A Rant About Health Care, Socialism, Conservatives and Liberals

this was part of a facebook conversation/debate about obama, the health care bill, and the satirical website about boycotting our "socialist fire departments."

1- i don't think that the satire presented in the "1 million strong against our socialist fire departments" is totally incorrect. i know it generalizes and simplifies the issues, but i do think it makes an important point. labeling obama a "socialist" (including images of him which mimic communist and fascist propaganda) has been widely and aggressively used to discredit his presidency and the push for universal health care. First, that is incorrect. Many of the “left” wish he really were a socialist/communist/humanitarian/etc and strongly disagree with many of the decisions, compromises, etc he has made. (though when he is attacked it’s hard not to come back fighting, especially when given the outrageous fraud, inhumanity, and hypocrisy of recent republican leaders). second, the website was simply pointing out that our government provides PLENTY of services that we participate in- whether we take them for granted or appreciate them. i believe that being able to go to the doctor when you are sick should be just as accessible as borrowing a book from the library, asking a police officer for help, riding a city bus, attending kindergarten, mailing a letter, etc. none of those are perfect systems, FOR SURE(!), but i've been glad to have them when i need/want/choose them! i know there are many people in the world who do not have such privileges, but in the wealthiest country in the world i think it's outrageous that so many people (children, the elderly, people who work 3 jobs, the disabled, etc) do not have health care. on a side note, i agree that in general more local control would be both more effective and higher quality. i also think that there are certain responsibilities that we humans have to care for (or at least respect) each other and many of the "right" (not all!!!) has a history of violating those rights and continues to do so today which makes me very hesitant to say that certain areas of the country should govern themselves. what about the people of color who live there? what about the gays and lesbians? what about the teenager who gets pregnant? what about those who are not christian? i know the good that people can do when they work together in their communities, but i've also seen the horrible, hateful, violent things they do. I think communities should be given more autonomy and responsibility to care for their own. I also have some hesitancy about that though, given the way many groups have been treated in the past, and are treated to this day.

2- while i know that there are a lot of things we all disagree on (both within our "right" or "left" circles and between them), there are also many things we do agree on-- things we want for ourselves, our children, our parents, our communities, our world etc. it's wild how easy it is to dig our feet in, try and prove a point, get self-righteous, come back fighting, etc when i would guess that many of our goals are the same. (and i'm not pointing fingers here, but mostly speaking from my own experiences/reactions). the republican vs. democrat struggle happens everywhere from the senate floor to facebook and it's a shame because really we are all just humans. and trust me, i know because my way is the only real answer (just kidding).