Mental health care independence

Every time I hear any mention of health care, I recoil in horror.

The old conservative feelings in me come out, and I wonder if this is just another blown kiss to industries that support political causes.

I think about the 2000 presidential campaign, when Al Gore talked about health insurance as a "right," not a privilege, and how he wanted to put the nation's security in a "lock box."

Every time he said it, his face contorted in such a phony way that, well, it's no wonder Darrell Hammond from Saturday Night Live did more to destroy his campaign than Al Gore himself. He was such an easy target for imitation.

In this case, imitation was the most sincere form of abuse, not flattery.

On Independence Day, however, I'm not thinking about politicians and promises and tax increases. I think of those who are too dependent on others to stand on their own.

I think of people with mental illness, the people who can't find the same access to medication as Michael Jackson.

If government is going to do anything, maybe the politicians need to only think of the people who are too brain sick to make independent decisions. They're too ill to understand the importance of holding down a job, and get the kind of therapy they need.

When we think of those who died for freedom, perhaps we should consider that they died so everybody could be free to make their own choices to protect their health.