Fair warning: now it's personal
We really are an amazing species. We can often tell what's killing us, and occasionally even put a stop to it, provided a diagnosis is made in time for treatment to take effect.
Someone very dear to me has been living the so-called American dream: he runs a small business, works very hard, and is quite good at it. He's not rich, but he's doing what he loves, and deserves to be proud of what he's accomplished. I found out last night that he may soon be facing a lymphoma diagnosis. The reason it's not official yet is that, despite noticing a lump some time ago, a biopsy has not been performed yet because he only recently went to the doctor because his employer does not provide medical insurance (because he is his own employer) and he can't afford it (for the same reason). Finally he decided that he needed to know, whether he could afford to or not.
Was he wrong to pursue his dream? Should he have settled for a less fulfilling job just to receive medical insurance? Is he being punished now for doing precisely what "small-town values" claim to include?
For me this issue was previously principle and is now intensely personal. So the next time someone chooses in my presence (whether physically or digitally) to mock attempts to make healthcare affordable, for as many people as possible, as "socialism" (and, therefore, somehow evil), they're probably going to get a swift verbal kick in the nuts. I thought it only fair to explain why.
