I was in my car this morning listening to CNN, and I heard politicians debating what the Democrats call the Affordable Care Act, and the Republicans call Obamacare.

As I listened, I began to wonder how things would look in this country if, instead of electing Republicans and Democrats to public office, we just elected people instead. People with ideas. People with solutions. People who can listen to other people and admit that the other person has a good idea from time to time.

Because what I heard from both sides was one side blaming the other, instead of any possibility of a compromise to solve some of the healthcare problems in this country.

Did you know that the original blueprint for the Affordable Care Act was proposed by a Republican? Mitt Romney brought it into the political arena in 2007 when he was governor of Massachusetts.

The Heritage Foundation was for the Affordable Care Act until it was against it.

Is there a perfect solution to the healthcare crisis in this country? Probably not.

But the subsidies in the Affordable Care Act helped a lot of people who run small businesses be able to afford insurance.

I may have been naïve back then, but as a young man, I believe that our Congressmen and Senators were public servants. They had strong disagreements, but overall, they were there to serve.

Occasionally, when someone got out of line, like Joseph McCarthy or Richard Nixon, members of their own party would eventually call them out and take away their power. I believe there actually was a time in America when the vast majority of politicians were there to serve their constituents, not themselves or their political party.

It appears that Donald Trump and his lapdogs, like Mike Johnson, don’t really care about the less fortunate. They don’t care about people of lower incomes. It sure seems the people in charge don’t care if an independent businessman can’t afford to have insurance for himself or his family. They don’t care if someone must wait until they get so sick that they have to visit the emergency room, or maybe even die before they get there.

Is Obamacare perfect? No.

Is it better than what’s going to happen after the Covid extended subsidies go away? Most definitely!

Republicans get sick, Democrats get sick, poor people get sick, and rich people get sick.

The difference is that when a rich person gets sick, they can afford to go to the doctor. The poor person most likely cannot.

It’s a crime that after all these years, the best the Republicans can offer to fix Obamacare is a “concept of a plan.” Or that the Democrats can’t suggest some improvements that would be palatable to the Republicans.

We, taxpayers, send those folks to solve problems, not to cause new ones. We send them there to work together in order to form a more perfect union.

And we won’t get to a more perfect union if we keep looking at ourselves as Republicans or Democrats and not looking at ourselves as Americans.

Americans from all different income brackets. Americans who all deserve decent health care. Americans who don’t just worry about themselves but worry about other Americans as well.

What would this country look like if we just elected people? People who listened. People who worked together. People who did more than worry about appealing to just a base or to the rich campaign donors.

For that matter, what would our country look like if the CEOs weren’t making 100 times more than their average worker? If every employer could afford to provide health insurance to their employees?

And while not every CEO is making that kind of money, if there are people who are so rich they can afford to send up their own personal rockets, they can be taxed so that our budget gets balanced and health care can be provided to everyone.

The problems facing this country may not be simple to fix, but they’ll never get fixed if we keep blaming the other political side.

I know what I am suggesting here seems impossible, but I have to wonder what it would be like if it weren’t.

Tom Becka is a long time Nebraska broadcaster who for over 30 years has been covering Omaha and Midwest issues on both radio and TV. He has been a guest on numerous national cable and news shows, filled in for nationally syndicated talk radio programs and Talkers Magazine has recognized him as one of the Top 100 talk show hosts in the country 10 times. Never afraid to ruffle some feathers, his ‘Becka’s Beat’ commentaries can be found online on Youtube and other digital platforms.

Opinions expressed by columnists in The Daily Record are not necessarily those of its management or staff, and do not constitute an endorsement or recommendation. Any errors or omissions should be called to our attention so that they may be corrected. Contact us at news@omahadailyrecord.com.