Time For Action

It is with a heavy heart that I write this today. Senator Ted Kennedy died early this morning. When I first got into politics I started reading a lot about the top politicians of my childhood. When I started asking questions about Kennedy my parents told me he was too liberal. When I asked about Ronald Reagan my father told me to read more on Kennedy.
The one thing I have always admired about Kennedy was his capacity to help people. He didn’t let others deter him from what he believed to his core was a necessary obligation of a politician to help those in need. I see the world the same way.
I’ve been trumpeting the health care reform bill for several months now. I’ve listened to many concerns and they still sound like an excuse not to help those in need. This is what I’ve learned this week from people.
1. We can’t afford a trillion dollars for health care reform.
2. Medicare is a mess.
3. The government shouldn’t compete with businesses.

Here is my response to each of these.
1. We spent three trillion to go to war that proved to be an unjust cause. We killed people, had our own brought home in body bags, and tanked an economy so a president could avenge his father. Yet, we don’t want to spend money to help people?
2. Medicare is a mess? Really? Ask any senior citizen who uses it how much it helps them. In fact, take it a step farther and try and take it away from them. You will have the biggest fight on your hands. It helps people. Plain and simple.
3. The government isn’t competing with the health care industry! They are not going to build hospitals and hire doctors and pay for your insurance. Instead, they will set up a policy to help pay for care. You will still have a choice as to which doctor you visit. Why is this so hard for people to understand?

Here is a number that is staggering to me. I always heard the health care industry was the largest special interest group in Washington. Would you like to know how large? For every single elected politician in Congress there are six health care industry representatives. That’s right. They outnumber our politicians 6 to 1!! This is how serious the health care industry wants to keep things the way they are. They don’t want change.
Now, here’s where it gets a little interesting for me. As much as the health care industry, especially the insurance companies, doesn’t want things to change, they are also gearing up for the change if it occurs. This is a three-pronged attack. They have their representatives on the frontlines protesting every town hall meeting. They also have their number crunchers and top execs working hard to figure out a way to make money off the plan if it is passed. At the same time they are also paying lawyers to file lawsuit after lawsuit as to the validity of this law.
I’m asking you right now. Is anything the health care industry is doing helping you? Do you honestly care if they are inconvenienced by a reform bill? I sure as hell don’t. I’m sick and tired of them hurting people with their greed. They don’t care about you!! They simply don’t care. They care about lining their pockets and if that means dropping you off your insurance because you’re a liability they will do it and not lose sleep over it. It’s wrong! Plain and simple. No rhetoric can mask what they’ve done.
So, in the spirit of Ted Kennedy, I continue to trumpet the cause of health care reform. This needs to happen now. Too many lives have been shattered and others have died because of the decisions of somebody in a board room who doesn’t care about people. It needs to stop!
I strongly encourage you to call your Senators and let them know there are others who also have a voice. We know the crazy people at the rally have their facts all screwed up and we know the bill will help us! If you don’t make it known they will only hear one side. Please call them and let your voice be heard.

Kit Bond: (202) 224-5721
Claire McCaskill: (202) 224-6154

And for those who live outside Missouri, please call your Senators. You can find them at the Senate directory. Here is the link:
http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

Those Damn Canadians!!

I’m exhausted. I really am. I have been trumpeting the sounds and needs of health care reform in this country for the past month. I’ve argued, talked, debated, laughed, loved, and even socialized about it. Wait, I better not say “socialized.” I might get protestors at my door.
I’ve heard a lot of arguments about this proposed reformed. All of them are concerned about how we will pay for the program. It’s a legitimate question. All of them have also expressed concern for Obama raising our taxes in order to pay for it. Quite simply, the president has said he will not raise taxes on the middle class in order to pay for health care reform. Those who believe him might be put at ease. Those who don’t probably have a Sarah Palin For President 2012 button pinned to their lapel already. There’s no convincing them.
Another argument I’ve heard is the fear of socialistic medicine. This one is fun to me. I’ve heard from Americans far and near about how bad Canadians have it. They wait an average of 20 hours to see a doctor. They have to wait months to see a specialist. They die before they get the help they need. Really? Is that why there is a mass exodus from Canada into the United States?
I decided to do something different. I have friends and family members who live in Canada. I asked them about their health care and gave them all a chance to blast it out of the water as one of the worst they had ever seen. Here’s how it went.
I first asked my aunt about it. She and her husband have lived in Toronto for 30 years. I e-mailed her my questions and here is what she said:

