Before a society can make intelligent choices about something that affects its citizenry, it must know the facts. In the United States the debate over health care reform is degenerating into violence and at least one congressman (Brad Miller of North Carolina) has received a death threat for his support of Obama’s health care plan. There has been a carefully orchestrated misinformation campaign that has spread rumors that, among other things, Americans would be forced to give up their private insurance and that seniors would be euthanized. Neither of these things are true.
Personally, I would rather see the government focus attention on ensuring that Americans can purchase their own health insurance no matter who they work for or what their pre-existing conditions are. I also saw first-hand how medical centers give expensive tests to people (me) who don’t need them just because insurance will cover them. (I went in to an emergency room needing pain medication and ended up with $8000 in Cat-scans and EKGs.) Clearly an overhaul is needed. But why not discuss the situation intelligently? Why must the debate become violent?
Thanks to Jill, I found this commentary by Paul Krugman. Krugman shares this interesting anecdote:
There was a telling incident at a town hall held by Representative Gene Green, D-Tex. An activist turned to his fellow attendees and asked if they “oppose any form of socialized or government-run health care.” Nearly all did. Then Representative Green asked how many of those present were on Medicare. Almost half raised their hands.
Obviously, Medicare IS government-run health care. Krugman makes the point this commentary (an excellent read!) that if the citizenry that are so violently opposed to Obama’s health care reform don’t know what they are opposed to, then they are actually opposed to something else.
The group that stands to lose the most from a public health care option is the insurance companies themselves, and one group funding the battle for health care reform is called Conservatives for Patient’s Rights, or CPR. CPR uses the same PR firm that devised the so-called Swift Boat attacks and is headed by Richard Scott, former head of the hospital chain HCA that was the subject of an FBI investigation resulting in 14 felony convictions and $1.7 billion in fees and fines for Medicare fraud. As Krugman says, you can’t make this stuff up.
Some commentators are using racial bias to explain this dramatic resistance to Obama’s policies, but I feel that this can only go so far. Certainly there is an element of that present, but the panic and anxiety that fuels this kind of intensity has its roots in a fear of change.
Astrologically we can tie this to a couple of different planetary cycles. First is the opposition of Saturn to Uranus which I discussed on the radio show this morning (you can listen to the archived show here). The first phase of this cycle occurred on election day and ushered in a five-part cycle of tension between the status quo (Saturn) and a radical change from what we know (Uranus). We are seeing this in virtually every area of life and every political system around the world. The second of course is Pluto having entered Capricorn in 2008 and setting off the destruction and renewal (Pluto) of the societal structures that are the foundation of society (Capricorn).
The Triple Conjunction of Jupiter, Chiron and Neptune have also had a significant effect here. Chiron is the urge for healing, and Neptune brings illusion and a desire to transcend the limitations of the practical. Jupiter in its role as King of the Gods can be arrogant and self-righteous as well as bountiful and expansive. When three planets come together in a conjunction it can be either positive or negative, depending upon the individual and the situation. This has been a very painful time for many people as the necessity for healing old wounds (Chiron) collides with their dreams and illusions (Neptune), and then the addition of Jupiter gives them the confidence they need to step out and aggressively defend their positions.
The opposition of Saturn and Uranus will make its third exact hit (out of five total) on September 15, and the two planets are in alignment now. Jupiter, Chiron and Neptune will be traveling together into the late fall, so this panic and anxiety that we are seeing will not soon subside.
Read Previous Post
