Watching the opposition to health care reform is somewhat like watching a three-year-old child melt down after being told he can’t have a cookie. It’s one gigantic temper tantrum with multiple participants. Except that three-year-old kids don’t generally cut gas lines, throw bricks through windows, or use violent, racist language.

It baffles and saddens me that many of the protestors a) don’t have any idea what a socialist form of government actually looks like; and b) seem to believe that they live in a country where democratic government means that if your side is out voted the system isn’t working and you should act like the sorest loser since John McEnroe.

That is why I would like to thank Chris Reichert, the man who threw dollars bills and verbal insults at a man suffering from Parkinson’s disease at a contentious health care reform protest rally. Mr. Reichert has apologized for his actions, which he calls “shameful.”

He’s right. His actions were shameful. As someone whose parents were forced to deplete their entire life savings because of my mother’s long-term, ultimately fatal illness, I was especially horrified to read about how the man with Parkinson’s disease had been abused.

However, Mr. Reichert did what any mature adult should do when they realize they’ve made a mistake. He took responsibility, apologized, and attempted to make amends. Hopefully, he is not the only one who will learn from the experience and the aftermath.

Mr. Reichert says that he was attending his first ever political rally and that he will never attend another. That also makes me sad. I hope after having some time to reflect, Mr. Reichert won’t stop fighting for what he believes in. I hope he will inform himself about politics and policies. I hope he will consult many different sources of information: television news, newspapers, and blogs from both sides of the debate. Then, I hope he will be a fierce, passionate, and civil advocate for what he believes. Mr. Reichert, by making a mistake and owning up to it, has learned the importance of civility in public debate. If more Republicans followed his example, perhaps we could have less rancor and more work on moving the country forward and solving our biggest challenges.