I Am Done Tip-Toeing

When I first started this blog, I purposely strayed away from certain topics i.e. religion, and politics, because I did not want to offend any of my readers. Well, I am tired of being a people pleaser…life is too short.

After Ezra was diagnosed with Leukemia I looked at my blog differently, I knew I needed to make it more of a space for me, after all it is my creative outlet. So I started writing more about my feelings, putting myself more out there, and I plan to continue to do so. I plan to write a lot more about Ezra and my stories about my mental illness.

That being said, I have read and heard things this week that have just down right appalled me. I was so mad at the fuss that was being made over our President addressing our students.

When George Bush (senior) addressed the students, were there permission slips sent out? No, there were not. No one even thought twice about it.

I thought it was a slap in Obama’s face, the way people were treating it. This man has worked so hard, and overcome so many obstacles…and that is how we treat him? Is it because he is a Democrat, because he is black, or because he runs things differently than the last 8 years have been run?

Did people really think Obama was going to start spewing political propaganda to their children? Why would anyone think he was going to do that, how would that benefit anyone? Your children don’t care and most don’t even understand what health care reform is!

The people elected this man, we need to show him more respect, and appreciation. By telling your child they can’t listen to the President’s speech, you are basically saying, only respect and appreciate the President if he is of my political party. Which is just wrong, we should teach our children to respect the President regardless of his political stance, he is the President! Did you hear the speech? It was amazing, and motivational, and every child should have heard it. What a shame.

Secondly, how many of you caught Obama’s speech Wednesday night? I did, and it was amazing.

I made this status update on my Facebook page that night

“I love our president...and please don't complain about health care reform unless you are listening to what he has to say tonight :).”

It sparred a political debate with my friends so far there are 39 comments…and I am sure there will be more.

My favorite comment was from my friend Justin he said:

“Beth, isn't it funny how the same people who will defend a zygote's right to life, are the same people in favor of the status quo?

No abortions! But once that kid is breathing, you're on your own!-Ridiculous indeed.”

I am 100% for health care reform. Something needs to change. In case you missed the speech here is some of the key points.

- First, if you are among the hundreds of millions of Americans who already have health insurance through your job, or Medicare, or Medicaid, or the VA, nothing in this plan will require you or your employer to change the coverage or the doctor you have. Let me repeat this: Nothing in our plan requires you to change what you have.

- What this plan will do is make the insurance you have work better for you. Under this plan, it will be against the law for insurance companies to deny you coverage because of a preexisting condition.

- They will no longer be able to place some arbitrary cap on the amount of coverage you can receive in a given year or in a lifetime.  We will place a limit on how much you can be charged for out-of-pocket expenses, because in the United States of America, no one should go broke because they get sick.

- And insurance companies will be required to cover, with no extra charge, routine checkups and preventive care, like mammograms and colonoscopies, because there's no reason we shouldn't be catching diseases like breast cancer and colon cancer before they get worse. That makes sense, it saves money, and it saves lives.

- Now, if you're one of the tens of millions of Americans who don't currently have health insurance, the second part of this plan will finally offer you quality, affordable choices.

- Individuals will be required to carry basic health insurance -- just as most states require you to carry auto insurance.

Lies Debunked

  -The best example is the claim made not just by radio and cable talk show hosts, but by prominent politicians, that we plan to set up panels of bureaucrats with the power to kill off senior citizens. Now, such a charge would be laughable if it weren't so cynical and irresponsible. It is a lie, plain and simple.

- There are also those who claim that our reform efforts would insure illegal immigrants. This, too, is false. The reforms  I'm proposing would not apply to those who are here illegally.

- And one more misunderstanding I want to clear up -- under our plan, no federal dollars will be used to fund abortions, and federal conscience laws will remain in place.

- Now, I have no interest in putting insurance companies out of business. They provide a legitimate service, and employ a lot of our friends and neighbors. I just want to hold them accountable.

- First, I will not sign a plan that adds one dime to our deficits -- either now or in the future.  Now, part of the reason I faced a trillion-dollar deficit when I walked in the door of the White House is because too many initiatives over the last decade were not paid for -- from the Iraq war to tax breaks for the wealthy. I will not make that same mistake with health care.

I could go on, there was so much great information put out there by our president.

My family needs health care reform. Ezra will not be able to find insurance as an adult, or if he can it will cost him a small fortune. It is known that one of the side effects of chemotherapy is secondary cancers, no insurance company is going to be jumping up to insure him.

Why would you not want this for yourself, your family, and our future?

What if your child gets Cancer?

The argument was brought up on my FB page (by my Republican brother, love you!)  that, people that make unhealthy lifestyle choices (the obese, alcoholics, addicts, etc.) should have to pay more for a health care premium than those that make healthy choices. Which I can see the point in that, its kind of like saying, go ahead eat 3 Big Macs a day, smoke a pack a day,  we’ve  got you covered if something should come up.

However, the reason our country spends so much money on health care is because we are the most obese country out there. Obesity leads to all sorts of health related problems. Please read this article to learn more. We need to look at why our country has the highest obesity rate, and fix it!!

What it really comes down to is there needs to be regulations put on our food, what can be produced, what can be advertised, etc. We need to start there to bring down the cost of the United States health care system. Maybe then people wouldn’t be so upset by the idea of health care reform, because maybe then the United States wouldn’t be spending double the amount per person as the Europeans do.

That is my two cents on it all, I hope I didn’t offend too many.

I read many blogs whose authors are republicans, or have different religious views than I. Many of them write about their political views, and just because I don’t agree with them, I don’t stop reading, or commenting on their blogs. I learn from them. You can’t make a valid argument with out hearing both sides.

I appreciate that we all have different views and opinions, that is what makes life interesting. That is how change comes about.

So if you have been tip-toeing around on your blog as well, I encourage you to stomp your feet. Be proud of who you are, even if everyone else may not agree, you will feel better, I promise.