… Rep. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), said his party may not even need to put forward a plan.
Why are my friends so vehemently against Obama’s Health Plan without offering any alternatives of their own? I suppose it’s because they have jobs that provide health insurance for a nominal fee and if they go to the doctor or, heaven forbid, something catastrophic happens they know that they will be covered.
At most companies for which my friends work the withholding for their plans doesn’t amount to much and they feel justified in making a lot of noise ranting and raving for nothing to be done.
Nothing.
But every day more and more people – hard-working people – cannot afford health insurance so they drop their coverage and hope for the best. I am one of those people. Sometime you have to make a decision between rent and health insurance. You know what wins?
American history is peppered with beautiful stories of people standing up for beliefs and fighting for their rights – for real change. But the present protests are against any change. They are for nothing more than the status quo.
Recently a friend of mine told me his story: His employer didn’t offer health insurance and he couldn’t afford to purchase a private plan. He happened to get in an accident on his bike and dislocated his shoulder and had a gash that required stitches on his chin. Everyone was yelling to call an ambulance, but my friend came to in time to stop them and say, “take me home” because he didn’t have insurance. He had to “consider his options” before getting treatment. Eventually he did go to the emergency room and had a physician’s assistant reset his shoulder. (He recently paid off the $3000 bill — this wasn’t even a doctor!)
Everybody’s against “rationing,” but isn’t rationing happening now? Care is rationed to those who can afford it and withheld from those who can’t.
The Declaration of Independence proclaims that we are given (by God) unalterable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. How can you have life without basic healthcare? By denying healthcare to people in America, for whatever reason, are we not revoking one of those guaranteed rights?
So, please, speak out against ideals you don’t believe in. But, so much more importantly, put forth ideas of your own. We need them. I need them.