My View on Health-Care Reform

I don't define myself as either a Democrat or a Republican. I think defining oneself leaves little to no room for change or growth. Also, I am always open to taking into consideration the views and opinions of both sides. Whether or not I subscribe to these views or opinions is a different matter, but I'm always willing to listen and deliberate thoroughly.

I personally do not have health insurance. I am not one of the privileged that can afford health insurance. In this country, you have to be privileged to have quality health-care, which actually should be a human right. But, it isn't. Not in this country. Health-care is a human right everywhere else. But, not here.

Here health-care is governed by insurance and pharmaceutical companies, and is based on profit-making. In order to change that, we would have to take away profit as a motive, place regulations on the pharmaceutical companies, increase taxes, and require the majority of employers to offer insurance to workers or face tax penalties. Sounds easy enough, right? Not when you have presidential candidates that claim to want to completely overhaul the health-care industry, but who are also unwilling to cease from accepting funds from insurance and pharmaceutical companies, the same companies that aid in making health-care the way it is today.

What would happen if I were to get sick while I don't have health insurance? What would happen if I were to die? It can happen. It wouldn't take much, really. We're not designed to last forever, and anything can go awry at any given time. But what would happen to my children? Who would fight for their rights and protect them? Their father?! From previous/current experiences, that is a very scary thought, and the mere idea of it depresses me severely.

Contrary to some beliefs, the less privileged of the human race should not just die. This isn't a third world country nor is it the wild, wild west. The is America, for Godsake. The majority of us have a right to live, no matter how under-privileged. And we should also have a right to go to the doctor if we need to. Also, people deserve and need the compassion of others, just as they need our compassion in return. It's part of human nature. People's lives are at stake here. Valuable lives. Lives that can make a difference in the lives of others. But maybe death would be a more desirable option than continuing to live in this greedy and narcissistic era.

I'm sick and tired of hearing people who have health insurance gripe about universal health-care and how their taxes will be raised and how it might come out of their precious fucking pocketbooks. I, for one, would be first in line for a tax increase if it meant that I and millions of others could go to the doctor if need be. How would they feel if it was their family? Or their children? I guess the fact of the matter is that it isn't their family or their children, so why should they have to worry.

The REAL meaning of Easter

Today is Easter and I just got back from church. I don't go to church on a normal basis like I did when I was younger, but I have my daughters this weekend, and well, I just haven't been in a while, so I decided to go, it being Easter and all. I mean, that's what you do on Easter, right? Anyway, the subject of today's sermon focused on the fact that Easter is about the resurrection of Jesus Christ and not about a cute little bunny hopping along, delivering Easter baskets and hiding Easter eggs filled with candy for kids to find. It was about how real Jesus Christ and the resurrection are. Now, I know that resurrections are not everyday occurrences. I mean, they're just not normal. In fact, if I were to personally see one happen, I would probably be a little freaked out, but I'm getting off track. Today's sermon was also about hope.

I can honestly say that, up to this point, I have always been a fairly optimistic, faithful, and hopeful person, as far as religion and whatnot is concerned. I'll admit, though, that I've had my fair share of internal struggling, much like a tug-of-war, my logic and rationalization pulling me in one direction and my heart and lifelong training pulling me in the opposite direction.

But today, as I was standing in the midst of the church crowd, I looked around, watching as they all stood there singing and worshipping in an almost trance-like state, and I felt tears well up behind my eyes because I felt envious of them. They believe that Jesus Christ is coming back for them. They believe that when they die, they will go to this perfect place called Heaven, with its gates and streets of gold, where they will live forever with no more crying and no more pain, and where they will be eternally reunited with their loved ones. They have hope.

As the pastor was nearing the end of his sermon, he asked the crowd to bow our heads and close our eyes to pray. It was the typical ending prayer, asking for forgiveness and asking Christ to come into our hearts if we had not already. After praying, he asked us to continue to keep our eyes closed and just let the Holy Spirit wash over us and just to feel His presence. I used to be able to feel the Holy Spirit washing over me in the form of intense emotion and goose bumps, depending on how charismatic the pastor was, but today I felt nothing, and I was envious of those who did feel something.

It was today that I realized and admitted openly and freely to myself that I have no hope. My hopes and dreams have been shattered. There is no God. There is no Christ. And if there is, they have long since forsaken me. They no longer hear my cries. They no longer see my tears. They no longer feel my pain. I am alone, not lonely....alone. God does not live here anymore.

10,000 BC

I went and saw 10,000 BC last night and I have to say that, for being so behind in the times, the dentistry of these people was absolutely phenomenal. They must have had one hell of a dental plan! I mean, I know people that go the dentist faithfully twice a year and their smiles don't look half as good as those of these people.

It amazes me that these people who lived in tents, carved necklaces for extracurricular activities, killed mammoths for food, fought off gigantic turkeys so as to not become their next meal, and did basically everything it took to save their tribe right along with the rest of the world, still found time to brush their teeth and visit their dentist regularly.

My theory is that instead of "Before Christ", BC actually means "Before Cavities".

The Obliteration of a Species

I work with a lot of people so I hear a lot of b.s. But sometimes, the stories I hear are so far-fetched and so out there that they leave me stunned and amazed. I mean, these people actually think that I believe the crap they tell me, and I often wonder what the hell they are thinking.

I was given some very important information yesterday from an obvious scholastic overachiever. She told me that the polar bears were becoming extinct because "all the grizzly bears are goin' up there and eatin' em all." This phrase has been permanently burned into my brain because I am just so baffled by it. Sometimes I think people just shouldn't talk.

I do have to give her credit....she got me thinking. Maybe there's some credibility to her statement after all. Needless to say, I have many questions concerning this matter. I mean, the polar bears couldn't possibly be nearing extinction because the polar ice caps are melting, could they?....nah, that's so silly! If grizzly bears are indeed going to the North Pole to eat polar bears, then 1.) what's their motivation, and 2.) how are they getting there?

Would a grizzly bear really swim across an ocean just to eat a polar bear? Or WOULD it swim? Maybe it would float on an iceberg....you know, like a raft or something, laying on its belly and using its huge paws as oars. But why would a grizzly bear want to travel all that way just to get a meal? Are fish becoming extinct too?!....who woulda' thought THAT would ever happen? But even if fish DID become extinct, surely there would have to be something more that would drive a grizzly bear to resort to such drastic measures as cannibalism. Or maybe, after thousands of years of eating the same 'ol thing day in and day out, the grizzly has just decided to have a taste of the finer things in life. And what's more fine to eat than a polar bear?

For the sake of the polar bears, we should all probably try to keep this under wraps. Seriously, if they find out about this, who knows what could happen?! If they see no future left for their kind they could possibly become homicidal, or worse, suicidal.

Curious

Just out of curiosity, I've decided to branch out of My discomfort zone and blog in a different atmosphere. I think I'm intrigued by the fact that this is on the Internet for the world to see, but no one is reading (at least no one that I know of). Makes it kind of mysterious...or something like that, I guess.

Anyway, maybe more later. I didn't sleep very well last night, and I have a headache. So tonight....bed.