I don’t think this story will surprise anyone. Sarah Silverman and Jimmy Kimmel dated on and off for seven years before breaking up for good in 2009. They’ve both moved on but remain friendly in the press since. So as Sarah was promoting her new show, I Love You, America at Hulu’s upfronts Wednesday, she was asked about Jimmy’s emotional monologue regarding his newborn son’s open-heart surgery. Sarah, of course, was moved liked the rest of us, although she’d already been in contact with him. She also applauded his taking the opportunity to reiterate the importance of making healthcare available to those who need it.
I like the way Sarah handled this. She maintained the family’s privacy, she didn’t sensationalize it or make it about her and kept her emotions in check. It’s very easy to write off a new father crying over his fragile newborn because it’s an emotional time. But Sarah bringing it back to the importance of Jimmy, “just also taking the time for a plea, a very bipartisan plea, to not be cutting spending and healthcare for people.” Anyone would have excused a new dad to be completely insular in his mindset after what Jimmy went through but he wasn’t. Since he had the money to pay for his son’s care and will for a long time to come, he put himself in the shoes of those who couldn’t and made a plea for them.
Unfortunately, not everyone saw it that way. Like former congressman and radio host Joe Walsh, who took time out of his busy schedule of chewing on puppies to tweet this:
Sorry Jimmy Kimmel: your sad story doesn't obligate me or anybody else to pay for somebody else's health care.
— Joe Walsh (@WalshFreedom) May 2, 2017
Accordingly, Mr. Walsh, your sad story about how falling over $110,000 in back child support to your ex wife cost you your job, which led you to ask the court to reduce your payments going forward does not spare you from being eviscerated on Twitter:
@WalshFreedom The laws of your state and this nation obligate you to pay your child support.
— David Roth (@david_j_roth) May 2, 2017
How peculiar that a deadbeat dad would take this particular stance, even as a form of desperate attention seeking. 🤔
— Maria (@MariaMelee) May 2, 2017
@Papapishu @RowanKaiser @david_j_roth @WalshFreedom Obviously "Joe" thinks someone else will take care of HIS children ,too Has he gone 2 jail yet for non-payment to support his kids?He should
— Sparkleon (@Sparkleon1) May 2, 2017
@WalshFreedom You really wanna bring up the "pay for your children" thing? https://t.co/ZHnnX2YTEX
— Dennis Perkins (@DennisPerkins5) May 2, 2017
Joe, you won't even pay child support for your OWN kids. We already knew you felt this way, you worm. No need to tell us — we're good. https://t.co/gwUPduG13g
— Patton Oswalt (@pattonoswalt) May 2, 2017
@WalshFreedom thank you for having the courage to fight against those conniving evil takers, sick children
— John Brougher (@johnbrougher) May 2, 2017
@PutinsLapDog @johnbrougher @WalshFreedom You should see the terrible things they graffitied inside their mothers' wombs… Not to mention the kicking, morning sickness, etc… Awful
— Robb Deere (@roboito35) May 2, 2017
As I was finishing this up, the House of Representatives voted for the American Health Care Bill. Every single Californian Republican rep voted in favor of it. I’m angry. I wish I could articulate my feelings better but right now, I can’t. So I will let someone else express my thoughts:
Been thinking about it all day, and I'm not sure I can concoct a crueler policy than letting insurers charge a woman extra for being raped.
— Teddy Goff (@teddygoff) May 4, 2017
Never have I seen legislative action that reveals such clear disdain for the human dignity of the most vulnerable among us.
— John Lewis (@repjohnlewis) May 4, 2017
The AHCA could undo years of progress we've made on mental health attitudes and treatment. Shameful. https://t.co/KA3Hp74UXR
— Lindsay Holmes (@lindsaygholmes) May 4, 2017
Photo credit: WENN Photos and Twitter
I’m so disgusted, so angry. I am determined that we win the House. Get every last one of those f**kers out of the House and IMPEACH!!!
These f-ckers are all going straight to hell. The first circle of it. Right in the Devil’s mouth.
Honestly this bill would completely collapse the market. It’s even worse than the last one. Yesterday I was crying I was so enraged. But today I’m ready to continue to fight. Paul Ryan is evil and I’m ready for him to go away.
Register to vote people! I’ve already signed up to register voters for midterms. Not letting this one go.
I am so tired of hearing the “I’M not gonna pay for this or that”. I always have a mental image of the person rubbing dollar bills on some poor sick person’s nose. MY money, MY hard earned money. It’s so strange that people don’t want to see that some professions will never make them rich but some people have only the vocation for those: teachers, nurses, etc will never have a huge salary. So they’ll never be able to pay for cancer treatment, or even a lifetime of counselling because of traumatic experiences.
But “MY MONEY will never pay for that because [insert louis c k whinny voice here] I was lucky enough to be a heir, a trust fund kid or go into a job that made me rich”.
Well done “YOUR MONEY WILL NOT” people, you’re selfish bastards.
It’s because they don’t see themselves as “lucky,” they see themselves as “righteous.” They think the reason they haven’t had an accident or gotten sick is because they are better people, and as they say in the south, “right with Jesus.” The idea that bad things only happen to bad people is comforting to evangelicals.
