Okay, midnight ideas don't always shine as brightly by light of day, but here t'is: as the Healthcare Reform Bill was so strongly contested before being signed into law this past Tuesday, why not let the people decide?
The ballot above, with the simple yes or no vote, would give each American a voice in whether or not he or she WANTS to see the HCR law implemented.
There would be time now for debate, two years, for the merits and demerits of the HRC law to be appraised, praised or denounced by the public which our government is supposed to be serving. Nothing kicks in until 2014, although the extra taxes have already begun to be collected.
Why would the politicians in Washington vote in favor of having this question put on the 2012 ballot?
Cover. Self interest. A chance to get out from under the HCR cloud.
If, for example, Senator Al Franken wants to win re-election, and 90% of the population votes NO on the referendum, he can say, "The people have spoken. I now reject the HCR Act of 2010, and demand that an alternative measure be sought."
Wishful thinking? Or would it be more in keeping with what should happen in a Democracy?
Carl Sandburg was one of the most overrated wordsmiths of the last century, but I love the name of one of his epic 'poems': "The People, Yes."
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