My daughter who is 15 said to me the other day.....Mom why does the government believe that every person has the "right" to food, shelter, healthcare ect., when it takes away money from the people who work very hard and pay their taxes? I had no answer. She then said I thought our rights were life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. I said yes that's right. She replied....if I am alive and work hard to earn my money and pursue what makes me happy then I am providing myself food, shelter, ect. Anyone has the liberty to that.....why don't they?

I was speechless.....Maybe there is hope for our country, my teenage daughter is not clueless about what is going on, hopefully all of the upcoming generations will take an interest in what is happening now and how it will affect their futures.

 

We have the "right" to anything we collectively SAY we have the right to, as a civilization. If we agree, as a nation of individuals, that quality health care SHOULD BE a right of all Americans, we also have the right to try to make that happen. Such rights are not granted by God, or by anybody else -- they our granted by ourselves.

I'm not sure why you or your daughter would want to live in a society where people suffer unnecessarily and bankrupt their families because they happen to have contracted a deadly disease.

By the way, I suspect your daughter is just echoing what YOU think. When she starts thinking for herself, you'll REALLY have cause to be proud of her.

 

I'd be speechless too . . . .

 

15's a little past the age of "cute things lil kids say."

Hopefully she keeps her spunk when she realizes just how much food, shelter, and happiness she can pursue on $7.25/hr. Luckily - because of President Obama and Congressional Democrats - she will never know what it's like to be sick and poor with no recourse.

 

Which will probably enable her to be a good little conservative and not have to think about things she....doesn't think about.

 

.....hmmm......in other words, what your daughter (and you) believe is that if a person works two full-time jobs during the week and a part-time job on weekends at minimum wage to support their three children (one of whom is mentally retarded and another who has juvenile diabetes) with shelter, food and some basic clothing, but cannot afford health insurance rates that would cost her approximately $1500 a month for 80% of basic coverage AFTER a $1000 deductible is met, that she and her family should go, well FUCK THEMSELVES?


I get it.

 

'Rights' are a completely human construct. There are no rights, in nature. We invent then grant ourselves rights.

the concept that we seem to lack, as a social animal, is the one that says that each individual in the group should pool together its respective resources and utilize them to benefit the productivity of the whole.

 

You misunderstand me....I have no problem with healthcare for everyone. And I don't push any of my beliefs, political or otherwise onto my children. I want them to have their own beliefs. I was just amazed because when I was 15 I never paid attention to anything that was going on outside my own little world, she is, and I hope that all children are. Personally I wouldn't claim to a part of any political party lately.

 

What if your amazing daughter develops one of the many disorders that are at the moment incurable and is then unable to work, I'm guessing she will not get any health insurance, so who will pay the bills, you and her father initially but what happens when you come to the point where you cannot afford the bills or if you die early. Then who will pick up the bills.
It seems your daughter wants to work, pay her own way and lead a happy life, but sometimes bad luck happens.
Over here in the UK all health care is free at point of contact, paid through taxes and national insurance, as the people who are on benefits pay taxes on said benefits then everyone contributes and therefore are allowed to take out of the system.
Over here your daughter would not have the worry of having to find money for consultations, tests, treatment and medications as they are covered by the wonderful NHS.
Just a thought I am not wishing ill health on your daughter or any of your family, in fact I wish you a long and happy life.

Peace Out.
Rich

 

Eloquently put.

 

I actually think that impulse is pretty deeply ingrained in human beings as a species. But conservatives, with their "law of the jungle" mentality, seem to be missing that particular gene. The U.S. is one of the only advanced countries on Earth where they hold sway.

 

That's not human nature; that's comfort. Groups out in the wild all work as groups, just like humans did for a long time before they settled down into societies and seperated themselves from nature.

 

It is a positive thing when children start to form their own opinions and make observations about the world---HOWEVER, if a teenager forms an opinion that is selfish and disregards realities that exist within their own society, I would hesitate to say that they are (paraphrased) "paying attention to what is going on outside their little world".

 

I'll be inordinately proud of my daughter the day she announces that she's going to donate some of her time at the local soup kitchen. When she does that, I'll know she's acquired wisdom, compassion, and grace.

 

Perhaps I was being too hard on you...if so, I apologize. I, too, will be proud of my children when they show evidence of at least a healthy curiosity about the world around them and their role in it.

 

I thought the rule was survival of the fittest too, we shouldn't pay for those who can't take care of themselves, we should make them dig their own graves before we bury them since they aren't adding anything to society.

 

Believe me I do know how expensive and prohibitive health insurance companies are. My daughter and I both suffer from bipolar I and my 6 year old son has hearing disablities. And my daughter was born with Pters Anamoly in her right eye. Everytime my husbands employer switches insurance companies we go through the "pre-existing" bullshit. We also have medical bills that we have been paying on for at least 10 years now. So as I said before...I was amazed that she is paying attention to all that is going on now.

 

Your daughter has been listening to too much Rush Limbaugh. Try to get her interested in this station:

www.kpfa.org

 

She is just spotting off what you believe trying to impress you.

 

Your real worry should be, what happens if your husband's employer decides it can no longer afford to pay for its employee's group insurance at all. That's happened to a great many people in this country.