Turn on CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, or any other major news network and you will undoubtedly hear something regarding the national healthcare debate. You will see enraged citizens screaming at politicians at town hall meetings, claiming that President Obama is a socialist hard set on implementing “Nazi tactics” when it comes to our economy.
While quite entertaining to watch, I must admit that I had never looked into the debate in any great detail. That was until I brought up the discussion with a friend of mine. I said to her, “What do you think of all of this healthcare stuff?” Her response was, to say the least, very passionate. She became extremely animated, telling me that if liberals get what they want, doctors would have to give abortions under every circumstance and my grandma would have to go before a death panel every five years. I thought to myself, “Wow. Can she really be right about this?”
I started talking with more and more people about this and it seemed like everyone had something different to add. One person told me that the government will decide what type of treatment I get if I were to get sick. Another said that illegal immigrants will get free health insurance. I was suddenly sinking in a sea of healthcare information. I was torn.
The idea of nationalized healthcare seemed like a pretty good deal to me. Making sure that citizens are treated for illnesses at an affordable rate? Sign me up. But what about all of this other stuff? Would Grandma be told to end her life sooner by not eating the right foods? Would my tax dollars go towards forcing doctors to give abortions under any circumstance? This was all too much for me to handle.
So, I did what every college student in need of information does. I turned to the trusty Internet. The more and more I researched healthcare reform, the more and more I realized that these lies, for all intents and purposes, were based in nothing more than misinformation. The underlying message of my article is not to (necessarily) promote the idea of nationalized healthcare, but rather to get people to realize that in order to truly understand something, be it political or not, you must do your own research.
I had become so blinded by what others were telling me that I had forgotten to listen to the one person who’s mind made the most sense to me: my own. I find myself more and more telling people to do their own research. Get the facts from reliable sources, not someone who screams “Obama is a Nazi” at a town hall meeting.
This little life lesson is one that I think everyone should learn, and they should learn it quickly. With all of the falsifications and misguided opinions out there in the world, it’s important to take them all with a grain of salt. I find that doing this allows you to come to your own conclusions about issues. And in the end, your opinion is the one that should mean the most to you.
Would you rather have that opinion based on facts or on lies? I thought so.