This Liberal Has Answers.
by Ann Werner
I was sent an article written by a woman who identifies herself as
Mockarena, a member of a team who call themselves Chicks On The Right. I
am familiar with these women in a small way. I don’t normally read
their column because – well, because they’re on the right and I’m not.
But last week, Mockarena asked some questions and said she genuinely
wanted answers. I thought I would accommodate her. I have included her
questions and my responses.
1. Do you think that feminine hygiene products should be
covered expenses under Obamacare (or employer healthplans as mandated by
Obamacare?) Do you believe that a monthly menstrual cycle should be
included under the broad definition of “women’s reproductive health?” If
not, why not?
Well, Mock, I have to say, that is a ridiculous question. Of course
no one thinks that Summer’s Eve or tampons or any of the other
paraphernalia women have to deal with on a monthly basis should be
covered under any medical plan. By the way, Obamacare isn’t a medical
plan. This is something that seems to confuse those on the right. It is
merely an effort by the government to regulate the out of control
behavior of insurance companies and to bring down costs for all of us by
spreading around the expenses associated with health care. Now, back to
your question. As for including a woman’s monthly menstrual cycle,
well, yes, it is a part of women’s health. After all, our menstrual
cycles are a part of our lives. If we don’t get one, we go to the doctor
to determine why it is absent. If there is a pregnancy involved, then
we know the reason. But if not, then there must be an underlying reason
that could affect our health in a variety of ways. As we age, our cycles
can become erratic and that tells us that we are coming to the end of
our reproductive lives. (Mock, you are too young to know about this via
experience but I have been there, done that, and have gone to my doctor
for assistance in finding a remedy because it really was unpleasant in
so many ways). The menstrual cycle is a part of overall women’s health
and as such, deserves our attention when things don’t run smoothly. But
just because that is the case doesn’t mean that health insurance should
cover the cost of everyday maintenance when things are going well. So
no, liberals don’t think that things like Summer’s Eve or sanitary
napkins or tampons or any other things of similar nature should be
covered by insurance. We tend to think of those things as part of being a
woman.
2. Do you think that over-the-counter medications and diapers
for kids should be covered expenses under Obamacare (or employer
healthplans as mandated by Obamacare?) If not, why not?
Again, this is silly. You are being silly, right? No! Why should
anyone think that? It has never been the case. Only prescription
medications have ever been covered under commercial health plans. And
diapers have never been covered. Why would you think that anyone is
putting forth the idea that the Affordable Care Act (and that is the
real name of the law, not Obamacare, just in case you were unaware)
would change the status quo? The law has to do with INSURANCE COMPANIES
and regulates their behavior. For instance, the caps on lifetime care
have been removed. Oh – and here’s a really good aspect of the law –
women can no longer be charged more than a man for health insurance just
because of the fact of their womanhood. That really pissed me off. I
had an employer plan and was charged more than one of the men I worked
with. We are the same age, although I am 3 months older than he. I am in
great shape, keep my weight down, low cholesterol – all of it – and he
is grossly overweight. I take care of myself and he doesn’t but he got
the benefit of a lower premium. Thanks to the ACA, things like that
won’t happen anymore because it’s against the law.
3. What does “healthcare is a human right” mean to you
exactly? If I have neck strain due to my job sitting at a computer, and
the only thing that eases that tension is a good deep-tissue massage,
should that be a covered expense under Obamacare (or employer healthplan
as mandated by Obamacare?) If not, why not?
That’s a good question! Yes, I do believe that healthcare is a human
right. Your question, though, is a bit of a gotcha because you are
positing that deep tissue massage is the one and only answer and we all
know that really isn’t the case. Now if you are dealing with neck strain
due to your job, I think that exercises to loosen up those muscles
would be the optimal thing to do. That and making certain that your
workstation is ergonomically correct so the strain in your neck would be
relieved. It’s a pretty simple thing to do – I know because I work at a
computer all day long and I had those problems. But adjusting my seat
and making sure the screen of my computer was in a position where I
didn’t have to hunch my neck or put it in a position that would cause
pain worked wonders! However, if you do have an injury that does not
respond to common sense methods, I think that seeing a physician to
determine the reasons for the ongoing pain should certainly be in order
and certainly be covered. After all, there are conditions that can be
alleviated by any number of therapies, whether medicinal or through
something like chiropractic, which is now and has been included in many
health plans.
4. If healthcare is a human right, then it should reasonably
follow that food is also a right, correct? If that is the case,
specifically what sort of food am I entitled to eat, and specifically
what kind of food should I receive from the government (taxpayers)
without paying anything for it myself? Do I have a right to filet
mignon? If not, why not? And who should make that decision?
