Because I just can't help myself

You know if there's a hotbutton issue in blogland, I keep my mouth shut. If there's a hotbutton issue affecting our country? I just can't help myself.

Yes, I'm going there. Health Care Reform. I'm sorry people. Obama campaigned on it. We elected him in a landslide on it. He made no secret about his intentions. And now, all of a sudden, everyone acts so freakin' surprised that he wants to enact universal health care coverage? Which simply means that every single freakin' American would have the benefit of health care insurance.

Instead of opposing political parties and insurance lobbies gathering their cronies to create havoc and sound bites, I'd personally love to hear what this plan entails. That way I could make an intelligent and informed decision as to my opinion. I know that in the last 2 years, our deductible has tripled, both individual and family. I know that we're fortunate to still have insurance. But I also know that it's the main sticking point every year in the union negotiations between the teacher's union and the school district. I'm interested. Unfortunately, every evening, I'm forced to endure watching the bad news, and seeing, once again, how Americans can make themselves look like asses in front of the rest of the world.

For all those people who are so concerned that universal health care coverage will mean rationing of health care, and insurance company big-wigs deciding who will live and who will die, and not being able to pick your doctor, and granny not being allowed to get her medicine or not getting her surgery, or dad getting kicked out of the hospital before he's well... I have news for you. We already have that health care system. It's called the HMO.

Would all the people who are raising a riot on the news every night deny HMO coverage to all the people in our country who currently have nothing? Just perhaps, we could shut our mouths and open our ears and listen for a change. Listen to the proposals and use our brains and then decide for ourselves. Clinton was unable to do it. Bush had no interest in it. I'd really like to see Obama make some real progress. I don't believe that moving toward a government run health care system is necessarily bad. Most other countries in the world manage it. I don't necesarily believe that it will bring the level of care in our country down, or that all the amazing research that goes on here will suddenly stop, or that all our innovative physicians will suddenly disappear.

I'd like to believe that as Americans, we can do something better. Smarter. But people, we have to shut up and listen first. Having the right to our own free speech does not deprive our neighbors of their right to free speech. Sometimes I think that the Bill of Rights should have included the Right to Listen. Lord knows we'd get a whole lot more accomplished. Including a Health Care bill.