My wife's grandfather was wounded in the Korean War. The moment the shrapnel entered his eye, he became a part of the VA Medical System. Over the years, the VA has tended to his vision, cured him of cancer, and treated his chronic bronchitis. My wife's grandfather worships at the altar of Fox News. He hates big government, high taxes and Obama, but he loves his government-run health care.
The government is a predictable bogeyman in this debate, despite the fact that so many already depend on the government for health care. As far as I know, those who have government health care aren't volunteering to give it up. My question is, why do we trust for-profit bureaucracies with our bodies and lives? When large, for-profit companies are forced to choose between what's best for one itty bitty patient and what's best for the almighty bottom line, the bottom line wins every time.
Making government the issue distracts us. This is a debate about equality. We're again deciding whether we're going to live up to the ideals of the Declaration of Independence that "all men (and women) are created equal." What's really happening is those of us who have quality health care are deciding who deserves it and who doesn't. Any time we get to enter an "us verses them" debate, we're really saying that some of us are more human than others. "We simply can't afford to insure everyone," means "I'm worth it, but you're not. I'm valuable, but you're expendable." This is a thoroughly moral debate.
This is a thoroughly spiritual debate, and it's nothing new. If you want to see what this debate looks like in a different era, open a Bible and read through Matthew, Mark or Luke. Over and over you will see Jesus pulling the outcast back in, allowing them to participate fully in the human community. His favorite method: Healing, or health care.
If your heart is beating, you deserve quality health care. It doesn't matter how much or how little money you have. You are no more deserving than me, and I am no more deserving than you. A system that fails a few of us is unacceptable. Our system that fails many of us is morally offensive. It is time to support reform.
The government is a predictable bogeyman in this debate, despite the fact that so many already depend on the government for health care. As far as I know, those who have government health care aren't volunteering to give it up. My question is, why do we trust for-profit bureaucracies with our bodies and lives? When large, for-profit companies are forced to choose between what's best for one itty bitty patient and what's best for the almighty bottom line, the bottom line wins every time.
Making government the issue distracts us. This is a debate about equality. We're again deciding whether we're going to live up to the ideals of the Declaration of Independence that "all men (and women) are created equal." What's really happening is those of us who have quality health care are deciding who deserves it and who doesn't. Any time we get to enter an "us verses them" debate, we're really saying that some of us are more human than others. "We simply can't afford to insure everyone," means "I'm worth it, but you're not. I'm valuable, but you're expendable." This is a thoroughly moral debate.
This is a thoroughly spiritual debate, and it's nothing new. If you want to see what this debate looks like in a different era, open a Bible and read through Matthew, Mark or Luke. Over and over you will see Jesus pulling the outcast back in, allowing them to participate fully in the human community. His favorite method: Healing, or health care.
If your heart is beating, you deserve quality health care. It doesn't matter how much or how little money you have. You are no more deserving than me, and I am no more deserving than you. A system that fails a few of us is unacceptable. Our system that fails many of us is morally offensive. It is time to support reform.