“Hey Kurt, glad to hear from you. I hope all is well. To answer your question, yes I love my socialized health care. I have been blessed with three children and we have been through a lot medically. Bill had his heart attack four years ago and Julie was diagnosed with type I diabetes.
The longest we ever waited in a waiting room was about two hours. The longest we ever waited to see a specialist was about a week to 10 days. When Bill needed surgery following his heart attack he had it done within 48 hours. Since Julie is still a minor she doesn’t wait at all. Our system puts the elderly and children first. They usually don’t wait very long to see anyone.
I still laugh at Americans who look at our system and make fun of it. Americans spend WAY more than we do for health care and it’s still crappy. My taxes haven’t gone up for health care in five years and it’s still very manageable. Besides, doesn’t every American want to move to Canada whenever they elect a president they don’t like? Lol.”

Ok, so maybe you think, “She’s your aunt. You guys think alike. Of course she’s for socialism you commie, pinko bastard family.” That’s a bit harsh, but I hear it a lot. Well then how about trying this one from my friend Jason. He grew up in America and moved to Toronto last October for a new job. Here’s what he had to say.

“Dude you know me. I hate politics. Why you ask me this shit? To answer your questions yes I think it works fine. I haven’t lived here very long but I was surprised by my employer explaining the system to me. I always heard Canada hated their health care system. I’ve met one person who hates it out of the hundreds I’ve met.
I remember asking my employer about health insurance. They laughed at me and told me it comes out of my taxes. I didn’t quite understand. Last winter I got the flu and went to a doctor. I waited until payday so I could afford to pay for it. This is where my stupidity kicked in. I didn’t really understand what socialized medicine was about until they told me I didn’t have to pay for anything. I waited two extra days to see the doctor because I wanted to make sure I could pay for it. Dumb me. I could’ve just walked right in the day I wanted to see him.
I didn’t wait very long. I think maybe 10 minutes to see him.
When are you going to move here? I miss you man.”

I can hear my critics now, “But Kurt, you still hang around liberal people and influence them with your questions.”
Sigh. Ok, how about an Internet friend I’ve never met who just had a baby? I will post this verbatim so you can see my questions and answers during a chat session I had on Facebook. I’ll even leave the misspelled words in for authenticity.

Kurt
Can I ask you a quick question?
Besides that one?

9:51pmChristine
sure

9:52pmKurt
Do you absolutely 110% hate your health care system in Canada?

9:53pmChristine
no i love it, what would i do without it, would of cost me at least 40 grand to have my baby as i had a high risk pregnancy and had 5x the normal amount of checkups
i have surgery once a year...all covered

9:53pmKurt
Sigh.
Thanks.

9:53pmChristine
doctors appointments for myself and my son all the time, all covered

9:54pmKurt
I know. It's great. Do you wait 20 hours in a waiting room?

9:55pmChristine
no, the longest i wait is a couple hours
and when pregnant i went right in
and babies go right in
the only people that wait long are ones that go up with something common and not that important, like colds or flu-unless they are kids pr elders

9:56pmKurt
I have relatives who live in Toronto and they love hearing about Americans argue Canada's health care system. To quote my aunt: "They act like they know what we are all about and they have no idea."

9:57pmChristine
ya i dont understand whats bad about free?

9:57pmKurt
Because it makes us (gasp) a SOCIALIST country.

9:57pmChristine
you can pick your doctors, your specialists..whats the problem? you have to wait a bit longer? but you save soo mcuh, its a good trade.

9:57pmKurt
Which it doesn't, that's what the lunatics think.
I agree with you 110%.
Thank you for helping me prove my point.

