Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Time to Move to Canada?

I was a wreck yesterday. There are a couple of family stuffs. Remember Cousin in Italy? Well, apparently they are having a party for him and everyone was invited but me. My dad asked if I was invited. He said he is not going because I wasn't invited. It's nice to have someone on your team.

But the big news of the night was the shitty election. In case you don't know, Scott Brown, a republican, was voted into the senate seat vacated by the late Ted Kennedy. He is the 41st republican in the senate. He has said that he will vote against the health care bill. Now the democrats are short one vote. Dammit.

I spent part of my weekend calling people reminding them to vote. I called 50 people and there were somewhere around a million calls made total. I know it is crazy, but I almost felt like the election results were a personal attack. Obviously it is not, but once the snowball starts rolling, all sorts of crazy ideas come into my head.

One thing I was thinking about is my mother. She has terminal cancer and it looks as though she will spend her last years worrying about hospital bills. I do not want to live in a world where people do not have access to basic health care. Nor do I want to raise my child in that world.

I do not want to live in a world that denies people basic things, like marriage.

I understand that people have different beliefs. I understand that some people believe that homosexuality is an abomination (so is shrimp, but that is a different rant) but what I do not understand is why they must force their beliefs on the rest of us. I want to live in a world where people are equal. They don't have to like each other, or what each other does, just live and let live.

Anyways, moving on to the point of this post, I found a way to make myself calm down and take stock. I thought about Martin Luther King Jr. Once upon a time, about 50 years ago, black people were segregated from white people. They could not use the same bathrooms, go to the same schools, sit on the same bus seats. Then going a little farther back, women did not have equal rights. Once upon a time, I wouldn't have even been able to vote.

But people like Martin Luther King Jr fought against these injustices. And they did not win every battle. But eventually, things got better. God knows, there is still rampant racism, sexism, anti-semitism, but things are better. If MLKJ just threw up his hands and relocated to a more tolerant country, he'd still be alive, perhaps, but maybe blacks and whites would still have separate drinking fountains.

Change is slow. There will be set backs. I believe that people are good in their hearts even if the polls say otherwise. Things are not perfect, by any means, but at least I am able to vote. One hundred years ago I wouldn't have been able to. I can just keep fighting the good fight of equality and teaching my son to, as well.

11 comments:

  1. It taks people like you, sharing with others and teachiung there children how to love and respect others...that will make the change, well said and doner my friend, keep up the good fight;)

    peace

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  2. I agree with you about everything here. I live in California and was a part of the fight against Prop. 8, and will continue to fight for equal rights until they're available to everyone. It WILL happen!

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  3. I agree. I enjoy living in a country where, if I break my leg, or choose to have a baby and don't have benefits, its ok because it's free for me to go to the hospital.

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  4. I hope you are right, an that our country can change. I just feel things are so divided now...

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  5. Everyone has access to basic medical attention. If you want universal health care, it need to be done right. And the plan that is being worked on now is not a good plan. It needs to be better.

    @Mrs. Lovely no matter what health care will never be free, Someone has to pay for it. I am willing to kick in more taxes to help pay for this. But it has to be worth it.

    "what I do not understand is why they must force their beliefs on the rest of us"

    Hmm, you don't see it do you? To the people who are against it it is being forced on them. I could careless about this issue. This is so very not important, it is a simple mirror trick to take your attention from else where.

    And the republicans won because this "jobless" recovery is not a recovery at all. We are still unemployeed and the dems cannot even pass a health care bill. But sure Obama deserves the peace prize.

    BTW I read you all the time just never post anything. I don't want to sound mean, or hateful. I just thought I would put my .02 cents in. Hope you have a good day.

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  6. Great posting. I agree.
    MLK was a great man, things would be a lot different if he had lived longer. Health care bill is going to end up a travesty; any thing coming off capitol hill is a perversion. Too much wheeling and dealing, business as usual, taking 'donations' from lobbyists.
    In the past black and white could not marry; that's changed; gay marriage will come. Reason and equality will win out over 'religion' and prejudice. I posted on things in the Bible that are ridiculous in today's world; the article I quote was prompted by "homosexuality is an abomination" It's here if you want to see
    OOO, long comment. Sorry.
    Thanks,
    GregoryJ

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  7. Really positive spin you are taking on this! Love to read that...

    I don't like shrimp either! ;)

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  8. I will fully get behind the health care thing when the president and everyone else in power gets the same health care as I do. Until then no thank you.

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  9. @Bagel Boy - I am not naive, I know in the end I and the rest of my fellow Canadians pay for it through taxes. I grew up in a border town and I enjoy America as a country and have quite a few American friends but the healthcare here is one of the best things about where I live. When you have friends with congenital diseases, you really appreciate it.

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  10. Jane Lynch from the TV show Glee said this about gay marriage:

    "Shouldn't there be safeguards against the majority voting on the rights of a minority? If people voted on civil rights in the '60s, it would have never happened.

    "It took somebody like [President] LYNDON JOHNSON going, 'Eff all of you! I'm going to do this.' Obama won't do it. He's a huge disappointment to me."

    What gets me about the health "care" in the US is how the f is it possible that everyone living such in a rich, developed, democratic country do not have guaranteed access to affordable BASIC medical care? BASIC!!! I just can't fathom the kind of selfishness it takes to deny anyone of this.

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  11. I'm a little late to the punch here but I had to put in my two cents as well.

    I find it funny when people poopoo the health care bill and say it won't work but don't say what they think would work. It's easy to sit on the sidelines and yell at the players to do better. So if you don't like what the President is doing, what you would do if you were in his place???

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Whatcha think?