Jsyte

My view on current politics

This weekend, everyone is talking about the healthcare reform bill going through the House. I haven’t taken much of a side on this, mainly because I consider myself Libertarian, but I do recognize that there are issues with our current healthcare system. The cost of insurance tends to be staggering, and I sometimes wonder if it’s better to just invest that money in a “rainy day” fund. But then you go to the doctor when you’re sick (I just had Upper Respiratory Infection) and you walk out with a staggering bill that, along with possible missed work, leaves your wallet feeling empty. I don’t think that anyone in this country should be ruined financially just because they were sick.

Of course, this opens up many questions. If the government pays for your healthcare, then they will start passing laws to prevent people from doing things that will get them sick (smoking, drinking, etc.). I’m not a huge fan of these “nanny laws,” as it’s not really what this country was founded upon.

But what really rubs me the wrong way with this whole debate is how people are going after this topic. It’s like watching children fight. The Republicans are name-calling and saying this is the end of the world. The worst is when they say things like “oh the government shouldn’t get involved in issues like this.” Really? So were they also opposed to No Child Left Behind? Where was their outcry when Bush passed that? Or the PATRIOT Act? And with that logic, they’d be OK with abortion being legal, right (otherwise it’s a healthcare-related law).

While we’re at it, we should repeal Medicare. I hear old people criticize Obama and healthcare, but they get to get a free motorized wheelchair paid for by taxpayers? I’m paying into Social Security, but everyone knows that by the time I get to that age, there will be no money left (this has been said for years). You cannot be against healthcare for all if you reap the benefits of our current Medicare system.

I think a healthcare reform isn’t necessarily a bad thing. If we fix the holes where money is leaking and make the system efficient, we can actually save money in the long run. But if we start making concessions on what should be covered and pass a bill riddled with pork, loopholes, and concessions for the wealthy, then the public will lose in this.

People need to stop picking sides on this issue just because of party lines. Making your argument against healthcare because Obama “is a communist” is stupid and childish. It’s interesting to see the people that were always like “you can’t make fun of the President” and “If you don’t like this country, then leave!” when Bush was in power now do the exact opposite now that a Democrat is in power.

This is all just my opinion as of now. It’ll be interesting to see what happens, and I really don’t think that Obama will drive this country into the ground (we could say Bush did that already…). A lot of people will probably have differing opinions, and I encourage intelligent discussion in the comments. Any comments which are hateful, trolling, or otherwise irrelevant will be deleted.