Health Care & Human Rights
>> Friday, September 18, 2009
In the American democracy, big change normally comes through many small steps. Rarely does it happen overnight (something the Obama administration is finding out). This is generally desirable, because it helps lend stability to our society, as views are carefully crafted, critiqued, and debated in the public domain.
Typically, the result is some form of a compromise, where each side is at least somewhat dissatisfied with the outcome. In less stable systems, drastic change comes all too often at the expense of the defenseless, through military might, civil unrest, and bloodshed. I am thankful that here in the United States, we have been spared that sort of chaos.
However, what contributes to a stable society can also have it's downside. For instance, many times people who are suffering have to wait, needlessly, while politicians and the media debate which way is the best way to solve the problem. And since the folks who are suffering typically lack the resources to stand up for themselves, they rely on others to fight for them in order to alleviate their pain and suffering.
The current debate over health care reform is a good example of how incremental change is insufficient and creates unnecessary suffering for many. This is mostly a result of the for profit nature of our system. And it's not limited to the poor, all you have to do is lose a high quality, white collar job to find that out the hard way.
The uninsured continue to fall victim to the worst kind of medical rationing, the kind that bases who receives coverage on how profitable they are for the giant insurance monopolies. This is not a Republican or Democratic issue, it is a human rights issue.
I hope that more people will come to this realization and help fight for a better system. A system focused on bringing the best care to everyone, and not only the ones who can afford it. I think we all can agree that something needs to happen, and this time, it needs to happen in a big way. We can't hold out for incremental change when thousands continue to suffer everyday in our country.
Typically, the result is some form of a compromise, where each side is at least somewhat dissatisfied with the outcome. In less stable systems, drastic change comes all too often at the expense of the defenseless, through military might, civil unrest, and bloodshed. I am thankful that here in the United States, we have been spared that sort of chaos.
However, what contributes to a stable society can also have it's downside. For instance, many times people who are suffering have to wait, needlessly, while politicians and the media debate which way is the best way to solve the problem. And since the folks who are suffering typically lack the resources to stand up for themselves, they rely on others to fight for them in order to alleviate their pain and suffering.
The current debate over health care reform is a good example of how incremental change is insufficient and creates unnecessary suffering for many. This is mostly a result of the for profit nature of our system. And it's not limited to the poor, all you have to do is lose a high quality, white collar job to find that out the hard way.
The uninsured continue to fall victim to the worst kind of medical rationing, the kind that bases who receives coverage on how profitable they are for the giant insurance monopolies. This is not a Republican or Democratic issue, it is a human rights issue.
I hope that more people will come to this realization and help fight for a better system. A system focused on bringing the best care to everyone, and not only the ones who can afford it. I think we all can agree that something needs to happen, and this time, it needs to happen in a big way. We can't hold out for incremental change when thousands continue to suffer everyday in our country.
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