Yes, food is a human right. After all, we do need food in order to
stay alive. We should all have enough food to be able to go about our
daily lives. Now, again, you are doing that gotcha thing. Of course,
filet mignon isn’t a human right. That’s a luxury and nobody is saying
that pheasant under glass, filet mignon or baked Alaska should be
mandated by the government. But I do believe that families should be
able to sit down to more than a bowl of cereal for dinner. I’m betting
that you are one of the fortunate folks who have never had to rely on
foods stamps. And if that is the case, I’m happy for you. However there
are people in this country – hard working people – who don’t make enough
money to put decent food on the table for their families. How do I know
this? I was one of them. Back in the 1970s, during the first fuel
crisis, I was working for a car dealer. Tumbleweeds were rolling through
the showroom and nobody was making any money. I was a single mom. I had
bills. I remember how embarrassing it was for me to pull up to the food
stamp office in my brand new car (which wasn’t mine, it was a demo)
dressed in my suit and going in there to be met by the angry stares
of the other people who were waiting their turn. Because of my
appearance they immediately assumed that I was some sort of “taker” –
but nothing could have been further from the truth. I was dead broke and
had a five year old at home. So I sucked it up and got my food stamps. I
hated using them but you know what? It made the difference from me
going on welfare and having EVERYTHING paid for by the government and me
being able to continue being a taxpayer and contributing to society. I
did know other women who had no choice but to go on welfare – one woman
comes to mind. She had four young children and her husband just left one
day. No child support, no nothing. Just poof! Gone! What would you say
to her? Would you beat her over the head with filet mignon questions or
would you understand that she needed help? I was only on food stamps for
two months but it made all the difference in the world. Before I go on
to your next question, I would like to remind you that a great number of
our veterans are recipients of food stamps. Would you have that benefit
taken away from them because you are so concerned about a few cents
coming from your tax dollars? Would you beat veterans over the head with
gotcha questions?
5. If healthcare is a human right, then it should reasonably
follow that shelter is also a right, correct? If that is the case,
specifically what sort of shelter am I entitled to have, and
specifically what kind of shelter should I receive from the government
(taxpayers) without paying anything for it myself? Do I have a right to
air conditioning, for example? If not, why not? And who should make
that decision?
Again, you are going on the assumption that everyone who needs
assistance is a lazy person who just wants handouts. Yes, shelter is a
human right when you are living in a country that is a place of plenty.
Case in point, I work with a young man (he’s in his 30s) who just
happens to be a Republican. And he’s VERY Republican. But you know what?
He lives in Section 8 housing. Why? Because he’s broke and trying to
work his way out of it. He is also divorced and pays child support for
his two daughters and that is where the bulk of his money goes. Now I
don’t know if the place he’s renting has air conditioning, however,
he does pay rent on
a scale that he can afford because despite what you are inferring,
everything is not free. I think he’s a great guy for being a good father
and tending to his parental obligations, don’t you? Or would you prefer
that he have to pay full rent and forgo paying child support? I don’t
know what rents are where you live, but in my neck of the woods, $1300
is about what one pays for a modest one bedroom apartment. And no,
people are not ENTITLED to air conditioning. People
are
entitled to have a roof over their heads. Or do you think they should
all just go and live under a bridge or find a nice dry cave?
6. If your answers to #4 and #5 involve you using the word
“basic” as part of your answer, please define what “basic” food and
“basic” shelter is, exactly. In fact, please define what “basic”
healthcare is, while you’re at it.
I didn’t use the term basic, but if you look it up in the dictionary,
there are several definitions. For the purpose of this answer, let’s
just go with
FUNDAMENTAL and
constituting or serving as the basis or starting point. Basic
food is staples like bread, sources of protein like meat (ground beef
and chicken and eggs will do, not those filet mignons you mentioned),
milk, vegetables, fruit. You know, nothing fancy, just the things one
needs to live and be healthy. I think shelter was covered in the above
answer, but I will expand – a place to lay your head and bathroom
facilities, either private or shared are pretty basic. A hot plate at
the very least, a small kitchen would be better. One room will do and
there are many who would jump at the chance to have a room to call their
own. Healthcare? When you are sick you have a place to go and get
treatment. To keep costs down, at least once a year a health checkup and
survey to make sure that you are in good shape – cholesterol, lipid
panels, all the same things you get when you go in for your annual
checkup. For women, pap smears and mammograms to make certain that no
cancer cells are detected. We all know that early detection and
treatment is a LOT less expensive than when a disease becomes full blown
and very costly to combat. And in the end, if it’s too late, all that
money is down the drain when a person dies for lack of early detection.
It’s a fiscally responsible way of handling healthcare and it affects
all of us. I mean, really, do you think that hospitals were charging
$300 for an aspirin just for the hell of it? It is because people
without health insurance were using emergency rooms as their primary
source of health care and they had no means to pay the bills and so
voila! It was passed on to you and me – no differentiation between
liberals and conservatives. We all paid. We are all still paying because
there are states that have turned their backs on the ACA and deprived
tens of thousands of their citizens of the BASIC health care needs that
could alleviate so much suffering, not to mention those expenses you are
so concerned about. I am too, which is why I do not understand what the
beef is with the ACA. Full implementation would bring down costs even
more. While costs are still rising, they are going up at a reduced rate
and with full implementation, it only stands to reason that the rate
would slow even more. After a while, we may even be able to turn the
trend. Actually, if we just had single payer, that would get rid of the
20% that goes to the insurance company middlemen right off the bat. But
you “fiscally responsible” conservatives prefer that insurance companies
profit from human suffering. So be it. I’m just saying – 20 percent off
the top – something to consider!
