Making the bid to ACTUALLY change healthcare, President Obama made a statement yesterday that we’ve not heard in a long time, and even if we did we hadn’t believed it (From AP):

“The system we have now might work for the powerful and well-connected interests that have run Washington for far too long,” Obama said in his weekly radio and video address. “But I don’t. I work for the American people. I know these steps won’t sit well with the special interests and lobbyists who are invested in the old way of doing business, and I know they’re gearing up for a fight,. My message to them is this: So am I.”

While the republicans are going to lay into him on this, it’s the democrats we have to be wary of. Short of oil, you couldn’t find a more powerful lobby than healthcare in this country. He will have to find creative measures to push this through so he doesn’t get snagged in the downward spiral experienced by Hillary Clinton 15 years ago.

Insurance companies will dislike having “to bid competitively to continue offering Medicare coverage, but that’s how we’ll help preserve and protect Medicare and lower health care costs,” the president said. “I know that banks and big student lenders won’t like the idea that we’re ending their huge taxpayer subsidies, but that’s how we’ll save taxpayers nearly $50 billion and make college more affordable. I know that oil and gas companies won’t like us ending nearly $30 billion in tax breaks, but that’s how we’ll help fund a renewable energy economy.”

To all the republicans out there complaining about socialism and taxes: THIS is what your goverment SHOULD be doing. Working for the majority of the people and not a chosen few preordained by you. Every advanced country has either a universal or affordable healthcare system. Those that don’t are not good examples of anything. We deserve, as taxpayers, to live our lives here without the constant fear that an illness will destroy us financially and/or cost too much to cure. It’s disgraceful - now there’s someone who’s willing to fight it.

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My grandmother was a very religious person and possibly the most decent person I’ve ever met. She believed the bible word for word. Gave money to Oral Roberts and Pat Robertson. Went to church regularly. Never swore or lied that I could tell and treated everyone equally her entire life, no matter race, creed, color. She believed that you’re put here to not simply help yourself, but others. Show compassion for everybody, not just those you wanted to, and that while money was vital, it was not worth living or dying for. She was also a lifelong democrat.

I think about that when I try to resolve how the ultra-religious, ultra-conservative dead-enders justify many of their beliefs. It seems to me that the conservative platform of the last 8 to 10 years conflicts greatly with the reality of being a good Christian. While I’ve had ridiculous arguments to the contrary, Christianity in essence is more than just a belief in Christ. It is a belief in his basic tenant:

Matthew 7: ¹²Treat others as you want them to treat you. This is what the Law and the Prophets are all about.

And, if that doesn’t confirm it for you, we have this quote:

James 2:² My friends, if you have faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, you won’t treat some people better than others…. ⁹But if you treat some people better than others, you have done wrong, and the Scriptures teach that you have sinned.

Most of my conservative friends follow a belief that rounds out to this:

Those who are invalid and mentally ill deserve our help, but everyone else is on their own.

Tax systems should never be designed to appropriate one’s private property (income) for the purpose of distributing that property to another person who has done nothing to earn it.( i.e. My wealth is not meant to suppliment anyone else’s bad judgements, bad luck or circumstances beyond their control. Social programs such as Welfare, head start and others are government’s foray into that area and not welcome in my book).

Public services the government should provide for its citizens include a standing army, law enforcement and other such protections, roadways, and schools. The government should never raise more money than is required to find direct, basic services (i.e. If you can’t afford healthcare, that’s not my problem).

This is a Judaeo-Christian country (i.e. If you are muslim, hindu, atheist or any other form of religion that does not act or sound very American, you should be happy being a second class citizen here).

Now, as you can see, there are basic tenants of the conservative movement and what they mean to conservatives in every day society. The new Christian conservatives like to say they believe government can’t be trusted, but that’s really just a nice face put on the statement “I don’t want to be taxed anymore” or “The welfare of others is not my problem.”

I think that, even if we put aside everything else mentioned here, the idea that we live in a society where healthcare is a business for profit is grotesque. The fact that many Christian conservatives would consider a discussion about covering everyone a conversation-ender is pathetic. And for those who feel that human beings have no real responsibility for other human beings beyond our own personal bubbles is truly sad. Many other countries do not function this way. Their systems aren’t perfect - nothing is - but they have the welfare of everyone in mind - and on our shores we are able to make Medicare work pretty well. What is wrong with a system where those who choose to pay more can get some extra attention and those who choose not to (or can’t) get equally good attention?

I think if you’re going to call yourself Christian, you gotta walk the walk. Just like you question the validity of anyone who doesn’t believe the bible word for word, I question the validity of someone who doesn’t follow the teachings of that same bible word for word. In fact, the latter is more important than the former.

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