Bristolian

Just a few points...

My fellow Liberal and good citizen of Bristol, Chris, and I were debating the issue with our friend Lewis Lofton and a few Right-Wing pigs that slithered in to Andrea Hopkins' blog at Bristol Views.

Michael Moore's "Sicko"

Of course it can become sickening to hear the cold, unfeeling, sanctimonious ravings of the Right-Wing. Especially when it's our children that they're threatening with their views.

Here's some points that we made in favor of Universal Health Care. The points against can be read at Andrea's blog. They are the usual "me first" Satanic Republican talking points. Those that care about people, especially children, may become ill so go read at your own risk.

1) I’m a Christian. Either we’re our brother’s keeper or we’re not.
WWJH (Who Would Jesus Heal)?

My guess would be everyone that needs it. Children first. A God given “right” is what it is. And unfortunately, many that claim to be Christians are failing the Lazarus Test by opposing universal health care. Woe to thee, worshipers of Mammon.

2) Many of those who are fearful that others won’t get good enough health care because the government is involved miss the point. Though the care would be as good as any, even if it wasn’t it’s better than no care at all.

The only thing universal health care will do is allow all citizens access to the same medications and medical equipment that the wealthy get access to. Private practitioners will still be there for those with family doctors and insurance will still be there for those that can afford it.
Don’t worry! No rich people will die that aren’t dead already.

3) One word, oversight.
The corporate medical industry cannot be trusted to do the right thing. Death and permanent injury due to hospital acquired infections is at record levels as we speak due to corporate medical entities such as Wellmont and the fact that they will always put money before people.
Bristol Regional is a filthy, wretched piece of crap and in an instance of serious injury to myself or a family member, we will risk the extra time to go to another hospital further away.

If I have to have surgery, I don’t wish to be amputated later due to incompetent doctors and Staph infections.
Corporations cannot be trusted. With corporate medical we get Dr’s like Bill Frist that make diagnosis from video tapes for political gain.
Money first, people last: The Republican credo.

4) For those that complain about “their tax money”, you’d be lightening society’s burden if you would kindly drop dead. It’s not your’s it’s ours, and I want mine spent on helping my fellow man.
Your greed and selfishness will eat your soul and spit it out for all to see.
You are the worst among mankind in the tradition of the Taliban.
This country neither needs you nor wants you. Go away.

5) By making it possible for all Americans to receive health care regardless of economic class, we enable children to get the proper screenings needed for preventive medicine which renders them less likely to need major care in the future.
That will unburden the hopelessly greedy and selfish that somehow think that the tax money we pay is theirs and theirs alone. LOL

What it boils down to is this, either we become a nation of healthier people due to preventative medicine for all from birth, or we remain a nation of people that find out later that we have ailments that could have been prevented had we been able to afford a trip to the Dr and some tests. Insurance is not affordable to the average American and we would be scum to turn our backs on those that can’t afford it.
Just because there is a certain amount of abuse is no excuse to deprive genuinely needy people of medical care.
Unless you have no soul, that is.

My fellow, Chris, also said something simple yet so profound. Especially if you're a Tennessean...

Chris stated:
"Anyone with the cognitive ability of a dust mite would understand that our government has a responsibility to it’s people."

Well said, Chris.

What gets me the most about the "small gov't Republicans" (no gov't has ever intruded on the everyday lives of average Americans like the Bush Regime has) in this area in particular, is that they seem to forget that it was Roosevelt [D], in 1933, that saved the Tennessee Valley from certain demise during the depression years.
Though our carpetbaggers may not care, people that are rooted here in Bristol and the surrounding areas should remember that were it not for a little "big government" we would most likely be little more than a swamp right now.

Our gov't does have a responsibility, and as TVA has proven, when the gov't exercises that responsibility competently and in good faith, good things can happen. I don't think that anyone that is actually from this area can deny that and maintain their self respect at the same time.

More points:

Then I noticed that the old "how will we pay for it" nonsense was rehashed. Allow me to once again put this defeatist perspective to rest.

1) Legalize Marijuana and other drugs now listed as "illegal" and tax the hell out of it. With the revenue, and the lack of spending 15B a year to fund the DEA, health care for all Americans could be easily achieved.

2) Our gov't just gave the filthy, treasonous Blackwater Security USA another 92 million to help them continue to murder women and children in Iraq.
How many lives could that money have saved? I guess we'll never know. We do know how many innocent lives the money is taking, that's for sure.

3) Of course, with the money that is wasted on the criminal war in Iraq in one week we could restore TennCare to every single citizen in the state of TN.

The key is to stop wasting money that we already have. If that stops, no new taxes will be needed for health care. Both Democrats and Republicans are guilty of throwing money away on failures like the Iraq War and the Drug War. Though when it comes to this kind of sheer mathematical ignorance, Conservanoid Republicans are the all time champs.

"if you want health care, PAY FOR IT"! (one clown stated)
Spoken like someone who's surely living off of someone else's dime.
The lack of compassion for America's children among those that mistakenly call themselves "conservatives" is truly the scourge of this nation.

Republicans....Jesus, deliver us from these people.