OPINION: 'Dismissed!'
When politicians and everyday citizens become dismissive of others' opinions, the results are all too predictable and tragic.
By Jay D. Brock
COLUMNIST

Some years ago I had an acquaintance who was career military. A no-nonsense kind of guy, conversations with him could sometimes be a challenging experience: once he had gotten his point across, and without hearing your response, he had a habit of simply walking away. You could almost hear his command: “Dismissed!”
His apparent indifference to other viewpoints comes to mind in the context of several recent issues, both locally and nationally, in the news lately.
In a local county, the Board of Supervisors recently came up with and passed a new vision and mission statement—without any public input at all. When pressed on this, the Supervisor who wrote and then pushed the statement through the Board responded, “We were elected by the citizens to provide a mission and vision statement and that’s what I’m doing.” Another Supervisor added, “Is this not what the citizens want? It appears that it is from everything I know in my core.”
As Advance Editor Martin Davis wrote at the time, the supervisor “may know it in his ‘core,’ but he’s oblivious to the sizable population of people in (the county) who don’t share his…confidence.”
Message to county voters: “Dismissed.”
Residents of a local city have had similar experiences. Their questions to City Hall about growth and the problems it brings have sometimes gone unanswered. This includes both staff and occasionally City Council members, whose unresponsiveness on certain matters is at least as much a concern as issues raised about growth problems.
Message to city voters: “Dismissed.”
On a national level, take healthcare. Healthcare think tank KFF reported last year that unaffordable healthcare costs were a very close second to inflation as the major issues the voters wanted the presidential candidates to discuss in the campaign. Yet there was very little discussion of this issue during the campaign. Yes, Democrats touted their lowering the price of Insulin and a handful of medications for a small sliver of Medicare enrollees. During the campaign, Kamala Harris proposed adding some home health care to those on Medicare. And Donald Trump offered that, after eight years of considering unaffordable healthcare issues, he had finally come up with the “concept” of a plan. But there was no real discussion of how to fix a failed health insurance system that leaves one in four Americans either with no health insurance or insurance they cannot afford to use; and where three out of four Americans worry they cannot afford to pay their medical bills if they get sick.
Message to voters: “Dismissed.”
A large number of Americans are covered by for-profit health insurance companies that require prior authorization for many medications and other treatments. Physicians and their office staff waste untold time and resources in dealing with these companies in begging them to pay for care that in their professional opinion would benefit their patients. The process is demeaning to the medical profession, and extremely anxiety-provoking for patients (as well as to the medical professionals responsible for patient care). Yet the instances of care that is delayed and especially denied are legion, with real medical harm as a consequence.
Message to patients (and the medical professionals responsible for patient care): “Dismissed.”
The reactions to the shooting late last year of the CEO of a major for-profit health insurance company was an eye-opener. While condemnation for the murder was genuine, so was the social media support for the alleged shooter among what seems to be a significant proportion of Americans. National and local media are focusing on this response, frequently with a surprising sympathy for why so many Americans consider the alleged shooter to be a folk hero: he stood up to a hugely important American institution—a mega, for-profit health insurance company widely despised for its indifferent denial of care even if it will result in patient harm.
These Americans might not agree with the murder, but they can certainly identify with the likely reasons behind it.
Americans are angry. Their genuine problems and concerns are much too often too readily dismissed by the people and the institutions they should be trusting to do the right thing by them. The system is obviously working extremely well for those at the very top: it’s apparent to all that if you’re wealthy, your questions get answered and your concerns get resolved. But for too many Americans, the “system” just isn’t working for them, and they know it.
There has to be a better way. Obviously, violence is not the answer. What is clearly needed: individuals and institutions with the power to resolve issues important to everyday people that become much more readily responsive.
These individuals and institutions know who they are. We’re waiting to see how and when they respond.
Or if we’re simply “Dismissed.”
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