(Originally posted last month on the now-defunct class project blog HilltopperHealthcare)

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After a long day of campaigning Sunday, I sat on my couch completely exhausted and mindlessly trolled through my Facebook friend’s status updates. Everything from “hooch is crazy” to “(name) is on Facebook via Xbox Live!” let me know what all 841 of my Facebook friends were up to on a lazy Sunday afternoon. One post, however, snapped me out of my exhaustion and grabbed my attention.“What was it?” you may ask. Before I proceed, let me issue a disclaimer first: the gentleman who posted this, while we vastly disagree on everything political, is still a friend of mine and a great person in general. That said, I could not believe my eyes when the individual posted this little unpatriotic nugget of conservative glee:

“Healthcare Debate prayerfully will kill the bill in the Senate… Joblessness in America continues to go up… It’s going to be a great year for Republicans!”

“Wow” was my first reaction, followed by a stream of expletives, and concluding with a simple answer: “I am sure my unemployed father who lacks health insurance shares your glee.”

Killing health care for nothing but partisan gain in 2010 would be beyond appalling. For me, this debate is intensely personal. My mother and father are good, hardworking folks who have fallen on hard times and, because of it, a host of medical problems. Despite praying to God, no answer has come to my Mom and Pop.

The argument continued, however. Another charming individual responded to my comment with this diatribe:

“Your father has Medicaid available if he’s poor, Medicare if he’s old, Cobra if he was laid off, state provided health care at county hospitals if he’s deadly ill and doesn’t want to apply. There are plenty of options out there the tax payers are helping to pay for.

If you don’t think they’re adequate (because they’re going broke) what makes you …  think the same organization that RUNS THOSE will be able to provide better health care we’re all forced to have? What this health care does is says it’s not fair some people have better health care than everyone else, so we’re just going to lower everyone to the lowest denominator.”

Notice how the first line of the second paragraph completely shoots down the first paragraph. I then responded:

“I’ll ignore your underhanded insults against my father (which I would invite you to say to my face if you had the balls) and simply answer your illogical second paragraph.

Allow me to reference Merriam-Webster, if I may: Reform; verb; 1b: to amend or improve by removal of faults or abuses.

What is presently going on, sir, is health care REFORM. Our current system admittedly sucks, yes even the programs run by the big and scary federal government, but the whole reason we are having this debate is because as Americans if we see something wrong we want to fix it.

You’re right in saying this health care bill will address the current inequality of the system. That’s because it should. As part of my Catholic Pro-Life belief (shocker, right?), I think all life is equal and everyone should have an equal opportunity to live. Republicans may call that socialism, but I call it giving a damn about my fellow Americans… including my poor, old father.

Also, if you have any alternatives, then I would suggest them to your GOP congressmen in Washington, as they have offered no alternative bill. Don’t just say “no” and be done with it. Lives are literally on the line.”

The Republican then spouted more Glenn Beck talking points which are not even worth repeating thanks to their idiocy.

As you can tell, I do take this issue very personally, as everyone should. Health care reform is not an option. If we want to remain the strongest country in the world, we must take care of our citizens. That is not bleeding heart liberalism, that is a statement of fact.

I hope and pray that Republicans can wake up and smell the coffee. If they don’t, then the American Dream may very well become a horrible nightmare.