The Blame Bill

Over the past week, there have been many discussions about the biggest change in American government of the new millennium: health care reform. While the recently signed bill will bring about the adaptation of a different health system, it has also been the cause of debate between residents.

The words have been tossed back and forth between democrats, republicans, independents and other opinionated Americans. Each group blames another for the problems of government, without actually looking at the issue at hand. It is simply easier for them to point fingers and be angry at the wrong people in order to make themselves feel justified against a government that does not adhere to their own wants and values.

While these accusations can be made and the health care reform bill may upset the public, there are those who feel the wrong issue is being discussed in the media.

“This is not a republican or democrat issue. That division amongst people is the reason legislation like this got through against the will of the majority of Americans,” said Jay Grayson, an outspoken political analyst. “We are too busy fighting each other over the wrong things.”

With the current presidential situation, a non-white president who is also a democrat and a non-Christian, the battles have new weapons being tossed into the mix. But using personal characteristics against a person is just another reason why all of the spotlight against the bill has taken an unnecessary turn.

“Trying to make this a ‘race’ issue is exactly what is wrong with those who want to discredit anyone who disagrees with their viewpoint and doesn’t have the ability to rightly defend their beliefs,” said Perry Perrett, a Baptist minister.

Placing blame on others is something people learn to do as children. Little Johnny finds that if he tells his mother that his sister was the one who broke her favorite vase, he cannot get punished for it. As adults, people also find it beneficial to blame others when something goes wrong. Someone who does not understand how the quadratic formula works may place blame on his or her math teacher, instead of accepting the fact that he or she slept through that class and did not bother to learn it. Blame is just a way of making sure the liability lies on others and responsibility does not have to be taken.

Psychological theory and research of why humans place blame on one another is complicated and still incomplete. There are many different situations where people decide it is much easier to accuse another than accept consequence, although all end with the same result; people simply do not want to accept change.

When it comes to the reform, the media has spent more time discussing how one group is up in arms against another, instead of focusing on the terms of the bill. It is just another reason why people are programmed to blame and cannot help but point fingers.

“There’s been a lot of focus on the political drama and not quite as much on the bill itself,” said Dr. Dion Farganis, an assistant political science professor at Bowling Green State University. “[The media] knows that political battles are more likely to sell papers or get people to watch or click than detailed policy analyses.”

Though the hype is at its peak during the beginning stages of the reform, Farganis makes it clear to remind the people that even though there are many against it now, there is no telling what the future holds.

“I do think once the bill becomes law, some of the opposition may decrease in size and intensity as people see that the law is not as bad as it has been portrayed,” he added. “It’s also possible that the reform won’t work and that it will, in fact, increase taxes and bureaucracy, in which case support for the bill will erode. There’s just no way to predict any of that yet.”

In the mean time, while the health care reform hasn’t had the time to really show signs of failure of success, people will continue to complain and criticize. The argument can be made that blame is only because of human nature, but most likely, it’s just someone else’s fault.