In case you wind up in one of those OMG SOCIALISM discussions

[tzikeh]

Someone posted this on metaquotes today--it's been floating around the internet for years now, and nobody knows who wrote it, that I can find. I thought about posting it a while ago, then forgot, so better late than never (thought I doubt that it's "late," as this OMG SOCIALISM bullshit is probably going to go on a long, long time).If you truly feel like getting into a "discussion" with someone who thinks Obama is a Socialist (imagine scare-quotes), and that the new health care law is an example of Socialism, you can use a few facts from this (though I'd avoid the tone if you are determined to have as civil a discussion as you can).



This morning I was awakened by my alarm clock, powered by socialist electricity generated by the public power monopoly regulated by the US Department of Energy. I then took a shower in the socialist clean water provided by the municipal water utility. After that, I turned on the socialist radio to one of the FCC regulated channels to hear what the socialist National Weather Service of the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration determined the weather was going to be like using socialist satellites designed, built, and launched by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. I watched this while eating my breakfast of socialist US Department of Agriculture inspected food and taking the socialist drugs which have been determined as safe by the Food and Drug Administration.

At the appropriate time, as kept accurate by the socialist National Institute of Standards and Technology and the US Naval Observatory, I get into my socialist National Highway Traffic Safety Administration approved automobile and set out to work on the socialist roads build by the socialist local, state, and federal departments of transportation, possibly stopping to purchase additional fuel of a quality level determined by the socialist Environmental Protection Agency, using socialist legal tender issued by the Federal Reserve Bank. On the way out the door I deposit any mail I have to be sent out via the socialist US Postal Service and drop the kids off at the socialist public school.

If I get lost, I can use my socialist GPS navigation technology developed by the United States Department of Defense and made available to the public in 1996 by President Bill Clinton who issued a policy directive declaring socialist GPS to be a dual-use military/civilian system to be managed as a national socialist asset.

After spending another day not being maimed or killed at work thanks to the socialist workplace regulations imposed by the Department of Labor and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, enjoying another two meals which again do not kill me because of the socialist USDA, I drive my socialist NHTSA car back home on the socialist DOT roads, to my house which has not burned down in my absence because of the socialist state and local building codes and socialist fire marshal's inspection, and which has not been plundered of all its valuables thanks to the socialist local police department.

I then get on my computer and use the socialist Internet which was developed by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Administration and browse the socialist World Wide Web using my graphical web browser, both made possible by Al Gore's socialist High Performance Computing and Communication Act of 1991.

I then post on freerepublic.com and Fox news forums about how SOCIALIZED MEDICINE is BAD. because the government can't do ANYTHING right.


______________________


In other news, a new Harris poll reveals Republican attitudes about Obama: 2/3 think he's a socialist, 57% think he's a Muslim—and 24% say "he may be the Antichrist."

Guys? I'm not religious scholar, but I'm pretty sure that the Antichrist isn't a Socialist. You can only be completely delusional about choose one.

Comments

[aerynvala.livejournal.com]

*giggle/snort* oh lord

[deaver.livejournal.com]

Sadly, I doubt most of those "socialist" 'fraidy-cats will get the sarcasm here.

[rosa-acicularis.livejournal.com]

Fantastic.

[amilyn.livejournal.com]

I'm pretty sure that the Antichrist isn't a Socialist

You mean...because Jesus is??

Also...is the Harris poll link meant to work?

[sundara.livejournal.com]

There's one huge socialist agenda issue missing from your socialist day---I'm sure your parents saw a doctor and helped pay for it with Socialist Medicare, a GOVERNMENT RUN HEALTH INSURANCE AGENCY that of course is creating the downfall of our country.

The other day, a guy called in on the call-in show on CSPAN while the House wasn't doing anything...the subject was, as you can imagine, the health reform bill. The guy talked about how socialist government interference in the health industry is a horrible thing. The moderator asked him if he had insurance....sure! He's on Medicare! The moderator asked him how he found it, did he like it, and sure! He and his wife thought it was just great, helped them alot. Moderator asked if he understood that medicare was "a government-run health insurance agency" and has been in service since the 60s... *DUH* But of course *that's different*, right?

