Is it insane to distinguish between public funds used for bridge care and public funds used for health care?

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I do not like what is happening in America today!

Last week I went online to check the news, or what passes for news in America, and what did I find? More evidence of tyranny and injustice!

A crack was discovered in a steel link that holds up part of the San Francisco – Oakland Bay Bridge.

It's not the crack in the steel that bothers me. It's the situation – another perfect example of the travesty and utter tyranny perpetrated against the people. In this case it is the people of San Francisco, Oakland and the surrounding areas, but it does have national implications.

Did you know that the people in those cities – even the ones that do not regularly, or even occasionally use that bridge – are taxed for its upkeep, repairs, maintenance, safety inspections and everything required to keep it in good working order?!

Where is FOX News and their highly decorated cultural warriors when they're needed? Someone alert them that the American people need another organized “grassroots” teabagger effort to stop this horrendous injustice!

There is nothing in the Constitution or Declaration of Independence about any American Citizen's right to safe bridges! Especially if the safety of the people that use the bridge is at the expense of us all. This is clearly Socialism that has taken root in our own back yard and it must be stopped!

I don't really know the details. It's something about a crack in a 73-year-old bridge or whatever. The particulars do not matter; it's the point that's important.

I'd tell you to go read the full story for yourself, but trust me, you don't want to. I didn't. Since it came from the mainstream liberal media and was written by liberals there is no doubt that the entire story is about how educated, compassionate, bleeding heart liberals want to keep bridges and things, you know - safe. I assume they want all of us hard-working people to pay for their bridges just so all those San Francisco area degenerates can cross it. You know, like homosexuals so they can go to the other side of the bridge and ruin the sanctity of marriage between a man and a woman, or so some lying 16-year-old claiming she was raped by her church-going father can get an abortion by some heathen doctor, or some cancer patient can go buy pot instead of giving ten times their income and savings to great patriotic American pharmaceutical companies and go bankrupt in the process of trying to stay alive or get some relief from chronic pain so eventually their kids can assume the debt because they didn't have the foresight or connections to become multi-millionaires and have access to the best health care in the world.

I mean, seriously, what legitimate purpose do real Americans have to cross that bridge? If they can't cross by yacht or take a helicopter the short distance from point A to point B, screw ‘em! Why should we have to pay for their safety?

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I wonder how many conservative, right-wing, knotheads agree with me so far. Don't be shy, raise your hands. You know you want to. Be honest. You listen to Rush; you TiVo O'Reilly; you watch Hannity. Come on, fess up.

See, here's the thing: Where is the manufactured town-hall outrage over the money spent to repair this bridge, and ones like it nationwide? Why was there a ridiculous theatrical show of outrage directed against healthcare, but we take for granted that repairing bridges with public funds is the right thing to do? Is there a difference between keeping Americans healthy and alive compared to ensuring that they can safely cross bridges?

I can only assume that it goes something like this: When al Qaida kills Americans – it's terrorism. But when American corruption and greed kills Americans, that's just good capitalism.

And depending on which side of the fence you fall on, it's also called the American Dream. If you are poor or go bankrupt, become homeless or die, it's the American Nightmare. But if you make obscene profits in total safety – then that's the American Dream! And that should not be interfered with by a majority of citizens acting through participatory democracy or by - as the “liberal” media would no doubt refer to them – low-life meddling troublemakers running their pie holes.

My right-wing friends for example never hesitate to rail on me at every given opportunity. “Frank, you're such an idiot,” they say. “You just need to go to Church. Find Jesus.”

I believe he's working in a free clinic in Reseda. But never mind that now.

“And your nutty views! Frank, My Lord, how stupid can you be?”

I keep sounding valid alarms about the things destroying our nation today and they respond with indoctrinated talking points and act like nothing more than the good little Stepford patriots that they were indoctrinated to be.

“Frank, it's only a piece of ice. And look, it's a small one at that. Sure, we're at a forty-degree angle and there's some water rushing onto the deck down there, but do you really think that some little piece of ice can sink this, the greatest ship ever built? You are insane!”

Meanwhile I continue to calmly explain how Wall Street and American corporations made money in advance from all the passengers, saved a boatload (no pun intended) of money by intending to pay the crew upon arrival, booked in advance – collected and spent ticket fees – on sold out trips for the next fifty years, only cared about having enough life boats for the top one-percent of first class passengers, were responsible for the iceberg to begin with, made money on the insurance for the lost ship and its material contents – that they will soon enough salvage and sell, then to top it off got a tax-payer-funded bailout because their company's tarnished reputation threatened to put them out of business and that cannot happen because they are just too important and too big to fail.

