The strange state of American politics
A good friend of mine in Washington DC sent me an e-mail today which includes this comment:
“Our politics suck now–looks like no health care reform. Premiums for private insurance went up an average 8.5% over the past year while premiums charged to retirees on our Medicare jumped more than 12%. Americans have difficulty “connecting the dots” and easily succumb to the fear and scare tactics from the right-wing conservatives doing the bidding of the private insurance companies who want no change.
Think about it: The U.S.–the oldest constitutional democracy–is the only democracy in the world where a person can get the most votes for President and lose (Al Gore), and the majority party in the 100-member Senate needs 50 votes plus ten to pass any legislation. Strange.”