I started off this morning writing an entry about my trip to the beach on Saturday, but it's really hard to have a consistent enough train of thought to write while I'm at work. I saved the draft, so it might make an entry someday, but unfortunately I have no idea what I intended to write about so it might be a while before I finish it. While I was busy not writing, I read many articles today regarding healthcare, and a whole bunch of opinion articles regarding the same subject, so I figured that I'd write my own.

Point: Socialized medicine is evil. I'm not paying for some sloppy layabout's or illegal immigrant's healthcare.

Counterpoint: Socialized medicine is not evil. Whether you like it or not, you are already paying for some "sloppy layabout's or illegal immigrant's" healthcare. It's likely that the people complaining about paying for these programs make too much money to qualify for these already existing government sponsored healthcare programs, so they're angry that they are paying for a thing that they can not have. I have to lie on applications so I can ensure that Devin has health coverage, but if the proposed changes are made to this system, I would actually be entitled to the thing I'm already paying for. This is basically a win-win situation. Now I'm just waiting for the bigots to speak up and say that they don't want to have the same insurance that "illegals" have because they feel that they're entitled to better.

Point: Fat people and smokers shouldn't have their entire healthcare bill footed by taxpayers because they are a burden to society. They should have to pay a portion of their own healthcare.

Counterpoint: Where to start? Fat people and smokers are fat and smokers by their own choice only to a certain point. Once an addiction has you in its grip it's hard, very hard, to get out. I'm fat AND I smoke, but I'm hardly lazy, or even an overconsumer of food. Rather, I'm a part of the often overlooked class known as "the working poor", and buying canned, boxed, and frozen foods is more cost effective pound for pound over buying fresh meats, fruits, and vegetables. I'd like to not have such a dependency on the frozen food aisle, but until something is done regarding the price of healthier options, me and Mrs. Pauls will continue to have our quick and delicious meetings. I can understand that people dislike smoking, but god DAMN, I'm sick of hearing about how shitty smokers are. I hate alcoholics, but I don't run around screaming about it every day.

While we're writing lists of things we don't want to pay for, there are certain things that I personally wouldn't like to pay for either. What about the parents who rush their children to the doctor every time the kid fucking sneezes? What about the people who are in so much "pain", that they're constantly at the doctor trying to get pain pills in order to feed their addiction, I mean, cure their "pain"? What about the people who give birth to horribly retarded children (probably due to the breeding horse of a mother being past her prime, or inbreeding) and then refuse to give up the ghost? What about people like Terry Schiavo? I don't really care if that made me sound like an asshole, so please, do tell me if I did.

In a nutshell, there is no such thing, and there never will be such a thing as "united we stand". There will always be something that someone doesn't agree with.

P.S. I got a little excited when I heard rumors that old people would be killed under the new insurance plan.

Cheers!