HCR: vi. Intercalary thought.

USA Today from 2002: 18,000 deaths blamed on lack of insurance.

In avenging the 3,000 people who died on this day eight years ago, we spent...how much?

This report says $941 billion. $941 billion. Approximately $313 million per victim of 911. Every year, about $35 million for each person dying that day.

This is merely the direct fiscal cost--in terms of fighting the war and the health care costs (meager though their benefits are) for the maimed veterans of the war TO THIS POINT, not in the future. It doesn't count the other costs imposed upon our economy, which are easily tenfold. Easily. It also doesn't take into account the thousands of our soldiers killed, nor does it take into account the tens of thousands who are horribly maimed and will need physical and psychological care for the remainder of their lives. Or the knock-on effects of those psychological problems. NOT TO MENTION the thousands and thousands of Iraqi and Afghan civilians we have zorched and the economic damage we have done to THEIR countries!! But, you know, fuck that, right?

We are assured by the pro-war crowd that it's worth the cost. It's worth it! No more attacks after all, right? We've toppled Saddam! (Don't ask us to remind you what he had to do with 9/11--we've forgotten.) We're mopping up Afghanistan! (Yeah, just ask the family of LCpl...oh, never mind, that's just crass.)

Do you feel like it's been worth the cost?

But now we're told that spending money on ensuring that everyone has access to health care is, what, too expensive?

Look, assholes, EIGHTEEN THOUSAND people die every year because they can't afford health care coverage. That's SIX 9/11s every fucking year. That's 11/11, 1/11, 3/11, 5/11, 7/11 as well. And then ANOTHER 9/11 every 9/11. If we spent merely $100 billion per year as a nation on this problem, it would go a long way towards alleviating the pain.

But if 3,000 lives are worth $941 billion, what are 162,000 lives worth? Hm?

The jig is up, Republican douchebags. It's clear you don't care about the people who died on 9/11. You just like making your buddies rich with the global beatdown machine. You LIKE making people die, because it makes you powerful. That is your primary motivation. So, why would you be motivated to save these 18,000 people? Probably lazy, shiftless assholes anyway, right? Fuck them, let them die--DEATH IS GREAT!

In his book, Crunch!, Jared Bernstein's very accessible argumentation made me more clearly aware of the absurdity of this sort of moranity. It was almost an aside in that book, however.

But you Republican assholes are on notice, now--I'm cramming this down your throat every day I talk about health care reform! And if you moderates get in my way, I'm cramming it down your throats, too! Liberals? You too!

GET. IT. THE. FUCK. DONE.