Can I Go to the Doctor Yet?

Evidently the new health care bill was passed by Congress the day before yesterday, so I am assuming that you have been expecting a blog.

I had all intentions of writing about this yesterday, but I never found the time. Still, a part of me feels one-sided for even having an opinion because I have no idea what the bill truly entails. (Excuse me if I do my research meanwhile writing this blog.)

I have, however, read a few articles on the matter, all with very ambiguous references to what the bill is actually describing. What stood out far more than the implications of the bill itself, were the 34 comments I almost died reading. The American people have proven themselves to be wholeheartedly selfish, yet again. I read about this bill being the beginning of socialism and communism, to hearing about the NWO and the plans for a North American Union, to "Obummer and his vermin," "Hussein and his cronies," "the Democrats from hell," the "Washington Wolf-pack," and "Oblahblah the Antichrist." Evidently, the founding fathers are "turning in their graves" and "we the people" need to make a stand.

What a joke.

To refrain from putting my foot in my mouth, I will neither be for nor against this bill until I have read it myself. I do not know what all will truly be affected, and in all honesty, I am not sure any of us do. As usual, Congress managed to leave out the voice of the general public and keep the details of the bill largely esoteric. (If you have not realised as yet, we don't have nearly as much power, if any at all, as we think we do by writing or voicing opinions, petitioning, or voting.) As evidenced by history, revolutions are the only methods that help us to get our voices heard.

Still, I am not fully convinced that this bill is the death of America the "free" and I am still trying to find out what is so "horrendous" about a North American Union. (Other than the Almighty America not being able to stand alone and bully the world anymore. Oh no! Say it ain't so.)

In my opinion, a reform is absolutely necessary. I have always believed that if free health care can be effective in other developed countries then there is no reason why it could not work here in the US. Albeit, not everything that works overseas can work here, I do believe that if Congress had our best interest in mind, something could come out of this entire debate that would benefit not just the sick, but the working class as well --even if it is not universal health care.

What bothers me and seems to be at the forefront of the anti-health reform debate is the amount of power we will be giving to the government in reference to our health. (Of course it would not be as easy as giving us the freedom to choose whether or not we want to go to the doctor every year for a general check-up.) The conspiracy theory within me believes that this is an easy way for the Government to mandate the use of certain drugs and the distribution of vaccinations, much like what is already done now for college and high school students.

The idea behind free health care is good; but can we handle it? Can we trust that the government will leave us with our own choices when it comes to getting surgery, medicines, or chemotherapy? Will Doctors still maintain pride in their profession and vow to give their patients the best treatment possible despite their payroll?

I am afraid the failure of our country to provide its citizens with even simply affordable health care is due to the extensively capitalistic and greedy nature of this society. Upper class Americans would much prefer to leave the power in the hands of private corporations than in the general public--and with good reason. The Government has effortlessly continued to limit what we know about specific policies and programs, all with the underlying desire to maintain the corruption they have so long been dependent on, and keep the people largely ignorant and believing in whatever conspiracy he or she sees fit.

I have been told by my high school government teacher that officials do not get elected to instill "change;" they are elected to keep everything the same. One and a half years later, and with a different approach to presidency, Obama and his entire administration is being cursed and condemned for their effort to do something different. But the cliche "if it is not broken do not fix it" cannot apply to a system that is not working. If the average middle class homeowner cannot afford to be sick then something seriously needs to be fixed--and it's not just their health.

It is not okay to remove a family from its house because the mother was diagnosed with breast cancer and the medical bills piled up and drove them to bankruptcy. I will never be too rich to understand the concept of empathy and compassion.

My advice to you, the general public, is that before you go about forming opinions about America becoming socialist, fascist, or communist, please be advised that in many respects, we already are a combination of all three. Why are you worrying about the government having access to your finances, when just a regular bank can clean out your account if you owe them money? I, an average citizen, can go online and find out where you live, what you do for a living, what you drive, where you work, how many people live with you, and what properties you own. Do not be fooled into thinking that anything much will change. If anything, this bill should open your eyes to what is already out.

