Yes, We Did!

Go ahead. Call me a bleeding-heart liberal. I don't care.

I am proud that our Congress has finally passed a health-care reform bill that might actually matter to our country.

What I don't understand is the polarization that has occurred due to this action. What purpose does that serve, except to fatten the pockets of the Rush Limbaughs and Glenn Becks of this world, as people continue to listen to their wild diatribes about God-knows-what?

I appreciate that our elected representatives finally did The Right Thing, without regard to the extremely loud whining of that small segment of citizens who continue to insist that they are in the majority. Of course, those people have the right to their opinions, too. But enough already. Let's move on from here. We are all in the same boat.

Admittedly, like a lot of other people, I'm not sure exactly how this will work out. However, I am quite sure that it won't be the disaster that I have seen predicted on slickly-produced television commercials and FOX News and other conservative media outlets. I am very hopeful that it will eventually make a great difference in the lives of most people across America.

People like my own children, who work hard but currently have no benefits available to them because they are considered part time or contract employees.

People like my grandchildren, who are forced to rely on a poor substitute for health care because their mother holds down two part time jobs. Their father cannot or will not get a job that will provide health benefits for them.

People like David and me, who will forever pay high health-insurance premiums due to his cancer diagnosis several years ago. And if he goes to the VA Health Center for "free" care, they will probably end up billing our regular insurance anyway.

We certainly have a long way to go in perfecting health care reform. The passage of this bill is not the end of the road, but just a beginning.

I will have more to say on this topic when I have more time to write, but I had to say a little bit while it was still in my head (and my heart).

Thank you, Barack, for getting us talking and making it work. Now, let's make it a reality.