To add to that, mainstream liberal media personalities including Sean Hannity, Glenn Beck, Bill O'Reilly, Rush Limbaugh, Michelle Malkin, Laura Ingraham, Ann Coulter, Fox's Morons in the Morning, Joe Scarborough, Bill Kristol, Karl Rove, Lou Dobbs, Neal Boortz, Michael Reagan, Oliver North and Bill Bennett will blame everything related to the sinking on FDR, Jimmy Carter, Sean Penn, Michael Moore, and three Hollywood liberals plus two “far left” politicians to be named later because none of them are born yet.

So, to bridge the insanity and again ask the obvious – What is the difference between money used to fix the San Francisco – Oakland Bay Bridge and others like it nationwide, and money that would be used for Universal, Single-Payer, Public Healthcare?

NOTHING.

Except that American bridges are not controlled by the health insurance industry, the pharmaceutical companies and the medical community.

If they were there would be laws requiring motorists to buy “bridge insurance” with no public option available in the mythical “free market” system. The policies in turn would have very steep premiums and limits on how many times a day people with verified insurance could actually cross the bridge or they're out of luck and stuck on whichever side they end up on. In addition, poor and lower-income pedestrians that do not own or cannot afford cars would not be allowed to cross the bridge at all, but would still be strongly encouraged or coerced to purchase “pedestrian insurance” just to be on the safe side. Not surprisingly any claim they make for anything at all would not be covered.

On the bridge itself, half the lanes in each direction would be special access, with no tolls collected and would cater exclusively to the wealthiest and most connected individuals by special permit only. With each crossing they would also get a complimentary tank of gas and car wash, paid for by the revenue collected from tolls and insurance premiums.

Members of Congress would have their own separate bridge, of course. It would be made out of the finest steel. They'd have full access and no speed limits. And their bridge would be paid for by the motorists and pedestrians in general whether they use any of America's system of bridges or not. Or, for that matter, whether they live within a hundred miles of a bridge or not. Or if they've ever seen a bridge.

To pay for their bridge there will be an automatic increase in the bridge tax each year unless Members of Congress specifically vote to suspend the increase – just like how their pay raises are handled. Mysteriously, as it is with their raises, the bill suspending the automatic increase would never seem to make it to the floor for “debate” or even see the light of day. After all, their raises never get suspended, not even during “wartime” or any other time, like during record deficits that were okay the last eight years, but are not okay now.

On that point, any right-winger would be happy to explain to you that record budget deficits are perfectly fine for war – to keep Americans safe! Record budget deficits are, however, totally unacceptable for Universal, Single-Payer, Public Healthcare – to keep, er" Americans" um" safe.

But forget about that! Make no mistake about it – corporations didn't ruin America – Liberals did! With their taxes for keeping bridges safe" and ending slavery and fair labor practices and giving women the vote, and Civil Rights, Equal Rights, ramps for the disabled, and clean water, clean air and other anti-pollution initiatives (anti is bad, just remember that), and all their Socialist initiatives like food stamps and Medicare and Social Security"

Hey! If people aren't born into wealth and privilege they should have no rights, just the way it should be in a Democracy.

Anybody who says any different is anti-American! (anti is bad, just remember that)

Public funds to repair bridges and Universal, Single-Payer, Public Healthcare is anti-everything-that-is-good-and-holy, especially greed and obscene profits – and freedom! Don't forget freedom! It's anti-freedom; and remember – anti is bad.

Do you really want an anti-free country like that?

Not if you own the plantation!

Ain't that right, Massa?

Authors Bio:

Frank Silva speaks truth to power. A recovering Catholic, he is a member of his own Church, The Seventh-Day Pagans of the Church of the Latter Day Heathens. He is a former high school teacher with a Master's Degree from a University that cost more than he's made back in tuition and wishes they'd stop asking for donations -- ask the football players who never went to class, they have all the money! He retired as an Army Reserve Major after America went totally insane. He has been an actor and is a member of SAG/AFTRA. He is a writer, satirist, irreverent SOB and coffee-hole-running old man. In high school he was voted most likely to be irascible. In the intervening years, he's calmed down, but as the world has gotten more idiotic, it just about evens out. He spends his days teaching Ingrish to Chinese people, writing, and turning coffee into urine.