If this post also addressed the need for free quality education for everyone, not just those who can afford it, it would be damn near perfect. At any rate, it perfectly sums up why I'm a bleeding heart/communist/socialist/fascist/liberal.
I’m a liberal, so I probably dream bigger than you. For instance, I want everybody to have healthcare. I want lazy people to have healthcare. I want stupid people to have healthcare. I want drug addicts to have healthcare. I want bums who refuse to work even when given the opportunity to have healthcare. I’m willing to pay for that with my taxes, because I want to live in a society where it doesn’t matter how much of a loser you are, if you need medical care you can get it. And not just by crowding up an emergency room that should be dedicated exclusively to helping people in emergencies.
I will never understand the people, many of whom are my family members, who are so busy focusing on making sure that other people don't get something for nothing. How does it hurt you if gays are allowed to marry? How does it hurt you if someone who's never worked a day in their life is still allowed to have healthcare? How does it hurt you if a child born to a drug-addicted mother is still able to get a real education and make something better of him/herself? How does it hurt you if a child who has lived most of his/her life in this country but is an illegal immigrant is allowed to get financial aid and a college education? How does it hurt you if an illegal immigrant comes to this country to do a job that you don't want to do?
We're all in this together. What makes our citizenry better makes our country better. If we're all educated and healthy, our country will be that much better off. When did it become patriotic to feel that we should always be on the lookout for other people trying to screw us over? For that matter, when did it become Christian to say that God gave me my wealth--if you don't have the same drive, that's your problem--obviously Jesus doesn't really love you? If I have to pay five percent more in taxes per year to make this a reality, I'll still probably come out ahead of Herman Cain's stupid 9-9-9 plan.
A friend recently told me that one of the most profound things I ever said to him was when I told him that I often give money to homeless people, even if I know they're probably going to spend it on drugs or booze. I don't even remember telling him that, but that's how I feel. Who am I to judge how money I freely give is spent? It's not my place to judge. If the $5 I just gave a guy helps him to make it through another day, then what I set out to accomplish is done.
Goddamn, I get tired of living in such a sanctimonius country.
2 comments:
It is so painful to even think back to the time when we almost had "Medicare for All" on the table and it seemed like President Obama would fight for it. Sadly there are too many stupid Americans working against their own self interests to ever make this dream a reality!! Keep fighting the fight ALM.
Amen, sista! Do you know how extrememly poor you have to be to qualify for healthcare right now? Here in Ohio if you're only making $9,000 a year, you're still to "rich" to receive benefits.
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