Townhall turmoil

I have been amused, surprised, and gratified by the reports I've seen of the raucous townhall meetings on health care. One of the most interesting was the one held by Arlen Specter at Lebanon, Pennsylvania. (Full video is here.) The crowd was just not having any of his non-answers to their questions and concerns. People are skeptical of a government-run program, especially if it deals with something as important as health care. That's an issue that everybody is concerned about, or if they are not now, they will be.

The Democrats have promised universal health care for so long and apparently believe in it so deeply that they can't believe anyone would disagree. But they do and critics see it as a huge bait-and-switch scheme. No matter what the administration says, it will lead to health rationing. No one believes that it will produce the results that are promised. This thing will be run like the postoffice.

What tells you that something is seriously wrong is the hurried efforts to pass it NOW. We can't debate, we can't disbelieve, we must submit to the wisdom of the Obama administration. In the meantime, support is dropping around the country.

Even some Democrats are becoming skeptical. See Camille Paglia's "Obama's healthcare horror." This has become the most talked about topic in the country.

Senator Charles Grassley (R-Iowa): "It seems to me that people are expressing, not just on health care, but people are just very scared about the direction the country is taking."