Taking a look at how smart Americans are

How smart are Americans?

One of the boasting points for those governed by a democratic form of government is the belief that the ultimate power rests in the hands of the voters.

In a democracy, residents decide in elections who will represent them in most political offices, including the supreme commander, the president.

Election those who govern is a tremendous responsibility for the voters, because it is incumbent upon them to cast their ballot wisely. Ideally, the voter will have researched all candidates thoroughly in order to determine who would best represent them in office.

I wondered if that would happen during the last presidential election. The country was in the throes of the worst recession in 80 years, mired in an unpopular war, and generally displeased with the direction of the country.

Their choice was simple: an old guy from the same party that had been in power the previous eight years, or a young guy from the other party.

I thought the choice was obvious, and that the election wouldn’t be close.

But then the campaign really got going, and the rumors, false innuendos, and flat-out lies soon followed, directed at the new guy. He was a Muslim. He wasn’t a natural-born citizen. He was a secret operative of the al-Qaeda. He was going to be sworn in on the Koran.

Lies.

Lies.

Lies.

Lies.

Lies.

But I wondered, will Americans be able to see through the haze created by this massive political machine.

How smart are Americans, I asked.

Well, apparently they were smart enough to ignore the rhetoric and voted overwhelmingly for a change. They were tired of the same old same old, and they weren’t going to be distracted by a pack of lies.

Fast forward eight months. Now that new guy, President Barack Obama, is again under attack for his new health care plan.

Many of the same folks who took a whoopin at the polls in November are back in the fight as the President and the Democratic party take another shot at massive health care reform.

Last time they did this, Hilary Clinton was first lady and her husband was at the top of the game. But like Sara Palin in a geography contest, the Clinton’s health care plan bombed big time.

Now Obama is taking another shot at it, although I can’t say I’m too surprised it came in the first year of his presidency. That way, if it fails, he has three years to recover.

And it may very well fail. The machine is back up and running, and spewing out more disinformation. The health care plan means all old people will have a death meeting every five years (they won’t). The government plan will be mandatory (it isn’t.) It will mean the end of the world for insurance companies (it won’t.)

The advertising campaign is in full swing, well funded by private insurance companies who don’t want government competition, doctors who want more malpractice reform and less intervention, and abortion foes who oppose any possibility of a federally-funded abortion.

And of course, the message they are shouting from the rooftops is clear: we don’t want to socialize health care and the government has no business in medicine.

While I find it ironic insurance companies are now chastising government intervention just months after receiving huge bailouts from that save government, I have to wonder what effect this campaign will have on the American mindset.

Ignoring the “socialism is going to be the end of the world” mantra for a minute, the simple fact is there is 46 million uninsured Americans today. That’s a lot.

I would argue that’s too many.

I would also argue that having that many uninsured Americans is an indication of a health care system that needs an overhaul. One without government intervention doesn’t appear to be working for 46 million Americans.

Maybe a government-run insurance plan, to reduce the number of those without medical coverage, would be a good idea. Maybe, the extra competition would lower premium costs offered by private insurance companies. And maybe by reducing the number of uninsured, medical costs would also decrease.

Of course, maybe I’m wrong. Maybe most Americans don’t care enough about the 46 million uninsured. Maybe its not that big of deal and that’s an acceptable figure to keep government out of the health care business.

I just hope that kind of a decision isn’t influenced by a slick advertising campaign than the one that was largely ignored last November.

How smart are Americans?

Gregory Orear is the General Manager/Editor of the Red Oak Express. He can be emailed at publisher@redoakexpress.com