For those AGAINST Healthcare Reform LAW...

<Rant> (lol... stupid html is thinking rant is some sort of real tag... whoops. need a quick brush-up on html, never had to post code before... there we go...)

Modern America . It's like the "Know Nothing" party never died -_-" (though I suppose it just got sucked into the hardcore conservative movement... Technically Know-Nothings were the beginning of the modern Republican party. And if you don't know what I'm referring to, look it up.)
For those against the healthcare LAW for whatever reason--
"American Indians don’t have to buy insurance. Those with religious objections or a financial hardship can also avoid the requirement. And if you would pay more than 8 percent of your income for the cheapest available plan, you will not be penalized for failing to buy coverage. Those who are exempt, or under 30, can buy a policy that only pays for catastrophic medical costs. It must allow for three primary care visits a year as well."

Here, play with this: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/03/21/us/health-care-reform.html

So fine, there you go, a way out. Leave this to those of us who actually want to care for and about people other than ourselves. There's no reason to be scared of healthcare reform. Yea, it sounds harsh, but it's stupid to do nothing just because some people are afraid of the negatives. The positives far outweigh the negatives. And for those of of us who want it to be stronger - it's a decent start.

To show you just how ridiculous some of the arguments I've heard are:
To be fair:
- To those who argue that each person is individually responsible for their own life, that each person is individually responsible for ensuring they have what they need, that each person is individually responsible for what they contribute to society -- that's exactly what the mandate is for. Each person is responsible for their own health insurance, so that they have what they need and do not take away from the rest of society.

* - To those complaining about paying for other people or having the government "control" something-- don't ever use a road, post office, hospital (which is supposedly one of the problems in the first place! Seriously, you can't possibly argue that it's fair for you to be treated at emergency room at a public hospital, because that in itself runs contrary to the argument that you shouldn't have to pay for anyone else -- because you're making everyone else pay for you. Part of the point of the law is that having 95% of Americans insured will reduce the amount of people who go to the emergency room and can't pay, which ultimately shifts those costs to taxpayers. So you not being insured may likely just hurt everyone else.), public school, school loans, FDIC approved banks, FDA approved medication, parks, clean water, (clean air!), trains, buses, fire departments, police stations, some AM radio stations, etc.

There's a reason these things went from private to public. Mostly greed. That's what you get with our economic system - a society based on perpetual need for greed, in order for a person or family to even survive. Seriously, when you're getting an anarchist to actually fight FOR government to exist, you know our country is really fucked up. In a perfect world, hell even a real socialist utopia, we wouldn't need a central government. I suppose I associate anarchism with socialism. (Hi. We call it social anarchism, FYI. But I like some private property. My laptop is MINE. In my little utopia, you each get your own just like mine, and you can do whatever you want with them as long as it doesn't negatively affect anyone else, & they're all equal no matter how much cooler mine is, k? Lol^^") I've said before that a formal government system generally does more harm than good. (Mostly because I believe that 1. no one should be able to tell anyone else how to live; & 2. because certain groups tend to control said government and do exactly that [#1]. We are NOT a Christian country, so will you please stop quoting the Bible every time someone suggests a modification to current law? Geeze... Letting gay people get married is one of those things. The only "real" argument against it is solely religious nowadays. And somehow, that gets translated into laws like Prop 8, and shows that government is as flawed as the money that controls it. Which is why we need to change it, make sure it actually helps people, and get the damn corporate money out. If it's going to exist, it's going to fucking work properly, dammit! Though it occurred to me sometime just after high school that I've never seen a government actually work the way it was supposed to, due to a myriad of issues including personal and corporate greed, therefore my thinking might have been biased and/or somewhat flawed... Hypothetically speaking, a political system, or lack thereof, often looks wonderful on paper, but neglects to account for unknown variables, especially human nature. Maturity is a funny thing... Now I sort see why people become more conservative as they grow older... I won't, at least not in terms of social policy, but I digress.) This is America, a country full of delusional, ignorant, stupid, and selfish people. (Interestingly enough, that's why we have an electoral college. The founding fathers apparently thought the populous was too stupid and easily swayed to make an educated judgment.) Until the basic flaws of our nature are dealt with, fear of the unknown/different, and our reliance on greed and financial gain as a measure of success, I don't think we could trust this country, or any group really, to run without some form of definitive leadership. Even democracy has a fatal flaw in allowing complete control by the majority, as Adams wrote about so often (stupid Federalists -_-" American Capitalism is all their fault...we could've had clean, family owned farms and fair market trade!!! Think of how little pollution, how little financial disparity! I can't say much in terms of race or gender relations, of course, but I know that women are at least more equal in agrarian societies... Come on, instead of the Garden State we'd be the Garden Country! World leader in organic produce! ... No takers? Oh alright...). Perhaps that's why so many associate anarchy with chaos. In America's case, it very well could be. Jefferson knew capitalism and the "free market" was a disaster waiting to happen. Stupid Hamilton & the Federalists... He created the national debt (literally, & called it a "national blessing." I mean, I suppose it's better than individual states going bankrupt because of the Revolutionary War, but if there's anyone you want to "blame" for government unnecessarily getting involved in the economy, it's Hamilton... However, he's dead, so let's just get over it and move on.)

And PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE for the love of God/YHWH/Allah/Mohammed/Jesus/Invisible-Pink-Unicorn/FSM/Great Mother/Mother Nature/Whatever/Whomever, get your news from someplace other than Fox, Newsmax, or Washington Times. I'm not saying run to CNN or MSNBC, just stay away from MSM altogether and find a nice middle-of-the-road news station that doesn't completely distort the facts. And if you insist on using one of the aforementioned sources, just cross-check with something less biased. Like ABC or the NYT (why people think that's liberal is beyond me. I suppose it's extreme left compared to Fox... But then again, what isn't? Other than Newsmax. I swear to FSM, if I get one more damn email from them (after blocking them yet again)... This is what I get for trying to even out one of their blasted "Palin for President! [insert annoying folksy giggle and wink]" polls a few months ago. So thanks fellow progressive Care2 member for that... Still worth it though ^^" 88% NO. Since it's apparently "no" is the only word some people seem to know about the rest of the country, but never when it comes to them and their ideas). What was I saying again? O yea, ABC & NYT. Still pretty conservative, but far more balanced, and more accurate, as far as I've seen. Sydney Morning Herald is pretty awesome. They even picked up on Greenpeace's anti-Nestle campaign.

</Rant> (sorry, trying to tone down the geek/nerd factor... not working ^^")

*Note: I do want everyone who needs health care to get it. That's why I decided to support this bill in the first place... It's a start. We need to support doctors, and other staff, as well. But if everyone is only in this for themselves, if we're not going to change a corrupt system to actually address our needs and those of the people who need help the most, we're no better than . America is not a hunk of land ruled by a piece of paper called Constitution and a striped cloth we call a flag. America is a group of over 300 million PEOPLE. Making our nation strong is about making US strong. You know, "we the people" and all that jazz.



P.S. - a government "for the people, by the people" is as literally socialist as you get, lol... That's what democratic socialism is... [sigh] Irony...

Healthcare Reform Passed! YES WE DID!

Healthcare Reform Passes! Reconciliation passed the House!

40 years of trying. 40 years of opposition. And we get to see it finally happen!!! YES WE DID! (^^" hey, I may be an independent, but I voted for someone I thought most closely agreed and had a plan to carry out my ideals... don't we all?) It's just a start, of course. I will still be fighting hard for UHC or at the very least, a public option . It hasn't really hit me yet. 32 million people... My own mother... Myself (now that I think of it..). It's not over. It's never over. But we've gotten farther than anyone... And that is certainly something to be proud of!

Other Misc. Comments:

• I should really probably check up on that having insurance thing... I think I'm still covered, but knowing Aetna...
  
• Now if only they could get back to the jobs issue... I think Dell just outsourced the job I applied to. Seriously...
• Go Grayson & Kucinich!!! Medicare for All and/or Public Option!!
• Short this time. Sudden-onset sore throat... getting sick? Would make tea, but I'm more than a little disgusted with a certain group right now and their constant, nasty racist comments...

Sorry If I Sound a Little Off-- Healthcare meets Six Flags

(Forgive me if there are typos, this will be brief and simple. I sense a migraine beginning...) For some reason I decided I wanted to clarify why certain parts of the bill are necessary, why we can't do a slow"incremental" approach, from a fiscal/capitalist point of view (other than the usual statistics which are EXTREMELY important anyway). The bills as they stand contain a personal mandate-- an old Republican idea (from early 1990s attempts at health reform) that places responsibility upon the people rather than corporations. Under this mandate, all citizens are required to have at least a minimum health insurance plan. And yes, without the public option or a cheaper option, a lot of people including myself think this is wrong. Here's the other catch though- the bills also outlaw insurance companies from denying people based on pre-existing conditions. Which is great. However, there's a problem with this - it's unreasonable to block insurance companies from denying people with pre-existing conditions without also mandating that everyone have insurance, because if not, people will wait until they are sick to get insurance, which would likely raise the rates of the people who have that insurance. All that pool stuff they were talking about. You're adding more "high-risk" cost to what is generally a "low-risk" pool, and insurance companies don't have a choice. Ditch the kiddie pools and jump in the wave pool! The more people in the group/ the bigger it gets, the less everyone has to pay for admission. Come on, you've been to Six Flags, maybe even Hurricane Harbor or whatever they call it in your state. You know how the group discount goes! We shop around online for our coupons to the park, trying to get the best deals, dragging our Coke cans and buddy passes. The public has the option to see the best deals online and shop around. You can even buy a pass to a Six Flags park in another state! It might even be cheaper than your local options, but you get the same basic package as everyone else anyway (unless you want to pay a little extra for better - you know, parking, food, etc...). And hey, if you just want to stay with your own local, private theme park, no worries. Do what you want. Either way, everyone gets a season pass for whatever they choose to pay, and none of the parks can kick you out because you already threw up on Batman last year. Doesn't that all sound nice?

As much as I despise capitalism, I can at least understand why we can't just throw it out completely (just yet. If we can eventually do away with insurance companies by at least 90%, that would be amazing...) We have to work with what we have to institute change. Steady progress lasts longer than sudden change. So I will be patiently waiting for the day I see my native country's single-payer universal healthcare system, while we work to make what we have better, for as many as we can.