[divagoddess-c.livejournal.com]

Best anti "the Health Care Bill Will Kill Us All" post I have seen all week.

[tzikeh.livejournal.com]

I find it useful. :)

[surreal-44.livejournal.com]

Oh dear. I do have to disagree. ;-) While I am not one of those crazy people who is like, "DOWN WITH GOVERNMENT!!!", I AM against the health care bill because it's a stupid, stupid, stupid thing.

A few good things in the bill doesn't make the actual bill a good thing. America is still a republic (or, sadly, it's degraded to a social democracy) -- the government has no right to compel every person in the country to purchase a product, no matter how noble you think it is.

I know, I know...homeowner's insurance and car insurance. You are not compelled by the government to own a home or to buy a car. Therefore you are not compelled to purchase either insurance.

Besides all that, having insurance is not a promise that all your ills will be taken care of in a timely manner, nor will it actually improve the kind of care you get.

Sorry...but your anti-anti-socialist post got me a bit riled. I'll leave you alone now. ;-)

[tzikeh.livejournal.com]

Well... I'm not going to get into an argument about the bill (which is far from perfect, but I don't think is a stupid, stupid thing), but I will say this:

Besides all that, having insurance is not a promise that all your ills will be taken care of in a timely manner, nor will it actually improve the kind of care you get.

1) No one has said that having insurance will get you a doctor's appointment the same day you call. No one even expects that.

2) Having insurance *will* improve the kind of care people get who didn't have insurance before, as in they will now be able to *get* care. A lot of people in this country die because they have no insurance, and therefore cannot get the care they need, because they cannot afford it.

To quote a friend's lj post on the night the bill was passed:

A friend's fiancé died last week, because her plan rescinded her insurance after she developed liver cancer.

This won't happen anymore. Too late for her, but for thousands of others, not too late.

I, and so many of my friends with chronic illness can stop fearing that they will be thrown out of their coverage.

If your response to this is that it's too bad people die because they can't afford to pay for their treatment without insurance, I respectfully ask that you simply don't reply.

I have to say, I realize that we see each other around White Collar communities and such, and that's fun, and we've had a few happy exchanges (I believe) about that, but the fact that you friended my lj and, not one minute later, posted a comment about a highly emotional situation directly against what I obviously believe, is a little strange. Please believe me when I say I'm *not* suggesting you defriend, or that I'm holding this against you, or that I don't welcome you as a WC fan and potentially interesting fannish friend/acquaintance, but I really find it odd that this is what you chose to comment on after friending me for what I can only assume are fannish reasons. If we knew one another for a long time through fandom, and we'd learned much more about one another as people and not just fans of White Collar, I'd be much less confused by your choice to express your disagreement here first thing.

[surreal-44.livejournal.com]

We have had fannish fun several times. I friended you and then I found your post. I'm just one of those blunt people who sort of say and write things without thinking through them.

Some of my friends call it 'truth speaking', others just call it annoying. My apologies. :-)

So if you aren't upset, that's good.

I'm not going to debate the bill either since it wouldn't do either of us any good. However, I will point out that you fell back on the very typical and unreasonable argument that all people who oppose the bill must naturally want people to die for lack of health care.

That is inherently untrue and extremely unfair of you to suggest. There are crazies on both sides of this issue; please don't assume that a small minority of people speaks for everyone.

[tzikeh.livejournal.com]

Totally not upset. :D

you fell back on the very typical and unreasonable argument that all people who oppose the bill must naturally want people to die for lack of health care.

DID NOT!! I said, "IF your response to this is that it's too bad people die because they can't afford to pay for their treatment without insurance, I respectfully ask that you simply don't reply." As in, if you are one of the people who do believe that. I didn't argue that "all opposing the bill believe that," because I know that isn't even close to being true.