# Where the fuck are the people? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [September 10, 2009, 8:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-the-fuck-are-the-people/509529 "2009-09-10T08:19:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![threemae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/5f9b8f/32.png) [@threemae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/threemae)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2009, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-the-fuck-are-the-people/509529/21 "2009-09-10T15:38:14Z")
In my opinion reform has stalled to date because Obama has failed to make a specific proposal which important constituents could form a specific opinion on. Generally, I support some type of healthcare reform but there are a lot of versions floating through Congress that could prove very detrimental to my interests, so I’m not going to expend enormous effort carrying on about the drastic need for healthcare reform before the president has presented me with a specific proposal which explains how it will work. This lag may have been due to the fact that the White House was busy negotiating with important, organized stake-holders like insurance and pharmacy companies. I hate to say it, but even a nominal amount of money directed at a fear-mongering campaign by any one of these groups can kill the process, so it’s important that Mr. Obama avoid goring anyones ox too directly. I doubt it will be perfect, but the broad outlines presented yesterday might be good enough for me, and its possible that Mr. Obama will be able to generate some new momentum on this issue. ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2009, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-the-fuck-are-the-people/509529/22 "2009-09-10T15:48:18Z")
> [@Death\_of\_Rats](#): > > This does not mean what you think it means. Yes, it does. She knows what it actually means, but “willful ignorance” is her shtick here. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2009, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-the-fuck-are-the-people/509529/23 "2009-09-10T17:50:50Z")
> [@PrettyVacant](#): > > People were out there voting when it mattered, they were out there on inauguration day - how many hundred thousand, why aren’t the people he’s helping out there on the streets of DC surrounding the capital building demanding the changes he was elected to make? Look, we had hundreds of thousands of people in the streets of DC in January or February 2003, protesting against the Iraq War, and you know what? The media practically ignored those protests. But they’ll put 40 people at one of those wingnut ‘tea parties’ on the air. The left has realized that there’s no payoff to marching in the streets. And given that it’s a lot of work, why bother? There are other ways to make one’s voice heard. ---
**Author:** ![sqweels](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f19dbf/32.png) [@sqweels](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sqweels)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2009, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-the-fuck-are-the-people/509529/24 "2009-09-10T18:16:45Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > A guy at my health club showed up yesterday. His lymphoma has come back. He has lost his job .He does not know how long he will have coverage. He has had 3 chemo treatments and has lost his hair. His insurance company had refused to pay for tests the doctor has ordered. The doc says a CT scan does not give a specific enough image for him to assess the cancer. The insurance company has over ruled the doc and will not pay for it. He will have to pay for the test himself. > The insurance company will drop him soon. He has resigned himself to going bankrupt while he is very sick. He is 44 years old. That is some health care system we have. For a minute there I thought you were going to say, “And yet he opposes Obama’s health care reform initiative”. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2009, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-the-fuck-are-the-people/509529/25 "2009-09-10T18:32:31Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > The insurance company will drop him soon. He has resigned himself to going bankrupt while he is very sick. He is 44 years old. That is some health care system we have. It takes a while to go bankrupt. He’ll probably be dead first. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![GusNSpot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gusnspot/32/436_2.png) [@GusNSpot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GusNSpot)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2009, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-the-fuck-are-the-people/509529/26 "2009-09-10T18:39:20Z")
It is not about one poor guy and his troubles. Yeah, he is getting a shit life end. If your on the sick side, the healthy people should pay everything they have to save you. Hu huh !!! If you are on the healthy side, you would rather feed your kids than take care of the sick side since you can’t really afford to do both. We in this country have bought into the silly notion that any one life is worth any amount of $$$ to save. It just ain’t so. If you all felt that way for real, you would never break a driving law again, would wear helmets in your car every time and would voluntarily have been taking a few dollars every payday for health protection over and above what others do. You don’t do that. You want for all to support you when you get unlucky or stupid. The world is not round, It is not fair, It is just round. Just looking at everything going on, I wonder how you all can be for wild spending of $$$ that does not exist. Those kids and grand kids of yours are not going to thank you for what you have left them with. ALL of this ‘We humans deserve’ BS is just a form of greed. We deserve nothing and need to work for what we do get. But no, we have aken the road of play now and make the future try to pay for it. It can not go on and now I am beginning to fear I will be around for the crash. Was kinda wanting my grand kids to have to deal with it but we have gotten way too greedy and lazy and the hand basket is really sliding along now. ---
