Jackson Free Press

Republicans managed to snag a U.S. House of Representatives majority last week, and many consider this a "mandate" to repeal health-care reform meant to hold insurance companies accountable and provide more people with health-care options.

Few people are completely happy with the reform President Barack Obama signed into law in March. It could have contained a public option that, in time, may have moved expensive middlemen out of the health-care picture. It could have done more to hold insurance companies accountable. The idea of paying for previously unaffordable health insurance seems daunting—at least before you consider the government subsidies that will help pay for it.

But despite flaws, the public did not elect Republicans to repeal so-called "Obamacare." FOX News exit polls show only half of Americans want health-care reform repealed; the other half want it either left alone or strengthened.

Polls show the public elected Republicans to create jobs faster than the last team. The November vote amounts to a vote against Democrats for not overcoming Republican blockades in the House and Senate and producing more opportunities for employment through a better stimulus program, a more intense re-education program or the opening of new industry in the nation's energy infrastructure, among other things.

And any politician with a brain knows that he or she is whistling through his own keyhole if he really thinks the president will allow his signature legislation to be repealed. Despite national frustration with Democratic accomplishments, the GOP only managed to nab one chamber this year. The second chamber, with its Democratically appointed committee heads, will probably not even allow a House repeal to get to the president's desk for a veto.

What voters want their lawmakers to do is create jobs. They want them now—and they're pretty sure you can't tax-cut your way into a better economy. Congress cut the hell out of taxes under President Bush, and voters don't recall the flurry of new jobs that opened up under "W." What they do recall, however, is the devastation of millions of jobs vanishing since December 2007.

The Jackson Free Press has spoken with a host of Republicans (and tea partiers) to hear how they would create jobs, but we've yet to hear a reality-based answer. In fact, we've heard nothing beyond "repeal Obamacare" and extend tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans—because everybody knows rich people will hire people rather than plunk their untold millions into a bank account and their kids' trust funds, right?

Let's be frank: Trickle-down economics don't work. Rich people don't power the nation's work force and extending their tax cuts will add hundreds of billions to the deficit. Commit now to increasing jobs, but acknowledge the tragic failure of the national supply-side economics experiment under Republican regimes since Ronald Reagan. Then, and only then, will you manage to keep voters from tossing you back into a tar pit in 2012, just like they did in 2008.

Previous Comments

ID

160923

Comment

Hopefully, the economy will turn around creating for the public more jobs to be filled. As this happens, I hope Obama talks a good game while the Democrats do all they can to put the screws back to the republicans. How in the hell can decent folks vote republicans back into office after they have screwed us for 8 years before. I told y'all that republican office holders and constituents don't give a crap about facts or the truth. All they're interested in is lying, signifying and pretending so long as they score points. Obama needs to show the good people of the public why he graduated with honors from law school by slaying the devil even if it requires lying and deceit too. If he's good enough at it he will impress republicans, Democrats and Independents and win 4 more years. And the last 4 years he knows as I do that slaying the devour (republicans) is priority one.

Author

Walt

Date

2010-11-15T18:56:54-06:00