February 5, 2010 7:16 AM

Reality sure isn't what it used to be....

Welcome to my new reality. It's not easy ginning up much in the way of confidence when I turn on CNN this morning, and one of the first headlines I see is:

UGLY ECONOMY GETS UGLIER

Having lost my job a week ago today, I find myself bombarded with a lot of depressing messages. Were my mood dependent on what I hear on television, I'd be naked in my bathtub with a bottle of Jack Daniels, a loaded .45, and a box of razor blades. Thankfully, I'm confident about my future, even if no one else seems to be. What I am discovering, though, is that the fear that the jobless live with is very real. If I allowed it to happen, it could very well become all-consuming. It could happen, but I can't allow it, for I have only myself to fall back on. Optimism isn't just something for Pollyannas; it's something I'm going to have to live and believe. No, I'm not about to pretend that being unemployed isn't free of stress, but if I don't believe, who will? Then again, I recognize that I'm very fortunate to be in the situation I am. Things could be a whole lot worse....

One thing I'm going to have to come to grips with is the reality that I no longer have health insurance. Sure, I'm eligible for COBRA, but there's simply no way I can afford the ridiculously expensive rate to continue my current coverage. I haven't begun to explore other options yet, but at the moment I find myself among America's millions of uninsured. No, it's not what I want, but being unemployed means having to be careful about my financial situation. I'm OK for at least the next few months, but that will change if I'm paying for health insurance...and so I'm forced to contemplate rolling the dice, taking my chances, and praying I stay healthy. Remind me again why universal health care is a Socialist plot to rob us of our precious freedom....

How is it that, in the strongest, most powerful economy in the world, millions still go without health insurance? How is it that quality affordable health care care isn't an absolute RIGHT guaranteed every American citizen from birth? How is it that we can afford to fully fund two wars...and yet we can't muster the wherewithal to provide quality, affordable health insurance for all Americans? Yes, I've made this argument for quite some time, but now it's becoming very, very personal. I can survive financially...or I can pay for COBRA. I can't do both...and so I must choose between solvency and health.

Thanks for protecting me from that Kenyan terrorist sympathizer and his evil, nefarious Socialist health care plot, Conservative Republicans!!

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This page contains a single entry by Jack Cluth published on February 5, 2010 7:16 AM.

God's not too crazy about me, either was the previous entry in this blog.

FInally, conclusive scientific proof of water on Mars is the next entry in this blog.

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