Ya know, I read about a third of this thread and without ever hearing anything original, and I got so disgusted that I just want to say my piece and bail....
I am working on the zen mastery of stating my opinion once per thread and saving the next opinion for the next thread. Trouble is I am an idealist, and always wish to be understood, and I have to realize it isn't serving me.
Let me preface by saying that for every story about someone getting fucked over by socialized medicine, there is at least one about someone getting fucked by for-profit medicine, it's just that the money men in the medicine business are all Americans, and we have the greatest propagnda machine in the world's history. We have the most computers and this ought to be the national anthem, because this is what America has devolved to:
Pink Floyd said:
Money....
....get away
Get a good job with more pay and you're okay
Money it's a gas
Grab that cash with both hands and make a stash
New car, caviar, four star daydream,
Think I'll buy me a football team
Money get back
I'm alright Jack keep your hands off my stack.
Money it's a hit
Don't give me that do goody good bullshit
I'm in the hi-fidelity first class travelling set
n I think I need a Lear jet
Money it's a crime
Share it fairly but don't take a slice of my pie
Money so they say
Is the root of all evil today
But if you ask for a rise it's no surprise that they're
giving none away
Neither for profit medicine nor socialized medicinge is perfect, and in my mind neither is really right....
It's all about who you are, and what your perspective is, and what your experience is, where your beliefs fall. Unfortunately its hard wired into American culture that Americans are always better than the rest of you people of the world, and even when we are wrong, it's better to lie, bluff, or evade, and try and prove we are at least more right by percentage, than to evolve, or at least try to.
This is my opinion (but my best effort at being "Vulcan", and objective about it) but here is my view on American politicians:
Republicans = Anarchists that want just enough law to make them personally happy, and could give a fuck about anything beyond me and mine. On the one hand its all about naked greed and love of money, but one really nice thing about it is that they barely make a pretense of lying about that, or at least do so poorly that they are obvious, kudos for being "what you see is what you get" Unfortunately some of the worlds most dangerous fanatical religious zealots make up a large part of this party. Probably the religious faction of this party are potentially, and majorily one of the greatest evil's the world has ever known. They call themselves "Christians", but I firmly believe they have no clue what Jesus Christ wanted that word to mean. Money may be the root of most evil, but "
religion" is equally guilty.
Democrats = Idealists that love money. They want to make everyone happy, but know they cant, so they want enough money to be comfortable, and easy conscience enough so they can sleep at night, and they want to care about something and often make an effort, but bottomm line is in the final analysis, they are just the other side of the American
one party political system. It's great to want to do do goody good bullshit, but in the final anlysis, I see no real differnce if you take them on the whole. Wanting to do good is great, but these guys are way harder to figure, and usually tend twords higher intelligence and an ability to see so many sides of an issue that they seem to waffle, they can talk a good game and sound good to more people, but its less honest, and probably makkes them less effective at acheiving their adgenda....
I gravitate twords them because I truly want what is best for all, or in other words, one of my mottos:
Mr. Spock (one of my heroes) said:
The needs of the many, outweigh the needs of the one.
Culturally I am crippled, and damn it keep your hands off my pittance! I want not to love money, but I was raised to, tailor made to....
Thats why if you label me politically call me progressive because that is apt. I believe in getting better, and knowing that perfection is unattainable.
I am gonna lay a huge confession and realization on you that bothers me not in the least, but will shock you and at least three of you might should go on suicide watch because this news could turn your world upside down....
Since my rebirth due to the twelve steps of AA and NA, my political leanings, which being a true progressive (by only my
personal definition of the word, not what YOU wish it meant).
Are shifting slightly to the right as I realize that neither side of this particular debate is right and both extrmes are usually wrong
Bottom line is, most of all I wish that all of you never get fucked by the system that your goverment subscibes to, but at the same time....
I HOPE and PRAY, that all of you on the extreme side of the issue, socialist, or capitalist,
ALMOST get ROYALLY fucked by the system you are deadlock subscribed to enough, that you at least start to try, to see the other side's point, and become willing to look at a compromise, that works better than either extreme.
I am all about capitalism, except when I think of medicine, but the AA/NA thing has made me grow up enough to see the right answer will not be at either end of the spectrum. I still lean twords a socialized system, but I am willing to look for middle ground that I never was not too long ago.
Its good to have become more progressive than I ever was before and realize that the only meaning of that label that matters is the one I believe.