9:58pmChristine
lol no proble, ttul

Then we had this little exchange when she commented on my status message.

Christine Marie Pullen
You Americans are whack! Sorry but most of you are.
There is nothing wrong with having universal health care. It would do nothing but benefit your country as a whole. You are only as strong as your weakest citzens. You guys are all so PROUD and STRONG. But your sicker...you die younger...your POOR!
Yesterday at 10:04pm • Delete

Kurt Jarvis
Oh yeah, well, we stole hockey from you guys! Take that!
Yesterday at 10:09pm • Delete

Christine Marie Pullen
Ya, but we can afford to go to hockey games here.
Yesterday at 10:10pm • Delete

She really got me on that last statement. Maybe they can afford it because they are not pumping money into a health care system they can’t afford. Hmmmm…
So there you have it. Three different perspectives on the God awful Canadian health care. I only hope we don’t become one of these countries. It would just be horrendous.

Drowning Out Freedom of Speech is NOT American

I was a newspaper reporter once upon a time. I used to sit in on many meetings with many different opinions in the same room. We had nut jobs speak about things they didn’t know anything about and we had genuine people debate the facts at hand.

I didn’t always agree with everybody, but I learned quickly that those who had a point would wait to speak then make their point. Those who didn’t have a point would simply make noise and try to disrupt. It reminds me of a saying: when you have your facts you pound the facts. When you don’t have the facts you pound the table.

There’s a lot of table pounding going on in this country over health care reform. These mobs (and I will call you mobs until you act otherwise) gather at town hall meeting after town hall meeting with the sole purpose of not allowing the meeting to happen. Then they say we are under a Hitler-like regime because Obama wants to reform health care. Well, folks, I have a new term for you idiots. You’re Corporate Nazis!! And I will stand by it.

Here are some bullet points I don’t understand or want to bring to light about these groups:

1. These groups are being stirred by the pharmaceutical companies pretending to be community organizers. They have websites, money, and busses to help prove their point. They claim it’s all a grassroots effort. Really? I know tons of people like you and me who can afford big busses to roll into these gatherings and hand out literature.

The truth is it is corporate funded. Insurance and drug companies did this 15 years ago when Hillary Clinton tried to reform health care. They succeeded. What makes me laugh is these people bring up our forefathers who gathered at meetings and liken their cause to those who founded this country. Funny, I don’t see Patrick Henry being bought!

2. Patients United Now is one of these groups. They also led the charge back when Hillary tried to reform back in 1994. Here’s what they say on their own website:

“We are Americans just like you. We believe patients and doctors should make health care choices, not Washington bureaucrats.”

They are NOT just like us. They are a Republican and corporate-backed organization whose sole purpose is to fan the flames. The main organizer of this group worked for Coke Industries (the number one private energy company in the country) for almost 10 years. He is high up in the Republican Party.

3. These mobs are only going to get worse. We’ve already seen an incident in St. Louis where the two sides clashed, several people were arrested, and a couple of people got hurt. When you try to bar them from attending the meeting they cry foul saying it is a violation of their Constitutional rights. I say once you show hostility and try to disrupt the actual meeting, you should be escorted out promptly. A second thing you can do at these meetings is have an agenda and stick to it. Allow a section for public comment and limit their time to speak. There’s no law against any of these and those who are there for purposes of gathering information should be allowed to be heard just as much as these ranting nut jobs.

4. Calling Obama Hitler has been the last straw for me. As much as I hated Bush’s decisions I never compared him to Hitler. I called him A LOT of names, but I would never disrespect the office of the presidency enough to compare someone occupying that office with the worst killer in modern history. Again, it shows how childish these people are and how much they need to grow in the debate of the ISSUES!!!

5. I want the Republican Party to declare these mobs to be hazardous and demand they stop as they stand now. I think it would be fine to encourage those with passion on both sides of the issue to attend these meetings and be heard. I am not trying to stop anyone from talking, but there is no reason why we can’t have a spirited, civil debate. This is the America I know and love. Mob violence has no place here.

