Is Healthcare a basic need?

That seems to be the debate of the day. Is heath care a basic need that should be provided for everyone (free of charge for those that cannot afford it), or is it a privilege? Let me ask another question. Is water a basic right? I would say yes, since we cannot survive without it. How come we do not provide water to everyone free of charge? I would vote for fee water before free health care. What about heat? Is that a basic right? It should be in Cleveland, the winters are pretty nasty there. Are water and heat more important or less so than health care? Why don't we nationalize those first? And why stop there? What about shelter, clothing, electricity and transportation? Where is the line drawn (if anywhere)? And more importantly, who is going to pay for it? We could cut all of our military spending, along with world aid we supply and redirect (or redistribute for all you lefties) those funds to provide a free nationalist society where no one has to pay for anything. I am sure that would foster a desire to work in those that are already less than motivated. So with no military, and a Utopian society, I am sure the rest of the world will leave us alone. Laissez-faire, if you please. Then we can all sit around and sing koombaya with our neighbors. Yes, that sounds realistic. Let me know how it works out.

Summer

So it is summer in Cleveland, and oddly enough, the hottest days on record this year all occurred in April. Perfect. The mayflies are in off the lake which makes walking around downtown a pleasant experience full of chances to inhale tasty little bugs. I have been spending a large amount of time at the Justice Center and have come to two realizations: (1) generally criminal defense attorneys do not make a great deal of money and (2) there is nothing like hearing the gavel hit the bench after being sentenced to prison for 21 to life. I watched a kid (yes, they sentence the young) walk out of the courtroom after being convicted for murder as his mother cried in the background. At first I felt sorry for the family and the defendant. That feeling was quickly replaced with, "what gives one the right to walk into a store and shoot two people?" I don't care what type of neighborhood you grew up in, you are not privileged to take the life of another. Maybe I should be at the prosecutor's office. Now I am going to floss the mayflies out of my teeth.

You wish you had it this good...

Today, I watched the sun come up over the city of Cleveland. The seagulls were singing in the background as the new rays reflected off the glass dome of the law library. Breathtaking, majestic, a wonderful sight to behold. Then I went back down into the library basement to study for my 9am exam. I know you are jealous...