My opinion Monday: Healthcare! Because you should care about healthcare...

Let's talk about health care shall we? Why the heck would I want to talk about health care? Because I need to get it off my chest and my blog is as good a place as any.

Let me be clear, I try to keep my political opinions to myself … so I promise Monday's will not become an opportunity for me to rant politically but I have to say something about government provided health care.

I think I may be the only conservative in America that is FOR, 100% absolutely, without a doubt, FOR, government sponsored health care. I'm not talking Obamacare where we still have to pay out of pocket, like a bill. I'm talking like social security, like sales tax, like property tax, mandatory. Money comes out whether we want it to or not. Everyone pays, everyone receives.

I do not pretend to understand the implications, but I also do not understand why so many conservatives are opposed to it. Don't make the employers pay more for it, make each citizen pay it out of their paycheck or in sales or income tax every year.

The way I see it, health care is like road maintenance. We all need roads, we all appreciate well maintained roads, bridges, and infrastructure and NOT ONE OF US expects to have to individually foot the bill for the portion of the road we use or the type of road we want to drive on. We start our car, or get on the bus and use the same road as everyone else and expect the roads to be in drivable condition. Now, some of us live down personally maintained roads, or up atop beautiful bluffs and we pay additionally, out of our own net earnings, to construct and maintain our personal roadways. If you want better or additional care, pay for it but all of us should be given the right to BASIC health care.

Look at St. Jude's people give to help the kids with cancer be treated and given the best care possible... and they like it! We are a generous population, we want people to be OK. We are a people of compassion. We should want this for our citizens. We shouldn't have to cut a check for it, it should come out of our pay or be included in sales just like other taxes. I think it's the right thing to do and I simply do not understand the conservative aversion to socialized healthcare. It's the government managing a beast too big for any individual to shoulder, that's exactly what the government is for the big things!

Now, some will say this will cause the working class of America to fund those who aren't contributing. I don't disagree, it's true! As much as I hate to admit it, there will always be slackers, addicts and mentally ill individuals that can't or won't contribute BUT... we as a society already shoulder their weight! Maybe if healthcare was a right some of the addicts could get in for treatment they can't get in to right now. Maybe some of the mentally ill could get psychiatric or psychological help they can't afford. And slackers will always be slackers, it's how they roll.

And IF healthcare was a right, middle class workers who skip the doctor because the deductible is too high for regular preventative care would go and would catch preventable diseases before they cost way more. Maybe people who are injured will seek treatment before an injury gets infected. I for one HATE the doctor. Whether it's a right or not, I'm going to avoid going as much as I can so it doesn't make a difference to me and I'm happy to pay a little extra out of my taxes for ALL Americans to have access.