Obvs, srsly...

I don't just rant, you know. Sometimes I even put my money, or my ability to write emails, where my mouth is. Often, I do this through 38Degrees, a social activism site which endeavours to bring people together in a way that inundates the inboxes of out-of-touch politicians, tax-dodging CEOs and other such savoury characters with hundreds of angry emails from concerned citizens. S'good fun.

I just sent an email as requested, demanding the issue of tax breaks for huge privatised healthcare companies be addressed, and while the site issues you with a template email outlining the issue in case you're busy or lazy or functionally illiterate, I like to add a little personalisation where I can. Now, I don't know if it's my mood today, or the dark evenings or whatever, but I feel very tired and just a smidge grumpy (I know right?! Grumpy! ME!) and instead of writing anything clever or impassioned, I had to just boil it down to basics.

Here's what I understand by the term 'Basics' in this particular instance:

1. People do not choose to get sick. Most peoples' illnesses are not their own fault. Sick people deserve healthcare, and since illness is not a choice or a desirable commodity, it isn't fair to make people pay to get rid of it.
2. Paying tax is a civic duty. Everyone does it in some way. People who earn less money have less to spare, so should pay less tax. People who earn more money have more to spare, and should pay more tax.

Stop me if I'm blowing your mind or anything... but don't these statements just seem... like, sensible to you? Within the realms of logic and reason and accumulated experience of what is good and bad for humans and so on? As in, the sort of things that are so very brain-haemorrhagingly obvious that one might be forgiven for thinking we didn't need to discuss them even?!

Seriously though, tell me - every time I hear the government's next big idea I feel like Will Ferrell at the end of Zoolander...