Currently, the Supreme Court of the United States is debating whether the Affordable Care Act, the controversial health care reform bill ‘lovingly’ dubbed Obamacare (or Romneycare, depending on how closely you look at it) by its opponents, is or is not constitutional.  The main point of the arguments centers on whether Congress has the right to instate a federal mandate to force citizens to buy health insurance or if this is beyond the power given to the legislature by the Constitution.
The Supreme Court hasn’t conducted procedures on such a high profile current issue arguably since Bush v. Gore after the contested 2000 presidential election.  The buzz of those politically in the know has been sparked up again, leading to more Newt Gingrich style apocalyptic hyperbole as everyone begins to speculate on how the Court will rule, even though the decision isn’t expected to be delivered until sometime this summer, at the earliest.
Just as we all feared Washington, D.C. becoming the next Athens, Greece during this summer’s debt crisis debacle over an artificial limit on borrowing money that doesn’t actually exist, the usual suspects on both sides have all jumped to the extremes of what effects the Court’s final decision could have.
While the constitutionality discussion is important, not only to this bill but also to the core ideas of what our congress is capable of instating in our laws, the theatrics and entertainment spectacle that the process has become is a shame.
Every news outlet, liberal, conservative and everywhere in between, has written or aired specials on the Supreme Court procedures. Exclusive this and live from D.C. only on station “X” that. In creating a story line similar to a TV show drama, filled with all the stock political caricatures, the news media has largely failed to educate and inform the public on the actual substance of the health care bill.
The average American can tell you about Senator Kerry’s arrogant confidence that the bill will be upheld and that House Speaker Boehner will be crying out of vindication if the bill is struck down, or sobbing about his unlikely reelection bid if the Court sides with Obama; but who can truly say they understand the basic rules and implications within the almost 1,000–page piece of legislation?
The reporter’s job is to inform the public of the facts on the bill, not run E! style gossip of the political theater surrounding the debate.  The pundits are featured screaming about our moral duty, the founding fathers, our social conscience, and any other grand buzz word that comes to mind—but where are the experts? Why don’t news outlets feature doctors, insurance company executives, health sector researchers on their stations and papers to delve into the real issue of dealing or not dealing with the uninsured and the faults or benefits of health care in America?
So as America gets swept up in the tidal wave of bickering and hysterics that is sure to continue throughout the health care bill debates, take the time to ignore the media blitz of asinine controversy and instead educate yourself on the bill by scouring reports and reputable sources—if the media won’t do the right job for us, we’ll just have to do it ourselves to keep away from the black hole of intellectual laziness.