I, unfortunately, live in the politically blighted state of Florida. The sunshine, saltwater, and beaches do not help the fact that the voters of this state elected a Governor that is willing to allow the less fortunate in this state to suffer and possibly perish because of political ideology that is not even in step with main stream American political sentiment (read: those people who cannot pull themselves out of poverty by their own bootstraps).
The Obama administration and Congress enacted a law in 2010 that changed the way in which healthcare will be provided in the near future. It establishes healthcare for nearly, if not all, of Americans. This great State and its leader have decided that they will ignore federal law. Not accept federal funding for healthcare initiatives and prepare for the full implementation of the law in 2014.
This effectively means that people with preexisting conditions such as cancer and COPD, conditions that require a great deal of care and money, will go virtually untreated. This effects low income and indigent people, not the wealthy members of our society. These individuals will now suffer through untreated cancers and diseases and ultimately die.
I was always under the impression that this country was founded on the principles of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness? I wonder if this came with the unspoken caveat, "But only for those lucky few who could afford it."
I believe there is a God. I believe in the teachings of the Catholic church and I am under the impression that many other Americans have similar beliefs. Christ was a champion of those who could not help themselves. His ministry started with the poor and those who had no real voice in the communities of the day. He taught that the meek will inherit the kingdom of God and that it was easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to get to heaven. If the people who voted for Rick Scott and the Republican lead legislature that enables Scott to move forward with his ultraconservative, business friendly agenda, have similar beliefs in Christ and the teachings of the bible, then I wonder why they have forsaken their core beliefs?
It must be ok to let people suffer. It must be morally right to allow men, women and children to die of awful diseases. I have a different view of what is morally right and the principles upon which this country was founded. I may very well be wrong. I may be deluded into believing that all human beings deserve respect and care. But, I truly and sincerely hope that I am right. Protecting the wealth of individuals and business DOES NOT MEAN abrogating our responsibility to defend and protect those who cannot defend and protect themselves.
I wonder if Jesus would feel that Governor Scott was doing the right thing?
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