Absolutely. THis good stuff happens to good people is a horrible tendency to righteousness that stems from religion. And therefore, in that sense, people like nurses and teachers as per my example are considered lesser people and despised. It’s not even a question that good things did not happen to them, it’s a question of money belonging to “important” people and duty + hard work to people who are not seen as good as the rich.
It’s a discusting mentality that hierarchizes society and values people for what they own, not what they produce. Or for the amount of work they do a la Kardashian (“I work a lot so I should be respected”).
These are the same people who, when time comes to put mom in a nursing home, badger and harass the Medicaid staff about why can’t they get mom on and why can’t they keep that $40,000 she has sitting in an account that she worked all her life for when all the illegal aliens and drug abusers get free care all the time (they don’t). They refuse to admit that their demands to make the application process slaps harder their own loved ones hard. And they want to keep that $40,000 of mom’s money for themselves, not pay for her care with it.
I honestly don’t get Walsh’s mentality. OK, so you pay a bit of extra bucks eventhough you’re healthy … Why is it such a monstrosity to know your bucks help some woman on the other side of the country get a kidney translplant or whatever? Yeah OK, you don’t know her presonally. So?
What happened to being a bit less selfish? Why is it considered a terrible deed if you help a stranger be in better health? Seriously, I don’t get it.
This is a guy who doesn’t pay to take care of his own kids-so it’s not to surprising to me that his empathy doesn’t extend to other children. He’s soulless
I have to admit: I don’t even know who he is. I’m sure he’d be crying if they took away his viagra.
Well, he’s a douchebag through and through, for sure. But he’s not the only one with this attitude towards healthcare. I’m sure there are otherwise respectable people who take care of their kids and parents and still have this attitude towards strangers.
I’m so terrified that this bill is actually going to pass through the Senate. I heard on the news this morning that Republicans have the votes they need. I just don’t understand why they’re so hellbent on their individualistic mindset. Carly Aquilino (a comedian and actress associated with MTV for those who are unfamiliar) referred to it as this country turning into The Hunger Games. It really does feel that way. I really don’t know how I feel about living in a country with a single political party because I really do believe that there has to be some kind of balance, but the Republican party has go to go. There is no place in this world for a political party that hates women, hates the poor, and wants to spread the ideology that you shouldn’t care about anyone else as long as you have your own. Isn’t it just so ridiculous that a political party that refuses to acknowledge the separation between church and state and insists that their “values” are based on Christianity could be SO anti-Christian? I mean isn’t the very tenet of Christian values to be charitable and put others before yourself or at least to CARE about those around you?
That tweet by Joe Walsh makes me want to vomit.
Let me be clear before I continue: I don’t mean to slam Christianity as a whole. This is not a blanket statement.
I moved to Texas almost 5 years ago. In that time, I have been invited to church so many times and have always declined since I am spiritual but gave up on organized church services when they started slamming the gay community. Those same people are die hard Trump supporters and Republicans, and I just cannot understand how they rectify their faith and their politics. If anything, moving to Texas has turned me further away from the Christian faith than bring me closer to it. Where is the love for fellow man? Do unto others? Help those in need? It seems like if it’s not a church sanctioned mission (ie church PR event) then they’re not on board.
This health care bill makes me want t o vomit.
I hear you. I’m not slamming religion either but all of the worst people I’ve met are “religious” so I totally get you.
I don’t get this mentality of “I won’t pay for others with my money” at all. Why do people think being socially responsible is such a bad thing. I often have the impression the word ‘social’ is a word non grada in the US (not for everyone of course). Because social=socialist and that is the worst thing you can be?!
My Republican rep was one of the few Rs to vote against TrumpCare yesterday, so thank you, Barbara Comstock. Still don’t like her, but I’m glad she isn’t utterly soulless.
What’S she going to say – “I’m glad his kid was sick”?
I can’t understand the mindset of those Americans who don’t want to pay for the treatment of others. It’s just basic human decency to care for others and if it cost you an extra few dollars per paycheck, what is the issue? If you suddenly need the money and treatment, it’ll be there for you. Isn’t caring for others one of the main teachings of Jesus, you know that guy evangelical law makers like to trot out when teh gayz are out to get everyone? As a Canadian it makes me actually sad to see such selfishness and contempt for fellow humans when it comes to healthcare. I’ve literally NEVER thought about how some other Canadian is “using” “my” money to pay for their treatment. I’m not keeping tabs on how many dollars I use versus my neighbor. I want everyone to be healthy. I’ll pay for it, no worries. How a great and powerful country like the US can build trillion dollar walls but can’t pay for someone’s chemo is mindboggling.
The Republican Party fought against social security, Medicare and Obamacare for 8 years. Dems have had do the heavy lifting, lose seats over doing the right thing and we continue to hear there is no difference between the 2 parties. In the next decade we are going to be fighting against an entrenched system that knows it is losing majority status and they’re scared. Scared of POC, women, gays everyone who threatens trump and those old whites guys lined up behind him in the rose garden yesterday. People need to register, to vote and to care. Our democracy is a lot more fragile than I ever realized.
Not only vote, people also need to educate themselves. A simple Google search can give you such insight. See what’s going on and decide if you are A, a decent human, or B, a deplorable.