It was rather a lively morning on Facebook, where I managed to piss someone off with a comment concerning Palin having five kids...something about throwing a hot dog down a hallway...but the specifics don't matter. Suddenly I was insulting women who have had kids, and it was suggested that maybe we should all just make fun of weak male politicians by calling them pussies. I said yeah, I do that already (and it's not reserved just for politicians), and if someone is being a jerk, I sometimes call them a dick. I think I've got the full spectrum of genitalia covered. Criminy...it's an old joke, one that's been around for years. I know I have a perverse and warped sense of humor, but as I was writing to a friend last night, laughter can do a lot to make things better. It may not change the world, but it certainly makes things much easier to deal with, and allows us to forge ahead.
Then, on the same guy's thread (Chuck E. Jesus, which is as brilliant a name as I've heard), I got into a health care discussion. Chuck E. and I are of like minds when it comes to many topics, and so is his wife, Bride of Chucky. The three of us sort of dogpiled the other guy...he kept throwing the same GOP talking points at us (odd, since it turned out he is a libertarian), and we kept knocking them down. It was the usual...start with a clean slate, start over, fresh sheet of paper, let's talk about this...blahbitty blah blah blah.
As the President pointed out the other day, we have talked about this for a fucking year. (Well, the F-bomb is mine, not his.) We've been talking about it for decades, actually. I'm to the point where I don't want to hear the lame excuses. Today I wrote to my Congressman and my Democratic Senator (the Republican is a lost cause), and I hope you'll consider writing to yours, no matter which side you are on. The bottom line is are we going to begin to take care of all of our citizens, or are we going to continue to let them die because they can't afford health care? That's really what it comes down to, you know. I suppose it would be easy to sit back and say, "Hey, I've got my health care insurance. That's all that matters to me." Well, it's not all that matters to me, not by a long shot. It matters to me that people are hurting, that people are going broke, that people are dying, all because they can't afford health insurance. It matters to me that people aren't getting preventive care. Diabetics losing toes or limbs because they can't get regular checkups or afford their testing supplies; people unable to get approval for surgeries that would ease their chronic pain; people not getting treatment for tuberculosis and infecting countless others who come into contact with them; people ignoring symptoms and not going to the doctor until they can't stand it anymore and go in only to find out that they've got terminal cancer, one that would have been treatable if it had been caught a year ago.
Think I'm exaggerating? I'm not. This is going on every fucking day, right here in our country. If you can sit back and be complacent about it, and say, "Oh, let's talk about this some more. We haven't talked about it enough," then I seriously wonder about you, and I say, "Shame on you." And shame on our country for not doing what every other industrialized nation did years ago. It's time to stop the arguments and get it through our collective thick skulls that we cannot continue to allow people to suffer and die because we want to talk about it some more. The time for talking is done. The time for action is now.
Let's get this done.
Since you said "she", I am off the hook as being your stalker. :)
ReplyDeleteNobody I've read says it better. Bring on the f-bombs; you say what must be said and I applaud you.
ReplyDeleteIt is high time for us to get this passed. How many more folks, like mine, need to go bankrupt?
ReplyDeleteAs for our stalker, lets hope she blows a "fuse".
I can't afford any health insurance. I have a painful hip and have to walk with a cane now. I have a persistent cough deep down in my chest. My eyesight is so bad I have to read with a thick magnifying glass. My toes hurt me. I have no teeth left. I can't afford to go to a doctor to find out what's wrong with me. I'm still paying off the last clinic visit I made. I might be slowly dying but don't know it. I am one of those this Congress might be destroying. A statistic. A martyr to stupidity. When they finally wake up how will they live with the shame?
ReplyDeleteAs for your stalker, I've been insulted by the best. Send her here.
You know that I stand with you on this issue. I despise the Republican congressional members who insist that what's best for the American people is that we scrap current health care reform and start over and I also despise progressives who throw tantrums like two year olds and whine that no health care reform is better than a plan that doesn't include the mythical public option. The 31 million uninsured people don't have the luxury of waiting for the alleged perfect plan. The public option is just a government funded health care plam. The currently proposed plan addresses the issues of cost that bars most of the uninsured from getting access to health care. I agree, the time to act is now. W've been talking about this for way too long. It's time to shut up and act.
ReplyDeleteLove the post, as usual Evil Twin. And, naturally, I 110% agree, though where I get that extra 10% I do not know!
ReplyDeleteMy point is this: contact your representatives in Congress, tell them you want health care and you want it now, and any that respond with any less than "We'll do it" vote their lame ass out of office.
Let us not forget: They work for US and we have the power to fire those that are not doing their jobs.
But you can't just talk it, you gotta walk it.
And, as for your stalker, and the idea that she may waddle over to ISBL? Meh.
I can't understand how middle class Americans can be manipulated into thinking that granting Health Care for all is going to hurt them. That people would side with Big Insurance is incredible.
ReplyDeleteAs far as your 'stalker' goes... she obviously has too much time on her hands.
Beautifully stated as ever Beth. You go girl. I am with you 100%. Well, 99.5%. I don't agree with you're not contacting your Repub rep. We have a similar situation here, and I always constantly bombard our Repub (in the pockets of Corporate America) Senator, Jughead (my nickname) Gregg. Kyle and I bombard him constantly with our opinions, none of which he shares. He is as lost a cause as yours, but the we continue to let him know what we want so that when he stands and says how he supports "what his constituents want", he knows he's lying. He doesn't care, because he's a heartless, profit monger, but he still has to lie. And he knows it, even if he doesn't care (which I am certain he doesn't care). I get some solace from that, although not much. So I would rather you contact your hopeless Repub along with your Dem/Progressive minded Congresspeople, just so everyone knows what you think and want.
ReplyDeleteI admire you for having a stalker. I want one! How do I get one? I'm going back to read you previous post and see if I can comment and get me one!
Bring on the F Bombs!
ReplyDeleteI already wrote and also emailed my Congressmen several times already. And, as I told you before, I even wrote to President Obama.....and he replied! Amazing....I have his signature.
We need to have healthcare for our people! I want everyone to have insurance. I know, I suffered plenty for 8 long years without it.
We should have the same healthcare Congress has..........that is what I want for everyone in the United States! Take care of our own first before helping others in foreign countries like we are so good at doing. I'm all for helping others but we should come first.
Love your Post.
Hugs, Rose
Been a while sinse I commented on your blog Beth..thats cause I usually agree with everything you write !! Today is no exception. It is just beyond my imagination as to why your leading politicians seem to be dragging their feet as regards to the health reform bill. I find it hard to understand as we have such a great health service this side of the pond.
ReplyDeleteas for teh stalker. I always say best thing to do with tem is to totally totally ignore them you reply and any others for that matter they may get, is food to them...starve em of food...they die off.
Love Sybil xx
Health care is the right thing to do. I cannot understand how the Rethuglicans can continue to argue against its merits. Oh wait, they've always been in favor of business interests.
ReplyDeleteAs you point out with so many people without adequate health care, it is time for us to recitfy that matter. So if the Republicans will not join the Democrats (it's obvious they won't lead), then they must follow.