Republican politicians pray for God to kill health care bill

I found this "prayercast" video and transcript of the Republican US Senators and Representatives' "prayer" on the Rachel Maddow Show.

In it, full-tilt right wing Republicans vehemently demand that God do horrible things to congressfolk who wanted to vote in favor of the measure to make sure it was killed - including claiming their opponents support a number of terrible things - terrible things that are not included in the bill. Which means they lied. They inserted a lie in a prayer.

I was stricken with these notions:

Not once did any of them pray for the best and highest good of health care for people in our nation.

Not once did any of them pray for guidance to help them assist their constituents with their health care challenges in the greatest, most positive way (Some might actually call this the most Christian way, since better, affordable health care is something Jesus might advocate- wait, according to the new testament, he actually did!).

Not once did any of them pray for the greatest welfare of our nation's people, regardless of party, regardless of wealth or station.

Not once did they pray for a scintilla of compassion for people most in need of health care assistance. It was all about them, their party, their mission, their money, their agenda - to hell with their constituents or their constituents' urgent life-and-death struggles.

No, they only prayed for what they wanted for themselves, and for God to be their henchman, to deal with their opponents in the harshest, most chilling, damning way.

For the spiritual among us, we understand their prayer was actually answered.

God said, "No."

The Senate version of the bill passed.

Christmas eve.

Amen.

Health care ... or careless ... or care less ...

Seems to me that the way a nation/government shows how it cares about its people is by the way it takes care of them -- and their health.

There's military for security, police for protection/law enforcement, schools for its education, fire departments for protection and life saving...

So what about health care?

When it comes to health care for its people, the US Government does not give a single drop of shit.

Although, to be fair - some US citizens do enjoy excellent "socialized" health care. The government does care about them.

I'm talking about the folks we elect to office - and their families. They - and their families - receive federally provided excellent medical coverage. These are the same people who self-righteously vote against those same rights for the rest of us.

Supreme Court justices - and their families - also enjoy the same excellent "socialized" medical coverage, and they are in the position of ruling against that same right for the rest of us.

So much for the old constitutional chestnut, "US citizens are the employers of those who run their government."

I realize I must be clear about the term "socialized" medicine.

The reason the word socialism is in quotes is because it's not a matter of socialism vs capitalism. It's a matter of whether the US wants to provide decent health care for its citizenry or not. The "how" that happens is the big question in the US, not in other nations whose health care quality outdistance the US greatly.

France is a capitalist nation and it ranks #1 in its health care quality. Capitalist and socialist nations that provide quality health care for their people have not found their economic foundations shaken, stirred or even twisted.

I'd call it universal health care.

Tribal peoples dating back to the Big Bang know health care is a normal, accepted right of life. Health care among tribal peoples has always been a fact of human existence. No questions, no arguments, no negotiations.

Shaman, Medicine Men and Women, and other anointed health care givers who healed - or tried to - those in their community afflicted with physical or mental health issues, were considered special, gifted.

They freely dispensed their healing knowledge of herbs, spices, massage, acupressure, acupuncture, blood-letting and other - now generally questionable - practices intended to care for all health matters afflicting their neighbors.

Say - did you know there are conditions for which leeches actually work even today?

American doctors and nurses used to make house calls. (They still do in other nations as part of their government-provided health care provisions - did you know that?)

Until the money folks took over. When a doc or nurse practitioner visits a patient at home, they see the conditions in which their patients live which might contribute to their illness and can help heal their unhealthy lifestyles as well as the immediate sickness.

It was deemed much more "cost effective" to have everyone go to a central location - where patients can encounter many other germs, bacteria, ill people, the stress of being in a foreign environment, among people they don't know and among medical professionals forced into a position of not working for them as much as they are for bosses trying to save money.

Patients and medical professionals are forced to rely on insurance companies who work hard to avoid paying outright, rather than figure out how to pay, for care.

And they deny payment for lots of reasons: the treatment is unique, the treatment is experimental, the treatment might be *expensive,* the treatment is rare ... and of course (the best for last) - the patient is going to die anyway.

Um, we are all going to die anyway.

The question is the quality of life while we're here .

And why those in our government whom we have elected would prefer we go to bed worrying not just about our health care but our financial well being.

