I look at the rancor of debate thats going on now with an equal parts dose of sadness and 'yacking', as some friends of ours like to say. Sadness because I think the debate is about the wrong part of the issue and 'yacking' because the arguments against healthcare reform are just disgusting and cesspool low.
I think the fundamental issue that has failed to have been made is the notion of an individuals 'right' to healthcare. For all of you gun toting, flag burning activists out there, do me a favor and give me my 5 minutes to exercise my right to free speech. Here's the deal. We as a nation have this ideal, this measuring rod if you will, that a persons contribution to society is judged by their participation in a 'hard days work'. We hold true to this idea that the American dream is within everyone's grasp and that all you have to do to claim your share of the pie is to work hard, push with all you might, reach out your hand and take it. I have to admit that I share this dream. I have been a party to it; My parents have lived it out, and Im pretty darn proud about what they accomplished. In fact, most people in the world think of this idea as one of America's truly great 'inventions'.
And while the American Dream is alive and well, it does come easier for some folks than others. While we don't like to admit it in a polite conversation, we know that its true that societal factors play a role in accelerating or damping someone's efforts in reaching their dreams. Let me use myself as an example. I, by the grace of God, was born into a middle class family, with two parents who went to college, who was born white, who was born a male, who has had very little health problems and who has had little difficulty learning in school. I have not known any major opposition in my life; not by my choice, but by my birth.
If you take away any one of those blessings, now my life starts to look a little different. Lets use the least 'charged' piece of that puzzle as an example. My parents when to college so it was a no brainer that I was expected to go to college. It was a given. Now, you take away my education and you significantly affect my ability to get a job that pays well and has a decent health plan. And without health care, how am I supposed to respond when I get sick? I certainly could not afford to miss a day at work because I could not handle the lost wages. And I certainly could not spend the money it costs to see a doctor, even if I could get the time off work, because I need that money to put food on the table or a roof over my head. If I can't afford to see a doctor because I can't get the time off work or becasue I have a job that does not give me decent coverage, then I will just get sicker. And when I really become to sick to work and have to stay home to stay alive, well now I'm just even more in a hole.
So, for me, I see this debate about health care as a mute point. Health care is not something that we should debate the need for. Its essential to anyone's attempt at the American Dream. I find it hypocritical for me to say that someone else, who may have known opposition, who may have had more than their share of struggles in life cannot be afforded their place at the change to live a healthy life. So, here is my line in the sand...
I support the idea of a health care safety net for all Americans, and I find it inexcusable that the white males in congress disagree!
