Thoughts on this?

It is being called a health care "debate"; I've seen very little debating going on. I've seen yelling, name calling, and the regurgitation of the words/phrases used by news anchors and talk radio hosts with no thought behind the words themselves - mindless parroting. I had hoped, when the health care issue was brought to the forefront of the political scene, that the American People could act like adults and not resort to cheap propaganda techniques and volume as a way of trying to get their point across.

With that said, I am consistently and constantly surprised and saddened by the hatred that emanates from different groups. Even if you don't agree with the HOW of what Obama is doing, you must be for WHAT he is doing. . . right? Trying to take care of the American people, the people whom without there would be no America. The poor have done, and do, all the tasks that most people don't want to, isn't it about time that we take care of them? Make sure they have access to health care so they can receive treatment if they need it (and for most of the jobs they are doing - they will).

I don't understand the idea of not wanting to take care of the members of this country. So many other countries have been able to create a health care system that takes care of their inhabitants, why can't we? Because of fear, plain and simple - fear of change, a pretty primal fear and understandable - fear that our hard earned (or not so hard earned) cash will go to someone else's health, this is a biggie for people - fear of the government, I think skepticism is a better thing to have of the government but fear is understandable.
So let's look at these fears and see if they can be broken down - confronting fear is the best way of conquering it.

1. Fear of change - I admit, change can be scary. Stagnation is even scarier though. The alternative is to do nothing, maintain the status quo. For myself and many others this is not an appropriate course of action. Too many people become chronically ill, disabled, or die because of lack of health ins. How can this be okay? How can we as a nation built upon the freedoms of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness think that it is perfectly fine if some of us are too sick to live, have lost any liberty because they are bedridden, and cannot even fathom happiness because they are so deep in health care bills? SOMETHING has to happen, CHANGE MUST COME NOW!
   
2. Fear that our money will go to someone else - As a capitalist nation this is probably one of the biggest stumbling blocks. We are a greedy people - we want more and we want it to be mine. Here is a contradiction with this Americanism - according to Adherents.com, 85% of Americans are Christian. Jesus said to take care of each other, I'm paraphrasing of course - but for those who may bring it up as a criticism, I have read the Bible. He said to love one another. How is denying health care to people following these teachings, how is the greedy individualism that many live by reconciled with this? For the remaining 15% - we don't need some mythical guy telling us what we know is the right thing to do, right? And it is the right thing to do, plain and simple; everyone knows that working together is more productive, efficient, and fun, why can't we work together on this?
   
3. Fear of the Government - Yea, the government can be scary, just look at the last eight years. The opacity that shrouded the workings of our government has begun to be lifted and made more transparent. Like I said before: blind faith isn't what I'm advocating. Skepticism is a good thing in all things. However, being against universal health care just because Obama, Democrats, or Republicans is stupid - there I said it, it's just plain stubborn and dumb, unless you're a teen then irrational rebellion is expected of you. A government run/sponsored/regulated (what ever ends up happening) makes sense, look at

   Afghanistan*, Argentina, Austria, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Cuba, Costa Rica, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iraq*, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Oman, Portugal, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Sweden, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Ukraine and the United Kingdom (*Universal health coverage provided by United States war funding !!!) Source

   Really? That many? And two are funded by. . . wait for it, US??? We're paying for health care in two countries and neither of them are our own? Anyone else astounded by this? Okay, anyway. The point is that it is possible, it can work. We're supposed to be the greatest country in the world, but we don't take care of the people who live in it.
   

That is my rant, I do have some quotes to share that I think are applicable and appropriate to the subject.

"If civilization is to survive, we must cultivate the science of human relationships - the ability of all peoples, of all kinds, to live together, in the same world at peace."
-Franklin D. Roosevelt

"Whenever I hear anyone arguing for slavery, I feel a strong impulse to see it tried on him personally."
~Abraham Lincoln

"Of equality - As if it harm'd me, giving others the same chances and rights as myself - As if it were not indispensable to my own rights that others possess the same."
~Walt Whitman