They'd rather we go to sleep worrying about whether we can afford to keep ourselves, our partners, relatives and children healthy; whether we have to go bankrupt paying for critical or chronic illness; how we can avoid medical expenses - cut corners - for ourselves and our kids.

They'd rather we lose sleep worrying about these things that are considered a basic human right in all other civilized (and even some not-so-civilized) nations; they'd rather we suffer financial and health care nightmares than dream of ways we can create a better life for ourselves, our families and our country.

See, worry creates stress, which creates health problems, which creates ....

But, that's how much the US Government cares about its people.

They will allow American people to wallow at the bottom of a list that evaluates health care quality among nations, but be thrilled that the US is #1 in spending our tax money on... what? What are its priorities?

I suggest you see Michael Moore's film, SICKO, which conservatives and liberals agree, tells it like it is about real health care issues in the US and other nations.

Among all the ridiculous arguments for and against a right of American health care, IMO, here is the real problem:

If Americans had a whit of self esteem? The moment they believe they deserve proper health care, that they - and their children - are worthy, are worth it? They'd insist on proper health care and would have it. Just that quickly.

The way people in the 37 countries who precede the US in health care quality do.

Pro-lifers miss their biggest opportunity

You know, if pro-lifers were really pro-life?

They would be lobbying - working around the clock for nationally funded health care.

Here's why:

1) The US has a national, regional and local tax-funded police force. Our police are paid to protect us, help us in matters of threats and life and death without first asking who we are, what religion we claim, where we live, if we have a pre-existing life and death case for which they've been called to help us before (which would disqualify us for protection and justice), and most importantly -- if we have police insurance coverage.

More, when we want to support another nation or we need police support, we help one another.

2) The US has a national, regional and local nationally funded fire department. Our firefighters are paid, our volunteer departments equipped to protect us, help us in matters of threats and life and death without first asking who we are, what religion we claim, where we live, if we have a pre-existing fire problem for which they've been called to help us before (which would disqualify us for fire fighting protection), and most importantly -- if we have fire department insurance coverage.

More, when we want to support another nation or we need fire fighting support, we help one another.

Now, what should be #3 but it that doesn't exist:

(Imagine!) --The US has a national, regional and local nationally funded Health Care . Our Health Care workers are paid and equipped to protect us, to help us in matters of health threats and life and death issues without first asking who we are, what religion we claim, where we live, if we have pre-existing health issues for which they've been called to help us before (which would disqualify us for current health care), and most importantly -- if we have health care insurance coverage.

Historically, like way back when, women were the healers. They not only educated themselves to heal others, they passed their knowledge down from mother to daughter for generations and were highly esteemed in communities.

Because women "healers" had knowledge men did not, and men wanted to assume the power of healing, these women were accused not of healing people but of practicing "witchcraft" - and were not only shunned but killed for, according to their detractors, defying Christianity.

Over the centuries, men came to run the healing arts, with women assisting them; only relatively recently have women returned to the field of primary health caretaker when they were finally allowed to attend the male driven and run medical schools.

Along the way, it was decided that a new "US health care" system should be privately funded for the most part. Make profits, not healthy people! OK, that's hyperbole, but you know what I mean.

It would make this blog too long, but there actually is a fantastic, economically sound and good health reason for creating a nationally funded health care system.

It does not have to emulate what exists now, but can be a fresh, sensible, streamlined, effective and efficient health care system that will make the US the healthiest, most prosperous nation in the world thanks to a well-run nationally funded health care program.

Those who make so much money off the current health care system - insurance companies - do not want it changed. They do not care about patients, the nation's health care, the fact that if this system continues to degrade the health of the American citizen and health care system -- the country itself will suffer in ways that have already been predicted but ignored.

And once again, the horror of that outcome, which will deeply impact our nation so harshly, will come as a "surprise" to people who have been warned over and over again what these destructive, greedy actions will have on the nation, its citizens and the health care industry, but they choose to continue to ignore it.

At this point, that includes you.

It all boils down to this very basic question:

How much does the American government - and public - value its citizens? Enough to protect them against crime and fires -- but not enough to protect their health.

Something tells me those who claim to be "pro-life" will continue to confine their efforts to maintain a negative attitude, working against a legal procedure rather than think positively, working FOR something constructive that would actually end up making that legal procedure almost entirely unnecessary.