Word to the wise – do not take breathing for granted.  I am coming off my first experience with the respiratory condition known as bronchitis.  If you’re thinking about getting bronchitis, I strongly recommend against it.  For the past few weeks I have been waking up in the middle of the night to cough for 30 minutes, I have been sleeping for at least 12-14 hours a day, and haven’t been able to so much as walk up a flight of stairs without being devastatingly winded.  I am also very stubborn, so after taking pointless over-counter-meds for six days with no change in my health, I finally went to an urgent care center.  I don’t have insurance.  I don’t have a doctor.  This recent experience has hit too close to home when it comes to the debate in Washington about our nation’s healthcare reform.  I’ve researched insurance plans/companies.  They are absurd, outrageous, and downright malicious.

At any rate, the urgent care center really took care of me.  If you are in the LA area, and have a minor emergency, I highly recommend the Lakeside Community Healthcare Center in Burbank.  The doctor diagnosed me and then gave me an inhaler and some antibiotics – amoxicillin.  When I first arrived, they said a doctor visit would cost $104.  After, they gave me a discount and it only cost $58.  I guess hospitals reward people who pay in cash because they don’t want to deal with insurance companies!  Unfortunately two days later I discovered that I am allergic to amoxicillin and had to go back to my friends at the care center for a shot and different drugs.

And now for some brief thoughts about America’s healthcare.   Private insurance companies are not affordable.  The plans I look at have a $100/month premium and a $5000 deductible.  What is the point!!  Or, my dad researched the cost of adding me back on his plan – $350/month.  No thank you.  I don’t understand why the single-payer option is off the table. (A lot of people seem to say how great Medicare is…which happens to be a single-payer system).  I don’t understand why the right is freaking out and throwing around ridiculous fears that we are going to become a socialized nation.  So many countries are ahead of us – they have working programs.  It’s not like we are trying to re-invent the wheel.  We have many options and models that are already in use; it shouldn’t be too difficult to research what works and what doesn’t.  Like everything in Washington, I don’t understand (well, I do, but I don’t like it) how everything has become political.  We are talking about people’s health.   The well being of our country’s citizens.  And sadly, we have an all democratic house, senate, and White House.  If it doesn’t happen now, nothing will ever happen.  Don’t get me wrong; I completely acknowledge that despite our flaws, the quality of our healthcare is among the best, if not the best.  However, it is borderline immoral that only a select few can take advantage of it.

One person tried to make a point that now, if someone is on a list for a heart or something like that, they have to wait quite sometime.  If there are more people getting healthcare, that person is going to have to wait even longer!  For a moment, I sympathized…but then said, “Wait a minute.”  Yes, that person might have to wait a little longer, but at least there are more people in line to get the medicine/medical procedures they need.

Not everything in America has to make a profit. You know, if conservatives get to call universal healthcare ’socialized medicine,’ I get to call private, for-profit healthcare ’soulless, vampire bastards making money off human pain.’”

But, like everything else that’s good and noble in life, some bean-counter decided that hospitals could also be big business. So, now they’re not hospitals anymore. They’re Jiffy Lube’s with bedpans. The more people who get sick and stay sick, the higher their profit margins. Which is why they’re always pushing the Jell-O.

Did you know that the United States is ranked 50th in the world in life-expectancy? And the 49 loser countries where they live longer than us, oh, it’s hardly worth it; they may live longer, but they live shackled to the tyranny of non-profit healthcare. Here in America, you’re not coughing up blood, little Bobby; you’re coughing up freedom.

The problem with President Obama’s healthcare plan isn’t socialism. It’s capitalism. When did the profit motive become the only reason to do anything? When did that become the new patriotism? “Ask not what you could do for your country, ask what’s in it for Blue Cross-Blue Shield.”   – Bill Maher

Political

Thursday following another exciting day of season-end inventory and tape boxing, I went to the Borders in Westwood (near UCLA).  They were hosting a discussion/signing  of Reza Aslan’s new book, How To Win A Cosmic War: God, Globalization, and the end of the War on Terror.  Aslan was a guest on The Daily Show a few weeks ago, and was pleased to see that he had scheduled a few book tour dates in LA.  First things first, I must say he is cuter in person.

I thoroughly enjoyed this event.  Aslan read a few pages from the first chapter of his book, and then opened the floor up for questions.  What followed was an hour long conversation about Iran, Israel, Palestine, the difference between Jihadists and Islamists, among many other things.

Impressed by his knowledge, listening to him speak was extremely refreshing.  It gave me flash backs of college.  I miss learning so much.  I mean, of course I’m learning a ton out here, but it’s just different.  It was absolutely satisfying to listen to a man with such fluent and passionate discourse.

While it’s fresh in my mind, here is a brief recap of some of the topics he discussed:

Q: Can Islam and Democracy Coexist?

• Of course they can.  Look at Indonesia.  Look at Turkey.  Malaysia.  India.  Pakistan.  The world’s most populous Muslim nations are democratic.
• The question really is, can Arab culture and democracy coexist?

Q: Is Iran a Nuclear Threat?

• He claims Iran as a threat is a joke.  They are a third world country with a terrible army.
• They recently figured out how to launch a rocket at a minimal distance without a payload.  Good job. (sarcasm)
• In terms of Israel, Iran as a threat is a purely political tactic.  Israel is a first world nation, has one of the best armies in the world, and has far more superior weapons.
• In terms of a threat to the U.S., look at the map.  We have troops surrounding the entire country.
• We need to start rethinking how we look at Iran.

There was more, but that’s about all I can regurgitate at the moment.

Unrelated, I saw Ben Folds last night and it was pretty sweet.   Gave me another Oswego flashback.  And again, being in LA is awesome.  You never know what extra treat will be at the show.  Ben brought out Sarah Barellies for a song, and then during the encore brought out Josh Groban.  Yep, that’s right.  Josh Groban!! I got chills!

Personal, Political