i can still remember when my 20 plus year old daughter was a little girl. i had transitional educational assistance and food stamps. both of us had medicaid. i used that to live on as i went through nursing school and then promptly got off and started funding the same opportunities for others when i went to work as a nurse. if not for those programs, what might have happened to all the sick babies i did cpr on during my time as a neonatal intensive care nurse? some of those babies undoubtedly belonged to some of the same type of people who bash those who use government assistance. one memory that really stands out for me is buying my daughter a birthday cake at the bakery. this was back in the days of the coupon books, which — let me tell you — were infinitely more humiliating than the debit cards used today. the weather was abominable outside. it was unseasonably cold and there was an awful rainstorm outside. when i got to the checkout and handed over the coupons, i was curtly told by the checker (who also happened to be one of the managers) that i could sack up and carry out my own groceries. she told me she wasn’t gonna do it, because she paid for them, and the least i could do was get them to the car myself. i was mortified, and the expressions of those in line behind me didn’t help. i will never forget that. i know how hard it is for anyone with any pride or self respect to use government aid. anyone who has not been forced to do it needs to zip their lip about those who do. i do not grudge any of the money taken from my checks over the years to help others. after all, i used the money from others to put myself where i am today. what comes around goes around. it is really such a shame to see modern christianity devolve into finger pointing, name calling, insanity, and intolerance. shame on you people. you are sheep. i can tell you what jesus would do. he would tell you to straighten up and stop judging others. how can you profess to be acting in his name, when he taught peace, love, and tolerance? i don’t see much of that at all nowadays.

If I Ruled the World

So am I the only one who sees the sick irony of our country today?  I hear so many people talking about the government trying to steal our money, and how evil President Obama is for trying to create a healthcare bill that will enable the poorest of us to have access to affordable healthcare, and frankly, I do not understand how we can have so little compassion for our fellow human beings.

How is it possible that we claim to be Christians, but refuse his call to love and compassion as long as we or someone we care about isn’t in trouble? And sometimes even then, we pretty much just offer to ‘pray’.

I went without health insurance for five and a half years, and spent another five years without enough money for the co-pays so I could get the help I needed.  I got a helluva lot sicker…

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