6. I admire any American who stands up for what they believe in and takes it to the level of becoming active. These people are disrupting meetings from being heard. This is NOT American. I find it ironic they talk of Communism yet they don’t want anyone but themselves to speak at these meetings. Hypocrisy anyone?

7. I do understand that health care reform is a big issue. People should care about it. However, they deserve to get their facts straight and let others be heard without intimidation. This can’t happen when they continue to pound the table and not listen to real information.

I'm going to end this with an actual debate using the words of the group I'm criticizing.

"We know America needs real health care reform focused on delivering affordable, quality choices to all Americans"

They said the same thing in 1994. Has it changed for the better since then? Nope. It's gotten worse. It's your call America. Allow the corporate world to continue controlling the costs of your health or do something about it!!

It's Time For Health Care Instead of Health Talk

It's a funny country we live in sometimes. I talk to a lot of people about a lot of subjects and believe me, health care almost always comes up. People hate our current system. I think I know two people who are happy with it and neither of them have ever had major health problems. Maybe that's the key. Stay healthy and avoid this mess.
I wish it were that easy. I wish people didn't get sick. I wish people could afford to take care of themselves and their loved ones. How about basic living? I know a ton of people who will insure their children, but not themselves because they can't afford it. This is becoming more and more common.
It shouldn't be this way. Our health should not be determined by Corporate America. When they feel like making more money, they up the premiums and we pay more. When a person becomes too expensive for them to pay for necessary health items, they drop them from their policy. They don't care about health care. They care about making money.
I've been talking a lot about President Obama's health care reform package (the one he wrote, not the one plastered all over the Internet that has been beaten up and stretched.) I have to tell you I like it. Why do I like it? It makes sense.
I was waiting for and received the rhetoric machine bill of denial soon after he announced his intentions. Almost immediately critics were on the airwaves talking this thing down. Big surprise, right? Not really. I remember one pundit saying this bill was going to raise taxes and not cover anybody under the plan. You know what? He didn't read it. He said he did, but he didn't.
It doesn't talk about raising taxes on average, working Americans. It talks about covering working Americans who can't afford coverage. It talks about making sure insurance companies can't drop a client just because they become sick. It talks about making sure there is a checks and balance system in place for companies in the health care industries who have been making billions (not millions) of dollars off the backs of working America.
Now here's what I find funny. Everybody hates the current health care system, but they also hate the current proposed change? Why? Various reasons. Most of them say they don't like socialism. What the hell does socialism have to do with anything? If you set forth a policy that helps people in your country that's socialism? Since when?
Others say they can't afford the tax hike. What tax hike? If Obama has his way the only people getting taxed are people who make over a million dollars a year. Maybe I shouldn't be so crass, but I'm not going to lose sleep over those people having to pay more in taxes. They've tried their best for years setting up laws to avoid paying them altogether and pointing fingers at needy, poor people for our country's ills.
And others say they don't want inadequate care. Ok, so stick with your current insurance plan and don't worry about it. I think people are honestly starting to believe the rhetoric machine. They feel they are going to have to pay a large amount every paycheck for socialized medicine and be forced to accept that program as their own. It's not even close to what is being proposed by Obama. In fact, he says you even (gasp) have a CHOICE of accepting the government-run program or keeping your own. A CHOICE!!!
Look, I realize the health care program in Great Britian isn't perfect, but Canada adopted a better program and it works better. All Obama is trying to do is adopt one of his own and evolve it from the Canadian ideal. Hence, it's evolving, not stagnating.
Let me speak to the money issue for a second. Can you afford health care now? Do you go to the doctor and never pay a co-pay? No, we pay for insurance out of our checks, then pay a co-pay, then pay whatever bill we receive that the insurance company doesn't want to pay. You're right, this is a much better system. I'll take this over the Canadian ideal anyday where you don't pay for hospitalization because it is government-run health care. I'd rather not know how much I'm going to end up paying and not be able to budget appropriately. It's a much better plan.
I am one of millions of Americans without health insurance. I can't afford it. My children are covered, but I am not. I have never been able to afford it. I am a healthy human being who gets sick about once a year when the flu comes around, yet I can't find coverage adequate or affordbale enough. This is America, right?
There are thousands of people EVERY DAY who lose their health care coverage for whatever reason. Over 400 people die EVERY DAY who couldn't afford health care for themselves. You're right, this is a much better system. Who needs these people anyway?
I still believe in my government. I still believe in helping people. I still believe a government can reach out and help when the current system of Corporate America has failed. We are at this point NOW! If Corporate America wins this round of the health care debate, we will not see an end to their current ways. They will continue to funnel money to the rhetoric machine and buy off every politician they can to keep their cash cow alive. They did it with Hillary and they will do it again if given the chance.
This is it, people. You can either stand up and say enough is enough to the health care industry or you can keep on living with their policies and rolling the dice. Which do you prefer?

