At What Point, America, Do You Get This on Health Care?

Okay, America. It's 2020. Worst, most killing international pandemic in more than 100 years.

You're the only Western, industrialized nation without universal health care. You're the only nation that tied and ties health care to profit.

The U.S. is the Only Very Highly Developed Country Without Universal HealthCare

You have, far and away, THE MOST EXPENSIVE health care system IN THE WORLD. And it also gives you THE WORST OUTCOMES, for all that money.

U.S. Healthcare: Most 

Expensive and Worst Performing

The U.S. Has the Most Expensive Healthcare System in the World

And we're the only nation--IN THE WORLD--where citizens can and do go bankrupt for health care costs.

Only in America: Bankruptcy Due to Health Care Costs

And not just bankruptcies, which is bad enough, but it's the NUMBER ONE CAUSE OF BANKRUPTCY in the nation.

Health Care Costs Number One Cause of Bankruptcy for American Families

And now? As I said, with this worst, most killing international pandemic in over 100 years? And the job losses? And so, people losing their health insurance?

Millions Have Lost Health Insurance in Pandemic

COVID-19 Job Losses Threaten Insurance Coverage

27M Americans may have lost job-based health insurance

At what point do you get this?

How long are we going to let corporations and profits be more important than people? And their lives?

You didn't used to be clueless. Or heartless.

Or downright stupid.

And yet people are against "Obamacare"

Yet more benefits and improvements:

The Right Wing, Republicans and this President

Catholics for "Obamacare"

Yes, check this out: Catholic Nuns File Brief Supporting Affordable Care Act From the article: "As further proof that conservative efforts to paint President Obama as the enemy of religion are a red herring, nearly two dozen leading Catholic nuns filed a brief in the Supreme Court last week supporting the president’s signature legislative accomplishment. The Catholic sisters who joined the brief include the leaders of many prominent religious orders providing health care and other services to the needy." Anyone who reads here (either one of you) knows I'm not big on Catholics and/or Catholicism but if this religious group comes out for the Affordable Care Act--the real name for what is otherwise known as "Obamacare"--there must be some things right with it. Link: http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2012/02/23/431147/catholic-nuns-file-brief-supporting-affordable-care-act/

This election and our very broken health care system

Be careful what you wish--vote--for.

On our broken health care system (quote)

"The 50 million uninsured may seem invisible, but today their ranks are equal to the combined populations of Oklahoma, Connecticut, Iowa, Mississippi, Kansas, Kentucky, Arkansas, Utah, Oregon, Nevada, New Mexico, West Virginia, Nebraska, Idaho, Maine, New Hampshire, Hawaii, Rhode Island, Montana, Delaware, North Dakota, South Dakota, Alaska, Vermont and Wyoming. Would America turn its back on these 25 states if they all lacked basic health coverage? That is what we’ve been doing for decades." --Matt Miller, Opinion Contributor, The Washington Post. Link: http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-third-party-stump-speech-we-need/2011/09/22/gIQAjzx8wK_story_2.html

Unreasonable Right-wing responses

Keeping track of the Republicans, "Tea Baggers" and Right-wingers and their unreasonable, ugly and,in some cases, wildly illegal responses to the Health Care Reform Act:

From Politico and Yahoo! News:

"Reps. Louise Slaughter and Bart Stupak have received death threats."

"A tea party participant published what he thought was Rep. Thomas Perriello’s home address and urged disgruntled voters to “drop by” for a 'good face-to-face chat.'”

"Vandals broke windows at Slaughter’s office in New York and Rep. Gabrielle Giffords’s office in Arizona."

"And angry voters are planning to protest this weekend at the home of Steve Driehaus — who’s already seen a photograph of his children used in a newspaper ad published by reform opponents."

"The vitriolic health care debate has become personal — too personal, say House Democrats who voted for the bill and now find not just themselves but their families in the cross hairs of opponents."

"Slaughter, a Democrat who chairs the House Rules Committee, said a caller to her office last week vowed to send snipers to 'kill the children of the members who voted yes.' Her office reported the call to police, who were dispatched to provide protection for Slaughter’s grandchildren. She has also been in touch with the FBI and U.S. Postal Service inspectors, who intercepted a letter en route to her home in upstate New York."

--Rep. Bart Stupak's wife can't answer the phone at their home due to the obscenities that are being phoned to them.

--Representative "Driehaus faults Republicans for providing encouragement to the most extreme opponents of reform. Last week, House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) warned that anti-abortion Democrats would suffer politically if they voted for the health care bill; he singled out Driehaus, saying he 'may be a dead man' and 'can’t go home to the west side of Cincinnati' because 'the Catholics will run him out of town.'"

--"Rep. Earl Pomeroy (D-N.D.) said he had to change his personal cell phone number after a Republican gave it out to health care opponents."

--"And Rep. Dennis Cardoza, a Blue Dog Democrat from California, said he’s gotten physical threats over health care reform."

--"Law enforcement authorities are investigating the discovery of a cut propane gas line at the Virginia home of Rep. Thomas Perriello’s (D-Va.) brother, whose address was targeted by tea party activists angry at the congressman’s vote for the health care bill."

It's wildly irresponsible. It's dangerous. It's stupid. It's truly, literally despicable, stirring up these kinds of reactions to legislation the American people want and need.

It's important we're aware of what's going on. There has already been a lessening in the quantity of calls to some representatives, since Sunday, and hopefully this will all tamp down soon.

It seems the crazies have been on the loose.

At any Republican President's worst, especially when "W" invaded Iraq and took us to war with no cause, against our own and international law, did any Liberal, Democrat or anyone else rebel like this. We took our demonstrations, very peacefully, to the streets. We never threatened anyone.

And health care reform is nowhere near as bad for the country, in any way, as that invasion.

This insanity needs to stop now.