In a World Where I Have to Pay for Healthcare

I wasn’t really thrilled with the idea that I have to buy medical insurance or face a fine, and that seems to be what most people are upset about. But then, most people were upset when they were told they had to wear seatbelts. Motorcyclists were upset when they were told they had to wear helmets.

Horse drawn buggy owners were upset that they had to keep the horse manure off the streets. Dog owners were upset when they were told they had to clean up after their dogs in the park.

Smokers were upset when they were told they couldn’t smoke in movie theaters, and later airplanes, and still later restaurants, and even later doorways.

I had a neighbor not too long ago who was still pissed that the city made him disconnect his septic system and hook up to the sewer… 30 years ago. I’m sure cops had to deal with belligerent drinkers relieving their beer soaked bladders on public streets as people moved from the country to the cities and laws were passed preventing relieving oneself on a public street.

There are those who still say that income tax is illegal.

And while I believe in tolerance, I also believe that choosing prayer over antibiotics for your child amounts to abuse, which is what the laws in Oregon say.

So, it’s nice to know that as I get older and more things fall apart, getting proper healthcare won’t be something reserved for the rich. Because I live in a world where public safety and health means I don’t have to dodge human and animal waste in the streets, that the roads are safer with common laws and equipment for our cars, that I can go to a restaurant and not be subjected to second-hand smoke, and that when my neighbor flushes his toilet it goes to a waste treatment plant, not his back yard when the leach lines fail.

I live in a world where we get to grumble about not getting to do really stupid things. And I like that.