My first thought when I heard the whole story was, "where did he think he was, the lower house of Parliament?" If you haven't seen video footage or heard a tape of someone delivering an address to the House of Commons on a controversial issue, that might be something worthwhile trying to find on You Tube. They are hooting and hollering during the speech and making their displeasure on certain statements quite loudly known before the whole gathering. It seems like it would be unnerving for the speaker, but that is the accepted procedure across the pond.
However, that is not the way that members of the U.S. House and Senate have agreed to comport themselves. There are very specific rules which ensure that the men and women we have elected to represent us in Washington, DC, treat each other with respect and dignity. Mr. Wilson got a slap on the wrist today, but I personally believe he should have gotten a lot more. And the same party who believes that it is not our responsibility to help ensure that all Americans have affordable health care, is holding up Mr. Wilson as a hero. I have a problem with that.
We currently have a health care system that pays a medical team more handsomely for amputating the leg of a person suffering from diabetes, rather than to invest in aggressive preventative measures to help get them healthier by making behavioral changes (better diet, more exercise, etc.) that greatly reduce the threat of potentially losing that limb in the first place. I have a problem with that too.
As my husband says, I like people to follow the rules. But the rules need to apply to everyone equally. And if you don't follow the rules, you need to be punished, not rewarded. That's my two cents, and it is probably worth just about that much!!!
* They also have a really cool shadow cabinet made up of opposition members, which is a practice that I actually think we SHOULD borrow.
