At some point in our lives we have probably all fantasized about our dream house. What it would look like, where it would be and how it would make us feel. It includes all the bells and whistles we have ever envisioned and we think, "one day I will have this house."
For those of you that have ever gone house hunting you can appreciate the proverbial jolt you get when you realize that you may never get your dream house after all. Instead of beautiful, freshly painted walls you may get 1980's wood paneling. You may settle for "fake countertops," as opposed to shiny, high end granite. Your bathroom may be leaky, old and smelly instead of covered in exotic marble with a steam shower and whirpool tub. However, at the end of the day when you move in and unpack and see your children squeal in delight that they have a yard, their OWN bedroom AND a playroom you realize that although a marble bathroom would be perfection the house you have chosen is light years better than the moldy, unsafe, too small apartment you previously lived in. The apartment with a rent that was too high; the apartment that your kids had no room to play; the apartment where you may have been throwing $2000 per month out the window as it was not an investment. What kind of parent would you be to deny your kids a home because you REALLY wanted marble floors? You are sensible and know that in time you will fix things up, add on a deck, pave the driveway and one day put in those marble floors. But, until then you settle for a house that is much better than the apartment but far from the best it can be.
This is the argument I make regarding health care. It may not be the best, it may not include public option, it may not include "our marble floor." But it is helping people that have NOTHING, NOTHING. I repeat NOTHING. Our President, who by the way, ( I make no apologies for this) I think is the smartest, most organized and incredibly empathetic thinker EVER has given people on the very bottom of the have nots list a leg up. He bought them a future that they would otherwise not have. Regardless of what you think he did wrong, or not enough of he is the ONLY President to get health care reform this far, and he did for people that have NOTHING. I have a crappy house, that needs tons of work and no money to do the work. We have three children, one with asthma and one with chronic ear infections on his 2nd set of tubes; all of this covered with health insurance. Who am I to say to a family with NOTHING that health care reform shouldn't be passed because I really think public option is important;knowing full well that health care reform even without public option would help this family in UNBELIEVABLE ways. Who am I to deny this family a chance at a "normal" existence a chance to buy their
dream home, or any home for that matter. I guess I just keep thinking that nothing plus nothing is still nothing while nothing plus something is at least something.
Our President did the right thing in this health care debate and to all those people that want to kill the bill and call our president weak and a coward I just ask you to remember that this bill is helping millions of people in this country live a life of normalcy, free of liens, and bill collectors, and most importantly a life free of being terrified of getting a common cold. We owe this to them, they deserve this help.