So today President Obama held a town hall meeting about his plan for healthcare. The meeting took place in Green Bay, Wisconsin. I watched a little bit of the coverage on MSNBC then grew bored and began flipping through channels in search of something frivolous to watch. I mean, it's not that health care isn't an important issue; as an uninsured individual, I understand the urgency of the situation on a personal level. It's just that I know Obama's stand on healthcare and I had no interest in hearing him rehash his main points and goals. So while surfing through the channels I happened to stop on FOX News. I usually only watch FOX News when I want to laugh or feel angry about something; but it occured to me that I should really learn how the "opposition" thought about universal health care and try to understand where they were coming from.
When Obama wrapped up his speech a FOX reporter named Major was on the scene. He said something along these lines, I don't have the exact quote:
Obama and his allies insist that if you already have private health care that you're happy with, you will be able to keep it. They want to bring 47 million people into the mix. What the democrats have failed to answer is whether or not there are enough nurses, offices, and doctors to handle an influx of 47 million people. I'm sure you already realize how difficult it is to get an appointment when you call your doctor right now so you can only imagine ...
I stopped listening. I could not believe that this reporter, this Major, had the nerve to say something so stupid. He pretty much implied that giving 47 million uninsured people access to healthcare would make things too inconvenient for people who can afford private insurance. Excuse me? Can we seriously not come up with a solution to a staffing shortage? This is America, god damn it!
My friend and intellecutal colleague, Domonique Devereueawax, pointed out that universal healthcare would give people a medical office to turn to and therefore free up the long ass emergency room lines for people who are actually having an emergency, such as a stroke or heart attack.
Whatever, I'm not writing this post to list all the reasons why universal healthcare is necessary (and it's not just necessary--it's the morally correct option). I just experienced such a WTF moment when that guy tried to pass off selfishness and impatience (what if I have to wait longer at the doctor's office, wah, wah) as a legitimate argument against a "public option" for healthcare. I had to share it with you guys. Comments?
copyright © June 11, 2009 by Sha'Donna A. Woods, All Rights Reserved
