a dumb blonde's take on healthcare reform...

For everyone dying to know my take on healthcare reform here goes...

I'm just not really that affected either way.

I mean really. I am fortunate enough to be married to a guy who, barring any really stupid mistake, has a pretty secure job with good benefits. Granted, things can always come up, but for the most part, me and my family are going to go about our business and still get to see the same doctors we've always seen. Will it cost us more? Maybe. But, the price of milk keeps going up, and I still buy it.

What I don't like is people who decide that they love or hate it, only because it's a Democrat's idea. Do I love Obama-um....not even a little bit. Did I vote for him? Not on your life! Do I think his idea (or any Democrat's) of bigger goverment is a good one? No. But guess what, I didn't like some of the stuff Bush did either-and I even don't agree with McCain ALL the time. People who are so narrow minded that they can't see the opposite side irritate me!

Here's the thing. I don't think the Government should tell me what I have to do as a business owner. And I think that forcing people to provide benefits will only cause companies to hire less people, causing more unemployment, which will strain the system even more. I don't think that offering lower income families a "tax credit" to buy insurance or imposing a fine for those who don't have insurance is going to be all that effective either.

I absolutely do no agree that I should be paying for your healthcare if you come to my country illegally, don't pay taxes, and take away a job from someone who lives here legally. But, guess what? I already am. Have you ever been to an emergency room trying to get someone to see your sick child, only to be sitting in a waiting room for hours because it's full of people without insurance also trying to be seen? Do you realize that they don't have insurance because they probably can't afford it, or it's just not a priority, and so they are not going to pay this bill either, causing MY insurance premiums to go up. Is it fair? No. Is it life? Yes. For the most part, we've all been to Kindergarten, and we've all learned that life isn't always fair. I personally would rather have more people with insurance, which may free up some of the urgent care places, just in case I really have an emergency-call me selfish...

Yes, I worry about the cost, especially to my children-I don't want them to have to deal with the mistakes that my generation has made. But I also don't want my kids growing up in a society where every man is for himself. I LOVE that this country is founded on the belief that hard work pays and that you can be anything you want. But bad things happen to good people. People work hard all their life, and try to do the right thing, only to be handed a circumstance beyond thier control. Should this person suffer because he or she loses a spouse, or a job, or becomes ill? What about children? Should they suffer because they are born into a bad situation? Maybe if some of the people who are so worried that their taxes are going to go up spent a little less on trying to keep up with the Joneses and a little more trying to help their fellow man, Government wouldn't HAVE to step in. I get so fired up when I see on the news that people are sending millions of dollars over seas to help others when tragedy stikes, but they never think to pick up an extra bag of groceries to help a neighbor who is down on his luck at home.

For the record, I am not a supporter of Big Government, and I belive very strongly in the Constitution. I belive that this is the greatest country in the world because of the belief that hard work equals a good life. I am in no way a supporter of everyone being equal just because, and everyone deserving the same things. But, I am also a firm believer that sometimes, we need to all take a step back and look at how we act, before we start throwing stones at people because they don't have what we have or believe what we believe. Different views and right to express these views are part of what makes this country so great.

So yes, the Republican in me says this is a bad idea. And so does the comfortable, middle class, keep your government out of my business, life that I enjoy. Would I hate it more if I was a business owner, who is being forced to do someting by my government? Yes. But would I be thrilled about it if I was a hard working single mom who made too much to be on Medicaid, but couldn't afford insurance for my kids? Yes. My point is that it affects everyone in a different way. It's not the worst thing that has every happened, and it certainly isn't the cureall. As my mom would say-it is what it is, and now we have to figure out how to handle it.

And that is my very liberal republican view on this topic that I don't know nearly enough about...
Please feel free to bash my thoughts or clue me in to what I've missed, because honestly, I don't know much about it, but I want to!