Universal Health Care (Redux)

I'm not going to be long-winded (or, since I'm actually typing, long-fingered) about this. We all know the issue by now. Should we or should we not take steps to provide basic medical care, both responsive and preventitive, to every citizen of this country regardless of their current financial situation? To me, that is really the final question. What follows is my answer to that question. I am answering only for me, from my perspective. My opinions on the matter will likely interest a precious few, at best. What I really want out of this is to hear what you think. (I would just like to hear it without all the screaming and name-calling, if that's okay...)
I am Agnostic, so this is going to be a little strange at first, at least until you get to know me. The question of whether or not we should be providing basic health care to even the uninsured always brings me back to the Bible. To the book of Genesis, actually. All the way back to start. That is how basic the question seems to me, when stripped of all the political brinksmanship.
When Cain asked God, 'am I my brother's keeper?' the answer to that question was supposed to be 'yes.' So if you asked God what we should do, I'm thinking he would vote in favor of sharing the health. Ditto for His eldest Son, Jesus, if you are to believe even half of what he said during his short ministry. So, if the word "Christian" really does mean "follower of Christ" (and it does, I looked it up), then the Christians have already weighed in on the issue and their vote will obviously be 'yes'. That is, unless they have chosen to renounce their Faith, or at the very least two of its major tenets, those being Charity and Mercy. Since over 70% of Americans describe themselves as Christian, I have to wonder why we haven't had universal health care all along. Seems to me this vote is setting up to be a virtual sweep. For those of us who are not people of faith and have not received clear instructions from God on how we should vote on such things, we will just have to allow our conscience to show us the way. My conscience is going to force me to come down in favor of the idea, simply because all my best efforts have failed to provide me a rationale for condemning 40,000,000+ people to needless suffering simply for no other reason than money.
Moving on from the humanitarian reasons this should happen, there are practical reasons, as well. First among them, in my mind at least, is this:
Millions of people, receiving less adequate medical care than the rest of us, or in most cases, none at all, are going to be less healthy and less productive over the long term than those of us with sweet insurance plans. This will make them MORE of a burden, not less. Healthy people contribute, sick people drain. Paying for preventive care makes perfect fiscal sense. Suppose I gave you a choice between paying for a welfare mother's birth control pills or paying for the pre-natal, post-natal and pediatric care for every child she has for her entire life. Which would you choose? Really? Because your government chose the latter. Which brings me to my next point.
If you accept that we should do it, can we, without raising taxes?
YES!
First step: Get the government to stop making dingbat fiscal choices like the one just outlined above. That should save tens of billions of dollars right there.
Second Step: Eliminate (or even just cutting it in half would do it) the tremendous waste and fraud that have been crippling Medicaid, Medicare, AFDC, SSDI, the V.A., countless other government programs and departments and the taxpayer for decades. I submit to you that it is not the programs themselves that represent a burden to the taxpayer but the waste and fraud that has been allowed to flourish unchecked. We could lower our taxes, support every one of these programs (including universal health care) and likely as not run them all at a surplus in perpetuity if we would just get serious about this one step.
One specific point of contention that seems to be of paramount importance to those opposed to the whole idea is the fear that illegal immigrants will benefit. Personally, I believe that if they want more than the "Stablization 101" treatment required by law when you show up uninsured at the emergency room, they should legalize their status. However, if you follow the Christian Ethic (or even plain logic, for that matter), any nation that insists on providing life-saving medical care to Death Row inmates probably shouldn't stick at doing the same for someone who's only crime was crossing a border without proper papers. I'm not in favor of it, I'm just saying it will look a little funny.
Well, that's about all I have to say on the subject. These are the points I seem to hear the most screaming about from thos most apoplectic at the whole idea. These and that psychotic raving about "death panels" and pulling Grandma's plug. Seriously, in a nation where it is illegal for a terminally-ill person to seek their doctor's help to end their suffering in a dignified manner and illegal for the doctor to help if asked, exactly who is ever going to authorize a panel of pencil-pushers to decide whether or not keeping your grandma alive is fiscally sound?
If you are so worried about the government being involved in your health care decisions, worry about that one. Death is about as personal as it gets. If you only get to do one thing in life totally on your terms, your own death should be it.
And on that subject (and just out of curiosity), why is it that it seems the same people screaming and spitting all over the town hall meetings about "keeping the gorvernments hands out of my medical care" are largely the same people who were pushing so hard to get Dubya and Congress to interfere in Terry Schiavo's care? That seems a trifle selective to me, not to mention a trifle trifling. (Sorry, I had to...)
So lets hear what you think about the state of health care in this country, the government's role, if any, and our responsibilites to each other. I'm also seriously interested to hear your thoughts on whether or not you think you should be allowed to die on your terms. This has been something that has been bothering me for some time.

Welcome!

Welcome to Reality Over Rhetoric!
Here, we are going to discuss the many issues facing Americans today. Health care, gay rights, education, war, the economy and much more will be covered.
Although I will be posting my own thoughts, I encourage all to share your own thoughts on the subjects we will examine, as well as to suggest topics or link your own blogs if you have covered a topic yourself. I am not on an ego trip. This is not a vanity page. I am looking for people who have something of substance to share. And yes, your opinions and feelings have substance. On the other hand, your hatred does not, which brings me to my main point.
We have all visited the so-called "political debate" blogs and forums that are nothing more than a platform for people who have not been able to rise above the partisan gutter-sniping and petty bickering to actually discuss the issue. I don't care about your religion, your political affiliations, your gender, sexual orientation, age, where you live, your ethnicity or anything else.
These are only distractions from the issues. This is not another blog where people can come to whine and kvetch about "flaming Liberals" or "stick-up-their-ass Conservatives." We have more than enough of those pointless, do-nothing blogs as it is. Let's leave that kind of counter-productive rhetoric for the children.
Having said that, why don't we get the ball rolling by tackling the hottest political and social potato currently on the grill...
On Sunday, we will begin a frank, mature discussion about health care. Gather your thoughts, gather your friends and wade in!