...about that health care bill that just passed the US House 219 to 212...FORCING us to buy counts as reform?

7 votes passes a law to give loads of folks more affordable health care insurance. Thanks, Republicans! I can really tell you care about Americans! 

On the flip side, since it's mandatory for ALL of us to get health care insurance, the insurance industry should be ecstatic about this.  They're gonna make BUCKETS OF CASH off of this!  Of course

Can't believe they couldn't buy off some Republican votes, though.  Seems like the Republicans could have made themselves look good to the other side AND take bribes--I MEAN--take kickbacks--I MEAN--take "campaign contributions" from lobbyists. I guess we know which party is in the back pocket of the insurance lobby! :\

Also, from what I heard, this thing won't even kick in until 2014, so the 45,000 people per year that will die due to a lack of affordable healthcare every year will still die in 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013.  

Hm, do the math and I think that works out to way too many damn people dying because the American government doesn't really give a shit about it's people.  Why else would it all but ignore something like cancer and focus heavily on fighting terrorism?  Which do you think kills more Americans, hmmm?

I'm soooo glad our "leaders" rushed this through so fast, compromising away single-payer and the public option along the way.

I can't WAIT to be forced to buy into an industry that will profit off of my sickness.

Seriously, we're going to get forced into it. Here's a cutting from a March 19, 2010 article at CSMonitor.com:

Are there penalties if you don't buy insurance?

If you ignore this mandate and don’t get health insurance, you’ll have to pay a tax penalty to the federal government, beginning in 2014. This fine starts fairly small, but by the time it is fully phased in, in 2016, it is substantial.

An insurance-less person would have to pony up whichever is greater: $695 for each uninsured family member, up to a maximum of $2,085; or 2.5 percent of household income.

There are exceptions. Certain people with religious objections would not have to get health insurance. Nor would American Indians, illegal immigrants, or people in prison.

Yeah, pretty tasty, huh? 

$700!!  

Sorry, Apple! You know I *would* buy an iPad, but...

All right, I wouldn't buy an iPad, but this is down right shitty, man.  Take this out of the salaries of the employed, man.  I'll be happy to pay into it when I have a job, but when I don't, what am I supposed to do? Sell my blood to pay for health insurance?  What about all the homeless people? What about all the people on the edge of homelessness who barely keep the rent paid?

And why is it that the money for war is magically conjured from nowhere, but the money for health care COMES FROM OUR POCKETS???*

And OK, so if I have a religious objection I can get out of getting health insurance--what if I have a *moral* objection? Like, not thinking it's right to pay into a system that allows for-profit companies get rich off of people's suffering?  Where's the public option?

And in the end, I still don't understand why America is the only 1st World country that makes its citizens pay for health care.  

This isn't the land of the free--this is the land of the god damned expensive!

Sure glad I voted for that liberal guy who's supposed to just give crap away.

That IS what "liberal" means, right?

RIGHT??

There better be some serious cheap-ass insurance out there, because I do not what to help some dickweed in a Mercedes pay for gas.

On a side note--WHY DOES NANCY PELOSI ALLOW HERSELF TO MAKE SUCH FACES??  IS SHE AN IDIOT?  Seriously: HOW can I avoid imagining a maniacal laugh coming from her gaping maw in that pic from CSMonitor.com??

*Yes, I know nothing is really free and that even though the USG, essentially, just printed more money to pay for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq those wars are really being paid for with the value of the American dollar dropping through the floor, thus making it come out of our pockets anyway, BUT STILL.

Posted via email from thepete's posterous