So the health care bill passed, and everyone's panties are in a twist. I need a brain dump of all my thoughts, stupid and otherwise, regarding people's comments on the legislation. While cooking dinner tonight my brain was churning so furiously I had to jot thoughts down in my day planner just so I could get about the business of preparing food.
I have no idea how to organize these thoughts, and I'm too tired to try, so I'm just gonna throw 'em out there because I'd like to be able to sleep without all these ideas running around my head.
1. Many people are concerned about the costs of this legislation, but according to the Congressional Budget Office, it will eventually lead to $138 billion deficit in ten years. Of course, that's over a long period of time and things could change. I guess what burns my ass is why weren't these same folks as concerned when the tax cuts for the wealthy were passed or when we invaded Iraq? A conservative estimate is that the Iraq War will cost $3 TRILLION.
2. People who are currently on Medicare should have no horse in this race. When you are the recipient of a government-sponsored health plan and you bitch that you don't want government-run health care for others, you are being a complete idiot. It's fine for YOU to have it, but not anyone else. Please just shut-up.
3. Yes, people will have to purchase health insurance, just like they have to purchase homeowners' insurance and car insurance. If you want to say they are being forced to buy it, ok. Use that terminology. But note that there are lots of things we are forced to do for the safety, health and benefit of all people. Stopping at stop signs comes to mind. I might want to go through the intersection because I'm late for work, but I am forced to stop. That infringes on my freedom to drive however I want. Here are some other things we do or don't do because it is for the good of society:
* No smoking allowed in public places (infringes on the right to smoke)
* Drunk driving is not allowed (infringes on the right to drink as much as I want and drive my ass home)
* Yelling fire in a movie theater (infringes on my right to have a good hee-haw laugh)
Ok, now here are just some extraneous things that got stuck in the mind sludge:
*Regarding complaints about the inefficiency of government---
I have heard people mention the USPO, how it is in the red, inefficient, and do we really want our health care to be like that? My question is if the USPO is so darn inefficient, why do all these folks who use this as their argument not send their mail, all of it, via UPS or Fedex? Because they don't want to shell out the money. They are perfectly content with only paying 42 cents to mail a note to Aunt Mildred.
*Regarding government having too much control over the people---
I think it is interesting that often the same people who complain that the government is too big, is too much "up in our business" are the same people who want the government to put restrictions on abortion---a woman must have an ultrasound, get counseling 24 hours in advance. They don't want the government in their grill, but they totally want the government as big brother over every uterus.
And I can't help thinking, when I read people's comments in the paper or on FB, what would Jesus do? Historical Jesus was a rebel, as I understand him. Thumbing his nose at Jewish authority. So maybe he wouldn't want the government messing around with health care. But Jesus was also all about the poor, the downtrodden, the underserved, the have-nots in his society. And so I can't help but think Jesus would want to help people.
And that's what I keep coming back to. The need, the dire need, to help people. There is always a cost to do this, and Americans don't like to sacrifice.
3 comments:
I love this post, and esp. your last line. So many of us has become so over-priveleged, addicted to our wealth, and have become so selfish. You're right--helping people, and caring for the rights of all people--definitely requires sacrifice. Bravo to you for this post!
Ribi Yehoshua, (the name of the flesh and blood historical figure), was not like the fabricated Jzeus. He endorsed the authority of the Jewish judiciary. That is why Jzeus is so popular. For the most part humankind adores Jzeus as a rebel and as a poster boy for doing his own thing. However Judaism is about keeping the instruction given by HaSheim, what the real Mashiach would have done. Keeping the Torah results in life, doing your own thing results in.....well the opposite.
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I think what makes the mandatory health insurance different from the other things you've mentioned is that it involves something you're being required to purchase - and that it applies to every human being in the country.
Car insurance is only tied to the privelege of owning and driving a car. You know that law as you make the decision to buy a car, and you agree to it as part of the deal. As for the other laws (traffic, not yelling fire, drunk driving, etc.), they're for the common good of everyone. That makes them different from health insurance. Yes, you could argue that if I dont' have insurance, others will end up picking up the tab, but that's a much more indirect application of that principle.
Plus, there are ways "out" of obeying the other laws you mentioned - if you want to get drunk, you can, just don't drive afterwards. If you don't want to follow traffic rules, then don't drive. (As for smoking in a public place, I'm still undecided on how I feel about those restrictions, so I'll skip that one.)
With mandatory healthcare, there's no way around it. If you're born, you have to buy (in some way, shape or form) healthcare whether you want it or not. It's my understanding that many young, healthy people at this point have chosen not to purchase healthcare, or not to opt into their company's plan and take some other benefit instead. Now that this bill is law, they'll be required to have healthcare that they had previously decided they didn't want or need.
As for WWJD, it's a very interesting question. Yes, Jesus was all about social justice and taking care of the least in society, but he never asked the government to do so, nor did he have any ideas (recorded in Scripture, anyway) about requiring people to help. He suggested it, he encouraged it, but everything with Jesus is always about free will. Do it with a willing spirit or don't do it at all. Like following him - he would state that this is what it means to follow him - accept it and come along, or don't, and stay behind. No coercion, just make your choice.
He also made the statement once that there will always be poor among us. While he instructed us to give food and drink and comforto to those who need it, he never expected that poverty would be eradicated, and especially not by the government.
If I had to think of one thing that Jesus might say to today's American's, it would be something like this, based on what I heard recently: "If every one of you Americans who calls yourself a Christian would follow the Biblical instruction to tithe (i.e., give 10% of your income) to the church, then the churches of this country ALONE could feed all of the hungry and pay for all of the medical needs of the nation's poor." I think that's where his emphasis would lie: calling believers to step up to the plate and give freely, willingly, lovingly, to those who need it.
Sorry if this sounds terse or defensive - I"m just trying to type it really fast before a kid interrupts me, and to get all of my thoughts down while listening to "Martha Speaks" in the background. So my usual eloquence may be lacking. :-)
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