I know this isn't the first diary on this topic, but I hope it's okay to publish it anyway. Let's consider the idea that we would provide taxpayer-funded health care to anyone, regardless of citizenship or residency status. First of all, we already do. (And by "we", I mean medical professionals in this country; I'm not one myself.) If someone gets in a car crash and is brought into the ER on the verge of death, do you think we're going to wait for a birth certificate or passport before treating them? No. Stabilize first, ask questions later. If a woman comes into the ER in childbirth, the baby is crowning, will we send her back out the door? Nope. Deliver the baby.
So let's ask the Republicans exactly what they mean by "health care". Would they let a little girl bleed to death in the waiting room, just because her parents brought her here illegally? That's not really what they're saying, is it? (Well, I wouldn't put it past Glenn Beck, but I mean average Republicans.)
If people like Joe Wilson are so determined not to spend a cent on illegal immigrants, let's make them answer that. "Would you watch someone die at your feet, rather than saving her life, just because she crossed the border illegally?"
I just wish they would make the distinction between emergency care and regular preventative care (which we obviously aren't paying for). We're not offering "free health insurance" to illegal immigrants. We're just doing the same thing we've been doing all along: saving lives in emergency situations. They really can't argue with that, can they?
But I guess we could extrapolate from there... if we deliver the baby who's crowning, what about caring for the woman who's only in early stages of labor? And if we're going to care for her then, why not some prenatal care, to make sure the baby is born healthy? If they agree with saving lives at the last possible second, then why not save a life a little sooner, before it becomes such a desperate situation?
I don't understand their logic!
And while I'm at it, I don't understand the so-called Christians who won't support universal health care. Aren't they always going on about "What would Jesus do?" I asked one Christian acquaintance (I hesitate to call her a friend), and she said "Don't confuse emotion with responsiblity." What does that mean? Do they think Jesus would've worried about higher taxes (which seems to be a big Republican fear)? Or would he try to do the compassionate thing, and provide care for everyone? Hmm...
Maybe there's no way to debate these people. They're such hypocrites. They like Medicare and Tricare, but not the American Plan. They love Jesus, but won't actually help their neighbors stay healthy. It makes absolutely no sense.