Saturday, October 31, 2009

O.K...I guess I am confused...

I fully admit that I get a great deal of the information that formulates my opinions on current events from the internet, news pages, cable television, all over the place.
I spend a lot of time doing this. I wish to be an informed "global citizen".

This is why I spend so much of my time these days just completely stumped and confused.

I see that instead of a lot of people being proud that we as a country have come far enough along in our spiritual and social development to have elected an African American man to be our President, that the racial insults have ramped up to a frenzy. I see a news posting which depicts President Obama as an African witch doctor, complete with a bone through his nose and become really ill that such vileness can exist in our allegedly advanced country.

I see the "Talking Heads" of the news channels make reference to our President being a Socialist because he wishes to make sure all Americans have health care.
I see an allegedly intelligent and well-educated Senator speak at a function and actually utter the words indicating that people don't really die from lack of health insurance. What?
That the people that don't have health insurance don't really want it. WHAT????
That there are hospitals that provide care free of charge without any problems to such people.

I'd like that Senator to spend a few hours at Metrohealth Medical Center, or better still, the V.A. hospitals here in Cleveland.

Now for the part that REALLY confuses me and makes me scratch my head.

Most of the folks that spew this insanity claim to be God-fearing, Christian people.

I'm trying to figure out in what part of the Bible it states that people should be allowed to go hungry, suffer pain or even death because an insurer decided that a medication that was prescribed by a Doctor isn't really acceptable. Did they miss a few Sunday school classes?

I have seen these things with my own eyes. I have heard all of the arguments that we are creating a Welfare State. I have a newsflash for these ill-informed people.
The majority of the people that I deal with on a day-to-day basis are working poor.
Some work two jobs, more than 40 hours per week, and still don't have health insurance, can't afford food, medications and clothing for their children.

Many are Veterans of our military, who have served actively, some in more than one war.
They can't afford their medications. They get to wait six months to see a doctor.
They can be placed in the VA nursing home if their families can't pay, which is in Sandusky, Ohio.
Not exactly close driving for their 85 year old wives.

Why is doing what Jesus said we should do for each other Socialism? Didn't he tell us we should feed the hungry? Heal the Sick? Care for those that need care? Isn't that the Christian thing to do?

As a nation we desperately need to re-evaluate our values and priorities.
It's not single family homes, gay marriage, working mothers or a host of other finger-pointing lame reasons cited by the billionaires club that is our Senate and Congress.
It's plain old fashioned corporate greed. It's what seems to me to be a possibly DNA
based childhood feeling that as long as WE have something it's ours and nobody else can have it.
As long as Rx companies can continue to charge $100 per pill they will do it.
As long as CEO's can continue to build still another vacation home on still another beachfront, they will do it.

We need to grow up.. we need to get going.. and apparently we all need to become Socialists.

1 comment:

sheila said...

Well put. I would like to know where all these 'tea partiers' have been for the last 8 years. All of a sudden they found their voice.

No one said anything about socialism when Bush started giving $$ to the banks.

The repubs cry that they understand the healthcare system needs to be changed? Why didn't they change it over the last 8 yrs? The last 20? I'm stymied.

*sigh*
and nice 2 C U back.