Health care reform: An issue of the people
As a child of the 50’s and 60’s I remember neighbors gathering together in the evenings and talking while the children innocently played together. I remember carrying groceries for your neighbor and cutting the neighbors lawn when they were gone. I remember respect for your teachers and the beginning of learning tolerance when intolerance was all around us. I remember a time when religion, patriotism, a love of country, and social conscience was the foundation of our country.
Today I am writing as a citizen who is ashamed of what is going on in this country over health care reform.
I have attended Town Hall meetings in St. Louis, Kennett and Poplar Bluff and I am appalled and ashamed of most of the citizens attending these meetings. Free speech is a fundamental right in this country, but disrespect, rudeness and violence should not be the public face of something that we should cherish and value in this country.
People define this country as a Christian nation founded on Christian principals, but intolerance, violence and lack of social conscience is not the foundation of a Christian nation or of Christian values. Are we not taught to feed and clothe those who cannot feed and clothe their selves, are we not taught to provide shelter for those who have no shelter?
While other countries have declared health care to be a basic right, the United States treats health care as a privilege, only available to those who can afford it. In this sense health care in America is treated as an economic good like a TV or VCR, not as a social or public good.
At its root, the lack of health care for all in America is fundamentally a moral issue. The United States is the only industrialized nation that does not have some form of universal health care (defined as a basic guarantee of health care to all its citizens).
As I understand it there are 5 bills in the House and Senate at this time that is under consideration, so we are espousing a lot of misinformation about what is going to happen instead of the reality of what will actually happen. I believe we have turned ourselves into a “me” nation instead of a “we” nation, a nation that says liberty and justice for all!
Do I want more government in our lives of course not, but when I hear people using scare tactics including socialism, communism and racism to advance their cause, it does not promote their opposition to health care for all, it reveals their injustice and intolerance for all.
Why can’t we turn all this negative energy into something positive, a common ground to advance dialogue and create solutions instead of division and oppression? We are a nation of intelligent and creative people, why are we not working to unify this nation instead of dividing it when we are in a time of deep financial, emotional and moral decline.
This is not a Democrat or Republican issue, but an issue of the people. We can either let this issue divide or unify this great nation of ours. We claim we our proud of our country and our democracy. As an American are you proud of the message we have been sending to the rest of the world?
Jim Swinger
Poplar Bluff
Good thing you folks are able to take a message from you leader and run with it. Obama decides this is a “moral” issue and hundreds of letter get fired off to the papers of the country explaining it as such.
To the Post: Let’s stop running these letters. The President has said that he “Guarantees” reform. He has the House and Senate firmly in control of his party. When they get back from vacation, they can push this sucker right on through and satisfy the “moral obligation.”
“I remember a time when religion, patriotism, a love of country, and social conscience was the foundation of our country.”
–Then liberals began the “Progressive Movement”, and all that flew out the window.
“Are we not taught to feed and clothe those who cannot feed and clothe their selves, are we not taught to provide shelter for those who have no shelter? ”
–If we didn’t have to pay over half of our income in taxes, we could afford do these things locally.
“…when I hear people using scare tactics including socialism, communism and racism to advance their cause, it does not promote their opposition to health care for all, it reveals their injustice and intolerance for all.”
–I’m sorry, but this lone excerpt reveals your truth. Rank distortion and
misrepresentation of reality, talk about injustice and intolerance.
“…we are in a time of deep financial, emotional and moral decline.”
–So why would you want to expand on the ideology that got us to “this” point?
Amazedbythelunacy,
Many of us such as the writer, Jim Swinger have been saying this all along. If you doubt it, just look over these blogs on healthcare and review them. Those of us who support health care for ALL citizens as a fundamental right have done so long before Obama’s radio address yesterday because it is within our spirit having nothing to do with what anyone else think.
We should all be thankful we’re being allowed to talk about this now. President Obama and the Democrat majority in Congress wanted to ram this garbage through weeks ago with no public or bi-partisan input at all.
If there was ever any doubt about Obama’s disingenuousness with all his post-partisan, transparency rhetoric, this should take care of it.
Walker, what you still don’t understand is that people opposed to the present proposals are not fighting against health care for all. We are fighting against lowest common denominator health care that worsens care for most while improving care for very few. It is not necessary to federalize personal health care to improve access beyond Medicaid, means testing, and charity. Cubans have “rights” to government health care. They just don’t have the freedom to improve upon it.
The United States once stood for democracy that was the call during WWI which my paternal Grandfather William Mullarkey fought in. He won a medal of Valor and a Purple Heart. It is almost without doubt that he suffer exposure to Poison gas. My maternal Grandfather Thomas DeSett also served as a cook in WWI and died from what they called TB but was in reality the effects of poison gas. I suffer lung problems as well as central nervous system problems and so do other members of my family. So given that these are most likely the effects of service passed down genetically shouldn’t my family be covered for health care? We tend to forget that millions of Americans are suffering from tobacco, alcohol, work related stress, toxic exposure, pollution and many ills they suffer so that others have the good life. Should they not at least be able to afford medical care if they are afflicted. The United States again is standing for democracy the Republicans are only for democracy if the get their way. It is shame that the once admired United States does not immediately pass the laws stated in the majority party platform. We should pass what we informed the people that we were for and stop pandering to the minority.
A#,
How do you suppose that it is going to worsen care for some? I think it is the unknown, fear and lack of understanding that is scaring many.
If after all the details are panned out and if it assures in the plan that know one will get less care than the level of care that they are already receiving now, would you support a public option then?
A#: Walker, what you still don’t understand is that people opposed to the present proposals are not fighting against health care for all. We are fighting against lowest common denominator health care that worsens care for most while improving care for very few.
Why do you say it would worsen care for most? Everyone can keep the insurance they have now. If your current insurance does not meet the minimum standards, they would have to increase their benefits to those minimum standards within 5 years. That would be an improvement, not “worse care”. Also, almost all employer plans already meet those minimum standards. So seriously, why do you believe that ANYONE would get worse care?
Also, are you aware that the Public Plan would be self-sustaining based on premiums?
http://waysandmeans.house.gov/media/pdf/111/sbys3200.pdf
Page 6
Sec. 222. Premiums and financing.
In order to establish the public option, there is an initial appropriation of $2 billion for administrative costs … These start up funds are amortized into the premiums for the public option to be recouped over the first 10 years of operation. The plan must be self-sustaining after that initial funding.
D. Walker,
LOL. Great minds think alike.
Simple math dictates that people will receive worse or delayed care.
Add a bunch more demand(government is paying) to the already limited supply and what are you going to get.
Great minds my heiny. More like brainwashed dolts.