The biggest problem with this bill is CAPITALISM. Not socialism, not fascism, not communism. Those who can already afford to be sick simply refuse to pay taxes for anyone else to be. The big protest has NOTHING TO DO with too much governmental control. No one has a problem if a private company tells you that they cannot cover your current medical bill because you did not file for it before you got into the car accident. No one has a problem with the company telling you that you had a root canal five years ago so now that you have a heart problem you cannot claim it on your insurance. No one has a problem with the plethora of diseases that MediCare will not cover.

So what is the difference?

There is a chance that the bill can work out. Jobs will be provided, and in due time the average pay check will be higher. There is always room for improvement and sometimes a change is necessary. But you have to drop the pebble in the water before it can move.

I promise you Mr. Big Business, that one less Maserati will not send you to the emergency room. And if it does, what is left of your 10-digit pay check should be able to cover the fees, if any, from that minor heart attack.

Gaza vs Gully

For those of you who know me, you know I am never afraid to say, or write, whatever is on my mind; and this is long overdue.

About a year ago there was a rift between two Dancehall artistes Mavado and Vybz Kartel. (If you are Jamaican then you know them both; if not you probably just know Mavado.) Before the rift the two men made a few songs together. Afterward, they made songs about each other.

You see, an unfortunate aspect of Dancehall music is intense rivalry and, for lack of a better word, hatred. The artistes are never afraid to let it be known that they do not like someone, which happens very often and usually because of something jovial. In fact, the music they create about each other circulates very well around the island. I was never one to support songs that talk very vividly and angrily about violence and murder, but it is practically inescapable.

This whole "Gully vs Gaza" thing really began as Mavado, representing the Gullyside, versus Kartel, representing the Gaza. (Based on the violent Gaza strip in the Middle East.) The two men appeared at an annual concert in Jamaica called "Sting" during the Christmas break of 2008, where they battled each other through song, allowing the crowd to choose their favourite entertainer in the end.

Eventually, Kartel began building the "Portmore Empire" meanwhile Vado worked with the "Alliance," which has also expanded. The two G's divided Jamaica even more than it already was (which I did not know was possible). All the ignorant people ran around and fought with each other over who supported what and why. In the end, almost everyone took a stance, based on which artist was their favourite.

I chose to support the Gaza. I always had a strong love for Kartel's music, and I believe that he is extremely talented. I also had a strange feeling about Mavado. (I will admit I was every bit afraid of him. Especially after seeing him in person and getting the "evil eye.")

Unfortunately, for every belief there are extremists, which in this case applies to both the fans and even the musicians themselves. They have all succeeded in dividing my beautiful country with the one thing that is supposed to bring the whole world together; music.

Even after an alleged "make-up" between Kartel and Mavado, there is still tension. People are still running around and doing stupid things because of who they support and who they do not. After another artiste, Black Ryno, decided to leave the Gaza, his house was burnt down, and shots have been allegedly fired at his family home. Just the same it is alleged that another member was beat up after being kicked out. This whole "Gaza" thing is starting to sound more like a gang than a music label or group of musicians.

This is where I draw the line. It is one thing to make music with clever lyrics, but it is another to take those lyrics to action. Considering the crime rate in Jamaica, I am not even sure why violent music has not yet been banned. And when I say banned, I mean not allowed to even be recorded yet alone played on any radio station, CD, or even at a party. It might sound quite barbaric, but I do think it is necessary.

What really prompted me to dedicate an entire blog to the ignorance of the situation, is the fact that even the producers are being targeted with threats. The last time I checked, all they do is make the music. They do not write the song, nor should they even pick a side. Furthermore, the entire argument—from the very beginning— is irrelevent, childish, ignorant, and laughable at best. I actually feel quite embarrassed that this is the type of music coming from my country and that such talented people are so damned ignorant.

The Gaza is just continuing to disappoint me, meanwhile Mavado is doing more positive things for Dancehall music. (I have to admit I was very proud the morning I turned on VH1 and saw Mavado. He was in a music video with Wycleff Jean singing about Haiti and the earthquake.)