Until We See Inequality We Will Not Solve It

Anyone who knows me knows I hate inequality. I don't understand it. I've never justified giving more to one person over another simply because I happen to agree with the beneficiary more than the one left in the cold. This is the case for gay marriage in my book.
I have many, many friends in my life. All of them mean something dear to me for various reasons. I seldom shut anyone out of my life. This includes gay people. I am an actor and a writer. I've had the pleasure of meeting and understanding the gay lifestyle for much of my life. I have to tell you, they are human!! Surprised? You shouldn't be. They are as human as you and I and they simply should have the same rights to marry as straight people.
Here's a few points I'd like to make:

1. For those who think gay people have as much rights as straight people, I give you this much to think about. If that statement were true they would have the right to marry. Maybe that's too obvious. Maybe that is too sensible and has too much logic. Maybe you need harder facts. Ok, how about a snippet from New York Governor David Paterson. He puts it this way: "'there is clearly a problem' when gays and lesbians in civil unions are denied 1,200 to 1,350 civil protections such as health care and pension rights because they're not married." Is that enough hard evidence?

2. I am often disappointed by people of color in this country who will not stand up for gay marriage. This country fought tooth and nail and gave up lives in order to recognize all people as being created equal regardless of skin. Yes, I feel we still have a ways to go for total equality, but why would anyone of color in this country not jump on the equality bandwagon when it relates to gay marriage? It feels very hypocritical to me. I may be a straight, white male, but I can assure you I see inequality when it happens and I have never sat idly by and let it happen. I fight!

3. What are people afraid of if gay people are allowed to marry? I've often joked that straight people would look like idiots if gay marriage has a higher success rate than straight marriages. Oh, Lord, what would Jesus say to that one? I kid, of course, but there is some truth in it. Bible beaters have been preaching justified hate saying gay people are not normal and are breaking the laws of God. Really? I thought we were all created in God's image? Or did they decide to skip that part of the Bible? Wouldn't it be something if gay marriage turned out to be more successful? What would the religious haters have to do next? I'm sure they'll think of something.

I've seen a lot of beauty in this world. I've seen gay friends of mine create that beauty through their love and understanding. I will not quit until every last one of them has the same rights as everyone else. It's simply wrong, plain and simple.

Opening the door

I'll make this one quick so you can get back to your normal life. I decided I need a place to vent and produce ideas about the world. Since blogging has been popular for a while now, I will act like Chris Columbus and say "I just discovered it." Maybe they'll name a holiday after me next.
What will you see when you read my blogs? You will learn how I view the world. I'll warn all of you right now I am a very liberal and open-minded person. I don't judge people, but I will criticize the people who piss me off with their arrogance or stupidity. Let's be honest, there are simply too many people in the world who have no idea what true life is about. They hate others because they don't understand them. They pass laws to help family and friends, yet have never shaken hands with factory workers or maintenance men. They spout off rhetoric about women as if any male on this planet understands females. You'll get the idea once I get going.
I will also write about movies, sports, my children, puppy dogs, rainbows, and bubble gum. I don't want to make it a complete political manifesto. I want some light-hearted items. From time to time I may even post a poem or two or a play review. You never really know with me. Stay tuned.