Before I start discussing this controversial new proposal, allow me to begin with a story. This is the tale of Tommy Townhall. Tommy woke up on Tuesday morning and sat down at the breakfast table. Before beginning his day, Tommy knows the importance of a good breakfast, which met the safety standards of the Food and Drug Administration.
Next, Tommy cleaned himself using water, meeting the safety levels of the Environmental Protection Agency. After cleaning himself for the day, he left his house that still stands because it meets the Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration standards.
He hopped into his red pick-up truck and buckled the seatbelt before heading to work. A few years ago, Tommy had been an accident, but survived without any more than a scratch because his truck met the Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards and Regulations.
The recent economic downturn forced Tommy to take a new job in a factory. Thanks again to OSHA, Tommy has not suffered any injuries on the job. Also, he makes a fair living wage because of the Department of Labor’s minimum wage standards.
Tanya, Tommy’s wife, began working out of the house to help support the family. Because she is in the workforce, Tanya counts on federal help from the Child Care Bureau to help pay for child care expenses.
She works for the Tennessee Valley Authority which provides electricity to the Townhall house and all the other houses in the state. She got some time off of work when she had the child, thanks to the Family and Medical Leave Act.
Back to Tommy, who works on an assembly line making toys for a major movie studio, which meet all the requirements of the 2008 Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act.
Tommy is excited because he gets to leave at noon today. The fire marshal is coming by to make sure the factory building meets U.S. Fire Administration standards. This is even better for him because his sister is flying in from Detroit, on a plane meeting the Federal Aviation Administration standards, to visit for the weekend.
Not only is she coming to visit, she is leading a rally at the town hall meeting that night regarding health care reform.
So Tommy leaves the factory and picks up his sister from the Homeland Security guarded airport. They drop off her bags at the house and head straight away for the meeting.
Tommy can’t wait to voice his opinion. When he sees his senator at the podium, Tommy belts out, “Look at Cash for Clunkers, senator, if the government can’t even run that program, how can they do anything right? You’re an idiot and a Nazi!”
And scene.
Does this sound familiar? Maybe heard a very similar comment to Tommy’s on the television?
Everyone, let’s just chill-out and relax.
That story was just a short example of what social good the government already does. Darn it! I forgot to add a line about the Federal Communications Commission that prevents me from saying certain things. Shoot!
Yes, the government is not perfect. Guess what. No one is. Heck, you can make millions of dollars in major league baseball for being successful less than a third of the time.
Everyone makes mistakes but looking at this story, the social changes and improvements by the government are doing pretty well.
The health care reform presented is not the great Satan that will undo the American way of life. It is just the next step in the system to guarantee and safer and better life for Americans.
There are not ‘death panels’ in their robes and hoods waiting to deem you unfit for life. This isn’t “Logan’s Run” folks. And guess what. Most Americans with company-provided health care already have to wait in lines and don’t get to see the doctor of their choosing.
Not to mention health care reform has obviously caused the downfall of how many other Western powers? You can’t go a day without hearing about some European nation descending into civil war over this issue, right?
In a report published by CNN, an average of 45,000 Americans die each year because they did not have health insurance for various reasons. That’s 45,000 taxpaying people who had their lives cut short due to an unfortunate situation.
Do these people not deserve the same right to a chance at a long, quality life?
Yes they do. Yes we do.
The reform proposed will greatly help the lower and middle classes of America. This will come at cost that the upper classes will have to pay more proportionately.
Huh, that sure doesn’t sound like a socialist revolution. That sounds like something that makes a fair amount of sense.
I remember in high school, when my class was about to graduate, our counselors would come and talk to us. They expounded the benefits of going to college but made sure to emphasize that technical training can lead to a quality job and a good wage.
What they were indirectly saying is that everyone is important. Everyone plays a role in our society. Despite your station in life, you have value to society.
So, if everyone has value, then why shouldn’t they get a fair shake at life?
Yes, wealthy people, I think it’s entirely fair that you pay proportionately more. You can afford to help out your fellow man. I don’t mean for this to turn into an argument of ‘What would you do in this situation,” because those arguments are as trite as making a joke about Kanye West.
But, there is great value to do something like this. I remember a certain book that greatly emphasizes moral value over material. Oh, that’s right, it’s the Bible. Whether you believe in the holiness of this book or not, take some time to read Ecclesiastes 5:10; Matthew 6:19-20, 31-32 and 1 Timothy 6:8-10. In addition, my favorite, Mark 10:25, which states, “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”
Those are some good words to live your life by, regardless of your creed.
Besides, at the end of the day, you are still in the upper class. That must suck. I can’t wait to read about it on fmylife.com.
And, you’re not paying for it alone; note the word ‘proportionately.’ Those of us not in the upper echelons of life will still give what we can, it’s just not as much because for one reason or another, we don’t make as much monetarily.
But guess what. I am not sorry for going into the newspaper business where I can expect to make about $20,000. I decided to do what I love and work for something greater than myself. I got into this business to help my fellow citizens stay informed and make better decisions.
I’ll readily admit that this is a very complicated issue and a time-consuming one.
Not everything can be answered with a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no.’
However, this is also an issue that transcends simple partisan bickering. This is about the lives of Americans. So, I ask you to take a look at yourself. Are you so selfish as to not care about your fellow American?
I hope you aren’t.
