about government-run healthcare, afraid that the government will dictate care despite the fact that we are all paying an average of $10,000 per family per year to a private insurer that does the same thing even worse. Private insurers regularly drop participants and regularly refuse coverage in the name of the bottom line. They are for profit endeavors with a mandate to make money and they will turn down me and you if the numbers dictate that they have to.

I guess someone forgot to inform those anti-reform revelers who are covered by medicaid or medicare that they are already seemingly and/or unknowingly satisfied with the government dictating their care? Or can we conclude that everyone in the crowd is so truly enamored with their private insurer that they can be duped by so-called grassroots organizations into shouting down an initiative before they have all of the facts. Or is it that those in the crowd who are unemployed were content with choosing between COBRA-ing their healthcare at an average of $1,000 a month or having no coverage at all?

Why is it so hard for health reform supporters to prove that these grassroots organizations are not grassroots; that they are using innocent Americans to further the interests of private insurers and the pharmaceutical industry? The rumors are eating away at the sanity of the regular folk as we sit here and watch a fake and vile fringe (note: all true fringes should take heed and disavow this organized corruption of their modus operundi ) hold a good portion of American society hostage with their manufactured bete noir.

Don't get me wrong, I have a healthy fear myself that we will not achieve true reform. We know what the special interests did to the bankruptcy bill, credit card reform bill and Medicare Part D and I shudder to think what egregious insert they will add to the new healthcare bill. However, shouting down any public forum where meaningful debate can take place is an outrage to democracy. Protest all you want but let the case be made first. If not reform now, reform when?