7. How do you define the term “fair share” exactly?
That’s a hard one but I think that if you are wealthy – part of the
1% if you will – then you should be willing to pitch in a bit more.
After all, this country gave you the opportunity to become wealthy and
really, if you’ve got piles of money, you won’t miss a little extra. I
think that wealthy people should pay at least as much as the guy who
makes, say $50,000, and goes to work every day of his life except those
two weeks off annually for vacation. Sure, I think people should get
deductions for things like kids, mortgage interest and charitable
contributions. Everyone should. If a person is making subsistence
wages, then I don’t think they need to be taxed. Did you know that
social security benefits are taxed? They are! I know. I receive social
security and sure enough, I get taxed on my benefits. If I make over a
certain amount in a year, I have a tax bill. I paid it this year,
although last year I didn’t have to. It all depends on the situation of
the individual. But if you’re wealthy, yes, you should pay a little
more. And you know what? When those taxes go to lift others out of
poverty, we all benefit. Remember the Clinton years when the economy was
booming? Taxes were higher then but EVERYONE had more money. It’s a
win-win thing. When people have money, they spend it on goods and
services. That raises demand, which in turn, translates to employers
hiring people to meet that demand, which puts more money into the
pockets of more people who go out and spend it on goods and services …
You see where this is going. Oh, and by the, how about the people who
own WalMart? They get away with paying hardly any taxes – if they pay
any at all – and yet, they are so cheap that they refuse to pay their
employees a living wage, causing those employees to turn to the
government for assistance. Money out of everyone’s pocket – yours and
mine.
8. If my “human right” to something requires the service of someone else, how exactly is it a human right?
That’s easy. Let’s make it personal. You are driving along, obeying
all the traffic laws. Some drunk comes speeding out of nowhere and slams
into your car. You are grievously injured. Do you think you have a
right to medical service? If so, there’s your answer. If not, we’ll
leave you to die bloodied and battered for lack of a paramedic, an
ambulance and emergency care followed up by a stay in the hospital while
the drunk gets away for lack of the police being called. You see, the
paramedic, the doctors, the nurses and the rest of the hospital staff,
as well as the police are all providing services to keep you alive and
to attain justice for an act against your person. Don’t you think you
have a right to those services? If not, please file a directive to let
the appropriate people know that you won’t be requiring their services
in the event of a catastrophic occurrence in your life. We wouldn’t want
to waste taxpayer money getting you back up to speed if you think that
needing another human being from time to time is a burden on society.
9. Obama once said that at some point, you’ve made enough
money. What amount of money do you believe should be the maximum
someone should be allowed to make?
Oh, you’re doing that gotcha thing again! When President Obama said
that, he was not implying that there would be a cap placed on the amount
of money any one individual is allowed to earn and you couching that
question in a manner that suggests otherwise is beneath you, don’t you
think? Now let’s see what he REALLY said. “We’re not trying to push
financial reform because we begrudge success that’s fairly earned. I
mean, I do think at a certain point you’ve made enough money. But, you
know, part of the American way is, you know you can just keep on making
it if you’re providing a good product or providing good service. We
don’t want people to stop fulfilling the core responsibilities of the
financial system to help grow our economy.” In case you are wondering,
he was talking about our capitalistic system and how it works.
10. How do you define a “living wage” exactly?
A living wage is a wage that is enough to provide the necessities of
life: food, clothing shelter. If a person works a full time job, that
job should pay enough to meet those necessities. It doesn’t have to pay
for cable TV, it doesn’t have to be enough to take a vacation in Cancun.
It doesn’t have to be enough to put your beloved filet mignon on the
table every night of the week, or even once a month, although it would
be nice if maybe once a year, on a special occasion, there would be
enough saved up – but not necessary. Do I have to bring up WalMart
again?
You say you have tons more questions. Bring ‘em on, Mock. I’ve got
tons of answers, and I sincerely hope that reading those I’ve just
provided will enlighten you. You see, liberals believe in personal
responsibility – only we don’t use it as a slogan. We recognize that
there are times when people need assistance and we don’t have that
stingy gene that seems to inhabit people on the right. We don’t mind
sharing. Our parents taught us that concept when we were just babies and
we’ve remembered it all of our lives. It seems that you have forgotten
the concept. It’s a shame that you are so angry and so concerned that
somebody somewhere is going to get something you deem they don’t deserve
and that it’s coming our of your pocket. When you use the term personal
responsibility, it has to be more than a platitude. If you’re going to
talk the talk, then, to be taken seriously, you need to walk the walk!
