What June 14th Means To Me: Broccoli

I like broccoli.  I like it steamed, raw, sauteed, whatever.  It tastes good and is good for you!

For those who have been paying attention to the Supreme Court healthcare debate, broccoli has become the symbol of conservative rage in regards to the healthcare bill, the commerce clause, and its constitutionality.  Basically, conservatives/libertarians argue that if the government can mandate you to buy private health insurance, what's next?  Can they force you to buy broccoli because they deem it healthy? 

Well, they fucking should!  Kids are fat and most parents clearly have no concept of nutrition.  It wouldn't kill anyone to eat something green everyonce in a while, and I'm not talking about this:

Hostess Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Pie!  Remember these things? Though I think the last one I bought ended up smashed against the side of a friend's car.

All kidding aside, the idea that providing the government the power to mandate health insurance will suddenly give them carte blanche to force consumers to buy broccoli or General Motors cars is absurd.  Unlike those things, which can still be seen as luxuries, healthcare is not, and every American is already entitled to it.  If your appendix bursts at 3 AM, an emergency room is forced, by law, to treat you, regardless of whether you have Blue Cross or not.  Listen, I'd much prefer a single payer type system where the government isn't forcing you into the private sector, but since that's only a pipe dream, we have to work with the system we have.  Which will make our healthcare bill "uniquely American."  Mouthbreathers love the sound of that. 

The healthcare system is bloated, for a multitude of reasons, and because of it, premiums are high, leaving millions of people uncovered.  Similarly, American healthcare cost is the leading reason for future deficits, which obviously need to be reigned for the good of our future finances.  Since we live in a society (last time I checked) and are accustomed to supporting public works that benefit everyone anyway (those little things called taxes), I believe it's our duty to pay into the system to ensure that every American has the ability to see a doctor, while helping control costs.  It's really simple, actually.   I honestly don't get the problem.  The rest of the world does this exact thing.   If you saw someone writhing in pain in the middle of the street, you probably wouldn't walk on by, because you're not an asshole.

In fact...

The healthcare mandate should be called the "dont be an asshole" clause.  I just named it!  Because if you bitch about paying so that everyone has access, you're a fucking asshole.  A selfish one actually.

Enough of this "what's mine is mine" Ayn Rand shit.  We wouldn't be here without each other, so let's start acting like it. 

And go buy some broccoli.  Your knees are sick of holding up that fat gut of yours.