“I can’t believe they gonna force everyone to pay
for health insurance,” a customer at the Bean Traders fumed after hearing the Supreme
Court upheld the individual requirement of President Barack Obama’s health care
plan. “Why should I have to pay for
other people’s insurance?”
It’s that sentiment that stirred a group of discontented
citizens to rekindle memories of tea being cast into a lake. All that talk about
taxation devoid of representation took on new meaning after Obama started
pressing to cover the more than 30 million Americans without medical
insurance. The popular cry of leave my
money alone was closely followed with let the states decide for
themselves.
The lobby for less government intervention has been
trapped in the complicated grip of massive pain felt by those who require not
less, but more. American consumers seem
obsessed with avoiding responsibility for the ills of their neighbors. It’s not
that Americans don’t care; the concern is they don’t have enough to carry their
own load.
The debate on universal health care has been that
line in the sand pitting critics of Obama against those standing with a glimmer
of hope. The detractors of Obama Care
pitch a message of government intrusion fueled by a series of bailouts. Not only has the government taken more money
out of our paychecks, it’s been used to fund a corrupt banking system and
failing auto industry.
So, the country has been waiting for the Supreme Court
to rule on the matter. Most of us didn’t
trust the courts ability to rule beyond political ideology. Many expected to ruling against Obama’s
health plan. We expected it to be used
against Obama to validate those claims that he’s a socialist hiding in a
capitalist system. He’s not really a
Christian. He’s not really an American. Many of those throwing that tea in the lake insist
Obama is more space critter than human, and waves his hand in a Nazi salute
reminiscent of Hitler.
This vote is about the heartbeat of the nation. It’s about the war of ideas that conjures
battles resembling the pre-Civil War rhetoric.
The fight to define state rights
coupled with the plea to get the government out of citizens pocketbook are the
weapons on the battleground to name Americas agenda. Will we place the need of others above our
own, or is there enough left to share with those pinching pennies to make a nickel.
The wail of the customer at the Bean Traders
reflects his own struggle to survive after the economy collapsed. His dream for better days eroded after his
business went belly up due to the crumpling of the companies who fed his
business. Once his business was sold his
health went bad. He’s getting
older. His savings have eroded. One bad thing was followed by another, and
now he doesn’t know how to pull out from under all that happened.
He feels what so many others live with
everyday. Fear. Fear of the unknown. Fear of not having enough. Fear of more money taken out of his check to
take care of people he doesn’t know.
When will it stop?
Then there are those living on the other side of the
need. More than 30 million Americans
live with it every day. They too have
lost work. The difference is they can’t
go to the doctor. They live with having
to bite the pain of sickness and pray that it won’t kill them. They walk with sickness on their way to the
next job interview. Many die because
they can’t afford medication. Some die
not knowing they could have lived if they had gone to a doctor.
Both truths coexist in a way that leaves us all
frustrated with the options we face. We
use labels to define those who are afraid of tomorrow. Aren’t all of us scared a bit? Aren’t both Democrats and Republicans
responding in some level to fear? Aren’t
we all afraid about not having enough and that even more will be lost along the
way?
The Supreme Court decision on health care is about
fear. In the face of all that fear the
ruling forces us to consider how the poor health of others impacts our own
health. Health, like so much that falls
within the purview of government control, works best when taken out of the
hands of corporate control. As much as
we hate to admit it, access to good health is ruled by one’s ability to pay for
it – those with have, those without die.
Good health is important enough to force people to
have health insurance or pay a penalty.
Some have stated that a person should be allowed to die if they don’t
have insurance. Pull the plug. Kick them out of the hospital. Force them to get a job that offers a benefit
package. It’s their problem. It’s not my
business.
That’s not the America we love so much. Fear forces us to consider what it means to
have to pay for another person’s inability to pay. Our obligation as “one nation united for all”
rouses a collective consciousness to be our brothers and sisters keeper. We may be scared, but this we must fix.
We can’t let them die.
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