Maybe it is because I know one of those targeted producers personally, but I have decided to renounce my support of Kartel and the Gaza. This is my official renunciation.

For all those who can understand, hillside mi seh!

The Microwave Generation

Upon sitting in my terrorism class this morning, I heard my teacher make reference to our generation as the "microwave generation." Even though I was not fully paying attention, those two words struck a nerve in my mind.

Let's think about this. Re-wind to the days before the microwave was invented. That gets rid of all of those microwaveable instant foods like Chef Boyardee and Cup Soup. Imagine everyday life without a microwave. We would have to rely on the stove top & the oven for everything; even if we just want a cup of warm milk to drink before bed. Leftovers would require a pot and a lot of patience, not to mention we would have to cook or buy restaurant food much more often. I'm not sure if our generation could handle it, although it may sound quite trivial and easy to manage.

We have been told many times that our generation is moving at a fast-pace. I have observed some of the changes from my lifetime alone, and often wonder what to expect for the next few years. I have lived through radios with only a few stations, to tape players, CD players, MP3s, and iPods. (Microsoft Word does not even correct those anymore.) I have gone from watching black & white shows of I Love Lucy to High-Definition TV that can be paused and re-wound. If I decide to have children, showing them a VHS, a CD player, a Nokia flashlight phone with no camera that can only make & receive calls or text messages, or a television that is bigger in the back than the remote is, would leave them in sheer amazement and probably with a few laughs. We have gone from video recorders and cameras without screens, to touch screen cameras that can take and show both pictures and videos. (My father is currently fighting a losing battle in an effort to convert our old VHS tapes to DVD's so we can replay some of our old family videos; there is nothing in our house that can play a tape from an “ancient” video recorder.)

And this is all just in my two-decade lifetime. I cannot imagine how my elders feel about all of the rapid changes that they have seen take place over the past few years, coming from record players and televisions with only a handful of channels. (I've heard talk of a future with pause-&-play touch screen televisions that not even I can begin to fathom.) We have all taken advantage of these luxuries, and have gotten quite comfortable with their convenience. Even I am guilty of it as I sit here and write this blog from my cellular telephone. But it certainly leaves me to wonder; when is it going to be too much? Will it ever get to a point when such advancements will have gone overboard?

This brings me back to the statement my professor made; He called us "the microwave generation" because we want things now. We never want to wait for anything. We want express lines at Disney, we want to fast-forward through commercials, we want to see the pictures we took right away, we want to get online as soon as we turn on the computer, we want to reheat our food in less than two minutes, we want to hear the song right now...

Remember America Online? Where you had to connect to the internet through use of dial-up? The sounds of the computer dialling a number & trying to establish a connection seem so ancient now.

Still, I am not sure I can say I ever missed out on much of life by sitting at the desk and waiting an extra few minutes for my computer to connect. What is the rush anyway? We only fast-forward through the commercials to then sit in front of the television all day. As fast as the internet connects, we still spend hours online pretending what we are doing is important. The only example I've used that makes any sense to me is the concept of the microwave. (Food is my weakness.) Other than satisfying hunger, what are we in such a hurry to do?

As far as I am concerned, the slow dial-up was quite the deterrent. It made me think twice about sitting in front of a computer screen—which is a great thing. I spent far more time socialising with people of whom I could actually see and feel, as opposed to a picture or name in a chat room or instant message.

Do not get me wrong, I'm sure technology has helped to reunite and rekindle friendships all across the world, and I am certainly not knocking that. I just think we should slow it down a little and take more time to be with our families, or go outside and take a walk and observe whatever is left of the land on which we live. Instead of spending hundreds of dollars on the new flat screen or cellular telephone, take a trip with your significant other to a place you've never been. (It quite possibly could save your otherwise fast-paced and unsuccessful marriage.) Tour a museum. Learn how to swim, or how to ride a horse. Go on a road trip to visit distant relatives; those few hours in the car make for good bonding time and irreplaceable memories.

There is so much more to this world we live in than just gadgets and gizmos.