I count my blessings

[nadinbrzezinski]

Every night I go to sleep under a comfy cover in a comfy bed, in a house with working WC, Kitchen, AC and other commodities of modern life....

But there are millions who do not have a roof over their heads and sleep under the stars. It is not romantic, it is tragic. And there are even more millions who have to count pennies and decide, do I want to pay for heat or AC or elecricity in general, or eat? Again quite tragic

Then there are the millions who go partially or completely hungry to bed at least once a week. Think about it.

I have health insurance, so I can go see the doctor regularly and get my prescriptions and I can afford any of that. But there are 48 million Americans who cannot, and more than just a few have not seen a doctor in years. Then there are the ones who have seen the doctor and have to chose, food or medications? Somewhere we are failing people.

I have the luxury, and indeed it is a luxury to go to the dentist and have a procedure recommended, and have the savings in the bank for me to say... ok I can pay for that. Millions have not seen a dentist... somewhere that is a crime.

Speaking of savings, yes it is hard work to stretch my dollars to save a penny here or a quarter there. but the reality is there is enough income for me to be able to do that. See the points above.

I am more than just lucky to have the luxury to go to the store, read the labels (put in there by activists) and choose foods that are safer for me. Fine. I want this to be automatic, so people who do not have the time to do that, or the inclination, will not have to worry about added chemicals and other junk.

I also have the luxury of having the time to cook a fresh meal every day... that is a luxury in an economy that forces people to work two or three jobs just to keep all or some of the above.

So when I read people screaming but it is YOUR responsibility and the scary GUBMINT is gonna do this, this and this to me... well my libertarian bullshit detector comes on full alert. It goes RED ALERT, RED ALERT, RED ALERT... RON PAUL ALERT.

Some of the above can and should be solved with strong government intervention, see national healh care, see programs to help the poor, see a well funded FDA and Americans need to get their heads out of you know where because we do need strong regulation of the food supply as well.

Yes all of this is related. And it is tragic that tonight, when I lay down to sleep, after all I had another luxury, time to exercise... so I will do it well thank you, millions are not doing that, at least not in proper conditions... And it is my duty to fight to get less and less Americans worrying about their meds, their next meal, or their roof... that is what civilized nations do. I wonder at times if we should even use the term civilized in the US... but that is another discussion...

Oh and this is what Teddy fought for too...

Senator, we got it... you rest in peace.

:patriot:

[audas]

1. Nice post -

I am an Australia, we have the system you are about to put in place - it will help, but not cure the poverty in your country - as it is not merely financial but ethical, it is an ingrained lust for power, and incurable greed for wealth and money - it is your parents fault - God and Britain - here is the Ron Paul anti-christ - please watch it all as it succinctly, coherently and with great finality delivers the prognosis of what ails America -

http://www.zcommunications.org/zvideo/3079

[nadinbrzezinski]

2. Well the Empire is collapsing, so even chomsky will live to see that

and I know it is not the whole remedy... but it is a start.

Welcome to DU by the way

:hi:

[Maru Kitteh]

3. Lovely post, NadinB. K&R.

[nadinbrzezinski]

4. Thanks

[K8-EEE]

5. Thank you....

Tonight I was crying after finding out that my daughter's ambulance bills (emergency surgery for a fallopian cyst) would cost us $1980 -- this seems like so much money right now because my husband was laid off and doesn't have a full-time job lined up til Nov. My daughter's college tuition is increasing 20% in the fall.....my car which I just paid off is not working after a $1200 repair and on and on it goes.


BUT....the ins. paid most of the hospital, he DOES have a job lined up for Nov., and we are all healthy and in our cozy little house....and so yes we are super lucky. I will just charge the damn ambulance bill and figure it out later!

Yes....we're lucky. Thanks for the reality check.

[nadinbrzezinski]

7. You welcome and your daughter

is alive and well.

As to the ambulance, it will get paid off... like we all do in time. But it should not have to be paid this way.

You know what keeps me grounded?

A few of my patients, who lived in the ciudades perdidas in squalor that most Americans can't even imagine. We have places like that here in the US... way out of mind and sight...

But we all have a job to do. In minor or major ways, we have to create a WE instead of the I and ME... that pervades the culture right now.

That is what the Kennedy's did. None of them had to serve. They were from a well heeled family. They did, because the lesser amongst us diminishes all of us.

:hugs:

[K8-EEE]

9. Words of wisdom, thanks

You're absolutely right. And it just makes me more determined to help the many people who are not as fortunate as we are.

Yeah, like my recently converted Buddhist dad would say: it's just the way it's supposed to be. I really have the fire in me for health reform now in a way I didn't before. Before I just "believed" in it....now I'm ready to fight for it!

[nadinbrzezinski]

10. Hugs, for me I have had it for decades

I've told the story here, no use in retelling it.

But I worked in a developing country, the words "do you have insurance" or "how are you going to pay for this" never crossed my lips. This is the way it should be here.

We will get there... that I promise to myself and the country, We, not I, WE will get there.

And now it will be in the name of teddy, who fought for it and didn't live long enough to see it.

[hfojvt]

6. it is right to look at the good things and appreciate them

Not sure how that ties into the libertarian stuff though. After all it was only a few years ago that WE were saying the "scary GUBMINT is gonna do this, this, and this to me"

But generally, a very good and thoughful post.

[nadinbrzezinski]

8. The libertarian bent is deep in the US Pysche and you can even find it here

as to the Gubmint doing this or that... my view is trust but verify.

After all... they work for me... so they need supervision from their employers, we the people.

[hfojvt]

11. so is the selfishness bent

Obama has ruled out tax increases even for people making over $100,000 a year. We demand healthcare for all, but not if it is gonna cost us 1% of our income. Are ya nuts? Let somebody else pay for it.

One thing I plan to do while Obama is President, and that is return my tax refunds. As a zero percent loan, true, but it does not hurt somebody to be able to borrow money at zero percent. On line 74, I simply put my entire refund amount as "applied to next years taxes". This year I sorta wimped out on that resolution since I bought a car in late March and money was kinda tight in late April with property taxes being due in May. So I took 200.99 of my tax refund and only applied $100 to next year. That amount is, coincidentally, almost 1% of my taxable income of $10,859, but that latte rnumber is artificially low.