Post by Shirina on Nov 12, 2012 22:17:05 GMT -5
Believe what you will but both you and Shirina posted the personal attacks to my one and only post prior to my responding.
The reason why I went through the roof, poopay, is because this matter is more than just an academic political debate for me. If my condition is irreversible or untreatable, my entire future could be determined by the political leanings of the nation. It will make the difference between being quasi-independent with my own roof over my head ... or spending the rest of my life begging, homeless, and bouncing around between shelters.
And that's a fact. I'm far too young to be disabled, but that's the hand I was dealt. What's more, it happened when I was extremely vulnerable ... when I was transitioning from college into the workforce. It was a time when I had no job, no money, and no insurance.
It bothers me because I feel as though the ultra-conservatives in this country are spreading a false mythology about those on government assistance -- that they are all lazy moochers who are trying to avoid work. Sure, those people are out there. People are always trying to scam.
My condition is neurological. If you were to look at me, you would see nothing abnormal. My limbs aren't all twisted up, I don't have any disfigurements ... and yes, there are days when I feel almost normal. Then there are days so painful I just want to die. Do you know what I did all day today? I was in bed from 9am to 8pm with my feet propped up on pillows trying to escape the pain. Only now do I feel even well enough to write this.
To be perfectly honest, I just don't trust the right-wing craze to cut our social safety nets. I don't trust them to distinguish between the truly disabled and the scammers. Best to wipe the whole thing clean, or, as the saying goes, throw the baby out with the bath water.
To make matters even worse, I'm tired of the dichotomy between being a so-called "Christian nation" and the lack of morality and compassion that pervades the political right. Aside from a few Third World nations, America is the *only* nation without nationalized health care, the *only* nation that does not see health care as a right. It's an embarrassment, especially since we'd rather spend our resources on bombs and missiles to kill rather than adequate health care for our own citizens so that they may *be* productive.
And with this mindset firmly in place, it's easy for anyone to think that, because I don't look disabled, I must not be. I'm not on any kind of assistance, not even food stamps. Have no fear, I'm not taking any of your tax dollars.
You are right though ... there are a lot of scammers. Yet they all seem able to get disability, access to doctors, even pain killers which I would love to have. Yet, even though I spend so much of my time in excrutiating pain, I've been denied access to all three.
So yes, poopay, I get frustrated ... even angry sometimes. If I crossed a line, then I do offer my apologies.