**Author:** ![baronsabato](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed655f/32.png) [@baronsabato](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/baronsabato)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2009, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-the-fuck-are-the-people/509529/27 "2009-09-10T18:42:53Z")
> [@Drain\_Bead](#): > > The churches are too busy hoping Obama dies and goes to hell to care about helping the sick. The [National Council of Churches](http://www.ncccusa.org/healthcare/)advocates for health care reform and [has released a statement](http://www.ncccusa.org/healthcare/healthcareprimer.html) in support of President Obama’s plan. Many individual denominations and congregations are doing the same. Unfortunately, a pastor who preaches about “aborting Obama” makes for better news than churches trying to do good things in the world. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2009, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-the-fuck-are-the-people/509529/28 "2009-09-10T18:52:44Z")
> [@dropzone](#): > > It takes a while to go bankrupt. He’ll probably be dead first. ☹ His wife and kids get to have that experience. He is a republican and religious. Praying did not work so well either. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2009, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-the-fuck-are-the-people/509529/29 "2009-09-10T19:01:46Z")
> [@GusNSpot](#): > > It is not about one poor guy and his troubles. Yeah, he is getting a shit life end. > > If your on the sick side, the healthy people should pay everything they have to save you. Hu huh !!! > > If you are on the healthy side, you would rather feed your kids than take care of the sick side since you can’t really afford to do both. > > We in this country have bought into the silly notion that any one life is worth any amount of $$$ to save. It just ain’t so. > > If you all felt that way for real, you would never break a driving law again, would wear helmets in your car every time and would voluntarily have been taking a few dollars every payday for health protection over and above what others do. You don’t do that. You want for all to support you when you get unlucky or stupid. > > The world is not round, > It is not fair, > It is just round. > > Just looking at everything going on, I wonder how you all can be for wild spending of $$$ that does not exist. Those kids and grand kids of yours are not going to thank you for what you have left them with. > > ALL of this ‘We humans deserve’ BS is just a form of greed. We deserve nothing and need to work for what we do get. But no, we have aken the road of play now and make the future try to pay for it. It can not go on and now I am beginning to fear I will be around for the crash. Was kinda wanting my grand kids to have to deal with it but we have gotten way too greedy and lazy and the hand basket is really sliding along now. Did you not listen to the presidential address? Or did it just completely go over your head? ---
**Author:** ![Wile\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2009, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-the-fuck-are-the-people/509529/30 "2009-09-10T19:09:32Z")
What? Go out in public in support of your government? That’s crazy talk! It’s scary out there. That’s where all the crazy people are … out there protesting! ---
**Author:** ![woodstockbirdybird](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/woodstockbirdybird/32/7905_2.png) [@woodstockbirdybird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woodstockbirdybird)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2009, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-the-fuck-are-the-people/509529/31 "2009-09-10T20:05:32Z")
> [@SHAKES](#): > > Did you not listen to the presidential address? Or did it just completely go over your head? Two guesses. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2009, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-the-fuck-are-the-people/509529/32 "2009-09-10T20:50:46Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > Dude. Seriously. It’s time for you to read another book. Don’t pressure him, If he starts another book he might not be able to finish it and jeopardize his perfect 1-0 record. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2009, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-the-fuck-are-the-people/509529/33 "2009-09-10T21:09:25Z")
[According to Gallup, public opinion on health-care reform is almost unchanged from the beginning of August,](http://www.gallup.com/poll/122822/Americans-Sharply-Divided-Healthcare-Reform.aspx) however loudly the teabaggers may rant. ---
**Author:** ![PrettyVacant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/49beb7/32.png) [@PrettyVacant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PrettyVacant)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2009, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-the-fuck-are-the-people/509529/34 "2009-09-10T21:28:49Z")
BrainGlutton - it’s _alllll_ changed since the speech (your link is BS - Before Speech). [Now, we’re looking at:](http://primebuzz.kcstar.com/?q=node/19883) > [@](#): > > A post-speech CNN poll came up with some positive findings for President Obama: > > ``` > * 77 percent had a very positive or somewhat positive reaction to his health-care speech (56 percent were "very positive") > * 70 percent said the policies Obama is proposing will move the country in the right direction. > * **67 percent said they favored Obama's plan to reform health care. 29 percent oppose it.** > * Asked how likely it is that Congress will pass most of his proposals, 75 percent said it was "very likely" or "somewhat likely." > * Finally, asked how clearly Obama laid out his plan, 72 percent said he "clearly" stated his goals. > > ``` > > Some notes on the poll: > > 427 adults who watched the speech were surveyed. 18% of the respondents who participated in the survey identified themselves as Republicans, 45% identified themselves as Democrats, and 37% identified themselves as Independents. > > Margin of error: 5 percent. The weird thing is it’s a CNN poll and I’m sure I saw it on the CNN site earlier, but I can’t find a link to it now. Maybe it’s me . . . ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2009, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-the-fuck-are-the-people/509529/35 "2009-09-11T01:17:28Z")
