Even though Valentine’s Day is over, even though the candy hearts, saccharine cards and whispered promises are muted and gone, I’m still in love!
I’m in love with the idea that one day, one fine damn day, the majority of people who live in this country — and the people who represent them and make laws — will come to the realization that universal healthcare is a good thing: that basic medical attention and care for young adults making the transition from school to the workforce and are no longer on mom and dad’s insurance plan is a good thing for parents who have one less thing to worry about.
I love the idea that adults won’t have to fret that their aging retired parents on a limited income will not have to decide between the cost of a doctor’s visit and tests to determine the cause of a persistent cough because healthcare will be made available and affordable to everyone.
I love the idea that a single mom won’t have to literally worry herself sick when she loses her job because of layoffs and her son with asthma won’t have to buy his lifesaving medicine at the expense of mom’s ability to pay rent and buy groceries because everyone will see the value of a healthy and thriving community.
I love the notion that eventually everyone will realize it is not against their own self interest if everyone pays their fair share in taxes — yeah, I’m looking at you, millionaires and billionaires and the sycophants who idolize them because they imagine one day they’ll be just like them — so that dealing with a costly and unexpected medical emergency won’t drive a family into bankruptcy because quality affordable healthcare will be available to everyone.
The idea that teenagers and 5-year-olds and kids on a date at the movies or parents enjoying an adult weekend in Las Vegas can have a good time without fear of being killed in a mass shooting because this country has passed sensible gun control laws over the objections of greedy lobbyists and people with a misplaced sense of patriotism makes me swoon. Imagine that, sending a loved one off somewhere without fear if they will come home or instead be killed by a maniac with a gun! What’s not to love?
I get a rush of “the feels” when I imagine our country is a place that values education and nurturing and invests more money in schooling and mentoring than it does in incarceration and policing, most of which affects lower income households and people who are not caucasian.
What’s that you say? Women are treated with the same personal and economic respect as their male counterparts and don’t have to worry about public or private harassment because of their gender? Oh, baby you got my attention and are revving my motor!
I know — I love a lot of things that aren’t a reality right now, I guess that’s why I am a hopeless romantic.
But a fella can dream.
