Taking a non-sleeping nap ~ I am mucho tired after two tossing & turning nights, but also (sad to say) not sleepy ~ and reading Paul Tobolowsky' Stardust Dancing combined for an funky AH HA! moment. Strange, the thoughts that came up.
Earlier today, I commented on Facebook about the annual fund-raising "Squirrel Slam" in Holley, NY. Although a lawsuit was filed against the event, a judge ruled it was no different than a fishing derby.
I was outraged. It's not at all like a fishing derby, unless the fishermen are able to gain the fishies' trust by feeding them, plumping them up to better win the "biggest" competition, ensuring they feel safe coming when beckoned. Not likely. But that is what some of the Squirrel Slam do. They cultivate trust while bulking up the furry rodents, then one day - BAM!
Stretched out on our bed, the warm afternoon sun on my legs (along with Sky, also basking in its warm), it struck me that many of my friends who feel outraged at squirrels hunted down & slain by the dozens have no sense of the inhumanity of restricting access to health care because someone can't afford it.
It that ain't inhumane, I don't know how to describe it.
We live at a time of poor employment opportunities. Lots of jobs that once supported American families have shipped overseas. Many jobs are inaccessible to people without transportation. It seems that most jobs are low wage & part time, without benefits. So, those who still find it a struggle to find work in post-2008 USA often end up with a job that requires shelling out money to get to & from, don't work a full week's hours, are paid minimum wage, and have no benefits.
Yet, politicians & pundits lumped them in with a slim minority who make no effort to work in being denied affordable health care. And as much it's reviled by conservatives, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) doesn't do much for folks in those situations other than require them to pay $$ for health care coverage that typically includes $3,000 per year deductibles. Left out "applicable co-pays."
Then there are the folks like me, making too little taxable income to qualify for the ACA, but living in a state that's restricted Medicaid expansion that covers those of us falling through the cracks.
The fact is that having a squirrel hunt to raise money, encouraging average (licensed) citizens to track down & kill the most and/or the largest (by weight) squirrels. Not accidentally, during gestation season. Wonder how much a pregnant squirrel weighs in?
Holley - take care of your squirrel problem, but not in such a blood-thirsty way. No matter how much it brings in.
And America - health care access is limited to those with enough money to afford it. The ACA is not a solution, benefiting the insurance behemoths waaay more than patients & their families. We tout ourselves as the wealthiest nation on the planet, yet turn people away from physician's offices & hospitals.
It that's not barbaric, don't know what is.
The weird things that come to mind being sleep deprived & reading a way-out-there, perspective shifting book.
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