> [@](#): > > 427 adults who watched the speech were surveyed. They only polled people who watched the speech. Many people did not watch the speech (such as me) because they don’t want to spend one minute listening to a statist talk. So the poll is very biased. ---
**Author:** ![Shayna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shayna/32/17976_2.png) [@Shayna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shayna)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2009, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-the-fuck-are-the-people/509529/36 "2009-09-11T01:38:06Z")
[Mad As Hell Doctors.com](https://madashelldoctorstour.com/Home_Page.html) > [@](#): > > On September 8, 2009 a group of dedicated Oregon physicians will take the message of Universal Health Care “on the road” in a wrapped and branded Motor Home headed for Washington D.C. Our cross-country mission: to stop in big cities and whistle stops alike, conducting pre-booked, local and national media appearances for a curious press. Every move we make along the way will be recorded on camera and then edited and uploaded to the internet that same day. This will allow our Mad As Hell Doctors Tour to leverage the edited video segments on social networking web sites such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, MySpace, et al. In this way, our effort becomes an unprecedented hybrid of reality television and political activism that offers people the opportunity to follow us, in real time, as our story unfolds. The message will be unmistakable: caravan with us to Washington and help make a public demonstration of support for Single Payer Health Care that will be heard around the world. > > Imagine… > > Thousands of cars pulling into the nation’s capital for a protest on the White House lawn. The sidewalks are filled with supporters carrying signs in support of the Mad As Hell Doctors who have captured the imagination and the ignited the passion of their fellow citizens. We wave and honk at the camera crews, as do the endless line of cars behind us, as we wend our way toward the White House. On every antenna, on the backside of every car, and flapping like flags from sidewalk supporters, is the symbol of this new movement: the White Ribbon. > > . . . ---
**Author:** ![Blalron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/35a633/32.png) [@Blalron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blalron)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2009, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-the-fuck-are-the-people/509529/37 "2009-09-11T03:16:15Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > They only polled people who watched the speech. Many people did not watch the speech (such as me) because they don’t want to spend one minute listening to a statist talk. So the poll is very biased. The Unpersuadables who won’t even listen are maybe 25% of the population. We live in a Democracy, and nothing needs 100% approval to get done, otherwise our country would be in a constant state of paralysis. Obama was reaching out for the center, those who are still open to persuasion, and he suceeded quite well. Like it or not, Crafter\_Man, the reaction to the speech was a good sign for the reformers. Maybe that’s why John Boehner had such a dour look on his face, and Wilson of South Carolina couldn’t contain his rage and had a temper tantrum on the House floor in the middle of the speech. ---
**Author:** ![TWDuke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e495f1/32.png) [@TWDuke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TWDuke)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2009, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-the-fuck-are-the-people/509529/38 "2009-09-11T03:37:36Z")
> [@Blalron](#): > > Like it or not, Crafter\_Man, the reaction to the speech was a good sign for the reformers. I don’t want to agree with Crafter\_Man, I really don’t, but those poll results tell us nothing about how well the speech succeeded because they tell us nothing about how the sample population (which is not at all representative of the voting population at large) felt about health care reform beforehand. Getting back to why the “people” aren’t out there portesting, it’s probably because some of them - us - don’t see the point. The administration is (more or less) on our side. The distinguished gentleman from North Carolina, on the other hand, doesn’t care what I think about it here in Southern California. ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2009, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-the-fuck-are-the-people/509529/39 "2009-09-11T03:52:01Z")
I agree that the instant-poll isn’t that useful. Though I did find them amusing last year during the various debates when the pundits were trying to spin one way and the polls were contradicting everything the pundits said. We’ll have a better idea in a few days once a full poll has been done. That will give us a better idea how the speech has been filtered to those who didn’t watch it either by word-of-mouth or by the media. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2009, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-the-fuck-are-the-people/509529/40 "2009-09-11T05:13:34Z")
Pelosi, Reid \*et al \*couldn’t decide to piss on each other if thier legs were on fire. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-the-fuck-are-the-people/509529.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-the-fuck-are-the-people/509529.md?page=3)