Ebert's thoughts on socialized healthcare and the Obama reform – followed by a rant of mine

In response to a previous blog entry in which he foolishly tried to use actual arguments of logic and evidence – y'know, reason – to spread his views and arguments for Obama's nationalized (or rather, "socialized") healthcare, he got tons of comments (as he always does) which made him reconsider his position. No, not his position on being for or against the healthcare reform; rather, his position on how to debate with the sort of folks who shut their ears, scream "LA-DEE-DA! America's healthcare rules, Libz are commies!". Republicans, basically.

My mistake was writing from the pragmatic side. I should have followed my heart and gone with a more emotional approach. I believe universal health care is, quite simply, right.

It is a moral imperative. I cannot enjoy health coverage and turn to my neighbor and tell him he doesn't deserve it. A nation is a mutual undertaking. In a democracy, we set out together to do what we believe is good for the commonwealth. That means voluntarily subjecting ourselves to the rule of law, taxation, military service, the guaranteeing of rights to minorities, and so on. That is a cheap price to pay.

As I've read through of those comments (and I've posted all but two I received), one thing jumped from the page at me: The unusually high number of comments from other countries. Canadians were particularly well-represented. Although we're assured by opponents of the Obama legislation that Canada's system of universal care is a failure, all of these Canadians, without exception, reported their enthusiasm for their nation's system. One reader said her mother choose to fly to California to get a knee replacement more quickly, but even she praised the Canadian system.

Exactly. Whilst even Canadians may bitch and moan about waiting times and such, the fact of the matter is, as annoyed as we may be with our current system here, we'd be absolutely horrified to experience American healthcare standards. Every country's population likes to complain about their services – hey, it's just human nature – but ask Canadian, especially any one that has dealt first-hand with the differences between American, and Canadian healthcare systems: we own your healthcare system's ass, big time, to put it mildly.

Ebert then takes apart a few of the standardized silly claims he received against socialized healthcare:

It is "socialized medicine." Yes, it is. The entire society shares the cost. It does not replace private medicine. Just as in the UK and Canada, for example, we would remain free to choose our own insurance policies and private physicians. But it is the safety net for everyone.

It is "socialism." Again, yes. The word socialism, however, has lost its usefulness in this debate. It has been tainted, perhaps forever, by the malevolent Sen. Joseph McCarthy, who succeeded somehow in linking it with the godless Commies. America is the only nation in the free world in which "socialism" is generally thought of in negative terms. The only nation in which that word, in and of itself, is thought to bring the discussion to a close.

[...]

Federal Death panels would decide who lives or dies. This, very frankly, is a lie. The nearest thing we have to a death panel in the United States is an insurance company claims adjuster. Some readers wrote that they or their loved ones were denied tests or treatment by their insurance companies, especially in the case of "pre-existing conditions." One, who had a brain tumor, says he was denied coverage of the treatment by an adjuster, as if he'd known about the tumor at the time he took out his policy some time earlier. Think about this. Unless we die violently or in an accident, we all die of a pre-existing condition. The condition is called "life."

[...]

I was informed that my entry was "typical liberalism." This is correct. I am a liberal. If you are a conservative, this appears to be a difference between us: I think you should have guaranteed health insurance.

Good rebuttals, all. One can only dream of a day where the perpetually retarded morons that compose the primary force of the Republican/Conservative side of this debate – or any debate for hell's sake – will open their eyes, disillusion themselves and wake up to the welcoming arms of reality. Socialization is good. Socialized medicine is even better. "Death panels", and anything remotely similar to such claims, are a fucking baldfaced lie. Obama will not remove your MediCare, and he will certainly not "pull the plug on grandma". Sick people will not be put out to die.

No-one has every claimed that Obama's planned healthcare reform is perfect and flawless. That would be a stupid thing to say of anything in this world. There are plenty of people who bring up plenty of valid and noteworthy criticisms for the plan. The problem is, all these sensible people with reasonable questions or arguments are constantly drowned out by the hordes of stupid, ignorant, sub-moronic and generally retarded fuckwits, such as the vile yokels who constantly disrupt town hall debates, lying shitheaded thugs like Beck, Limbaugh, Hannity and God-knows-how-many-others who never end spreading their lies and hate over the airwaves, their festering stupidity infecting the minds of so many who listen to them.

... In case you can't tell, yes, I'm getting rather highly pissed at all this ridiculous bullshit. I wouldn't have the slightest qualm about opening an honest dialog, an honest debate, with anyone of any party or mindset who would have honest criticisms and arguments to bring forth against Obama's plan for healthcare, or anything else. It's just so unfair, and so utterly infuriating, to see all the corruption, the lies, the dishonesty, the downright idiotic bullshit being thrown around ...

It's so very discouraging to think this wonderful plan will very, very likely fail as a direct result of nothing more than lies. Lies that, worst of all, the Democrats have become too much of a gang of fucking pussies and cowards to dispel. No, of course they won't stand up and tell the morons screaming about Hitlerism and Nazism and the evils of commie socialization and so forth – they want bipartisanship.

Well, let me state it clearly and simply ...

WE DON'T FUCKING WANT OR NEED BIPARTISANSHIP!!!

Bipartisanship is the very reason for which this plan will not succeed. Bipartisanship is the failed notion that sometimes, you can reason with the brain-dead fools and morons on the other side, those who would sell their own mothers for the chance to lie, cheat and generally fuck everyone over so that they can keep stuffing their pockets with blood money, blood which comes from the hearts of the thousands and thousands of patients who have, and will have, died as a result of the TRUE death panels: insurance companies and HMOs.

This constant quest for bipartisanship is the reason why nothing ever gets done in America, why the country is consistently hated across the world and has been for many years, and why innocent people lay dying in hospitals, or in their own homes, deemed "unworthy" of medical help either due to their poor socio-economical statuses, or because they had a "pre-existing condition" (which means anything they couldn't possibly have been aware of previously).

You wanna know what the real core problem in America is? You got it – this endless quest for bipartisanship, the perpetual attempt at reasoning with the fools who are simply uninterested in being reasoned with. If anything will eventually be the downfall of the United States of America, I sincerely believe that is it: trying to do what you can't and reconcile the good with the bad.

Okay, inconsequential rant over.