TREY SAY:  Healthcare, healthcare, healthcare.  It’s all that everyone is talking about right now.  Depending on the side of the fence you’re on, this new Bill is either really bad news or really good news – and you know that I have an opinion on all of this, so here goes.

My readers should know by now that I’m a liberal dude. I believe in things like a woman’s right to choose an abortion, gay marriage – and (wait for it) healthcare for all Americans.  What?  You’re against healthcare reform?  That’s cool.  What’s your reason for it?  I’ve found that people will usually say one of three things:

We have the BEST healthcare in the world!!  Why change it?

Really?  At last check we have at least 50 million Americans that are left uninsured, and many of those 50 million Americans are becoming bankrupt due to overwhelming medical bills.  Oh, did I mention that we have by far the highest medical costs on the planet?  Yeah, but that’s OK.  Go America!  Please. 

Once this bill passes, I’m going to lose my healthcare coverage! It’s horrible!

Back away slowly from Fox News, Champ.  It might behoove you to actually read up on the healthcare Bill and do your homework.  Here’s how you could lose your healthcare under the current system: Get laid off from your job, quit your job, leave your job for another one and wait for your benefits to kick in, leave your job to start your own business – only to have it crap out in a few months – or *gasp* get a serious illness and have some shady Insurance company deny your rights to see a doctor.  If you have a healthcare plan that you like, you’ll be able to keep it.  It’s just that simple.  And here’s another shocker for you – government-run programs like Medicare don’t deny their patients the rights to coverage, so maybe this whole thing won’t be that bad after all.

This bill is going to increase the deficit significantly!  It’s so wasteful!!

Shut the hell up.  I didn’t hear you waxing indignant about wasteful spending when “W” was dropping craploads of dollars on the war in Iraq.  You’re cool with spending over $2 trillion (that’s trillion with a “T”) on a meaningless war that only resulted in putting thousands of our young men and women in pine boxes, but you’re bitching about spending money to provide healthcare for all of our citizens.  Yeah, because that makes sooooo much sense.  Stop acting like you care about government spending, because you don’t.  You’re just getting frothy at the mouth because Limbaugh and other conservatives are telling you to.  At least this plan will help to save lives of Americans instead of taking them.

Republicans are a really funny group of people.  When things don’t work out in their favor, they’ll bitch and moan about it but not offer a better solution.  Take this conversation I had with a Republican friend a few hours ago:

FRIEND: I can’t believe this healthcare Bill is going to pass.  There goes the neighborhood.

ME: What do you mean by that? (knowing full well what he meant, of course)

FRIEND: It’s just a matter of time before your boy Obama passes some legislation to tell me what to think.

ME: That would be a vast improvement, because you’re not doing such a great job on your own.

FRIEND: F*ck you, Trey.  This plan sucks, and even you know it.

ME: Do you have a better idea?  Clearly the system we have in place now isn’t working. 

FRIEND: That’s not the point.

ME: Actually, it is the point.  How old are you?  3? Instead of whining like a damn pissy-pants toddler, why not come to the table with some fresh ideas for once?

FRIEND: Irregardless – fresh ideas or not, it’s the same difference.

ME: You realize that “irregardless” isn’t a word and “same difference” makes no sense, right?

***awkward silence***

FRIEND: You’re not going to post this conversation in your column, are you?

ME: Who me? Of course not. 

So, is this new healthcare plan perfect?  No.  Was a major change needed from our current system?  Absolutely.  It finally looks as if we’ll get that – and I’m happy about it.

To be quite honest – what I’m the most concerned about is the overt racism and homophobic behavior of the Republican base during their rallies against healthcare.  I saw one sign that read “If Brown can’t do the job, maybe Browning can.” For those of you who don’t understand, let me translate this for you: “Since Scott Brown’s election in Massachusetts couldn’t derail healthcare reform, maybe a gun (Browning) can.”  Yeah, because murdering the President will solve everything (obvious sarcasm, by the way).  Elsewhere, members of the Congressional Black Caucus were getting spit on and endured countless N-bombs being dropped on their heads, while Barney Frank had to listen to anti-gay remarks.  Why?  Because they support healthcare for all Americans?  What sense does that make?  If you’re a Republican reading this, how could you hold your head up high knowing that these knuckleheads are the foundation of your party?  I’m embarrassed for all of you.

I could go on for days about this, but I’m too busy watching Erin Andrews and Nicole Scherzinger shake their asses on Dancing With the Stars.  You know what’s good about this?  Under the new healthcare plan, I know that I could see a doctor once wifey breaks a wine bottle over my head for incessantly stating how hot these broads are, and if you’re uninsured – so could you.  It’s a win-win for everyone.  For the rest of you who are pissed by this, you won’t need any insurance to grab a seat on the waaaaaaaaaaaaambulance.  Let me know how that works out for you.