Marco Rubio on the Shutdown

Here the Republican representative from Florida lays out the one clear reason why the shutdown simply must take place. Having been a supporter of many of Rep. Rubio's previous actions, I am yet again disillusioned by the Republican right, or rather the Tea Party movement that has engulfed it.

So, Rep. Rubio, I beg to differ with you. "What stands in the way of the American dream" is not Obamacare. It is the increasing gap in opportunity between upper middle class and working class Americans, underfunded and ineffective secondary education, high taxes (and not just for the top income bracket) and high education costs, all of which lead to large amounts of debt. Obamacare is a drop in the bucket of America's problems at this point, and the Republican fixation on it is disturbing. It is not the top concern of Americans, so shutting down the government over it is plainly absurd.

I would love to save some money and NOT buy insurance, if health care in this country was actually affordable. Should a "hard-working American" forego doctors' visits as he/she chases the "dream"? I think health care is a right, not a privilege. Moreover, in a nation whose citizens are its primary asset, collective well-being is a matter of national security. Why not attack hospitals that double-bill for items and services and doctors who charge exorbitant prices instead?

As an aside, here is a quote from a conservative French newspaper, equivalent of the Washington Post:

Pierre-Yves Dugua, Le Figaro: The U.S. is being humiliated by the inability of its political system to carry out its primary mission: to pass a budget.

Great. We are now the laughing stock of the French people. So much for U.S. credibility and projection of power...