COGITO ERGO . . .

After President Obama's speech last night, the two sides of the health care argument, the insurance companies and their lackeys, and everyone else, became crystal clear. They have, of course, been obvious for some time now, especially to those of us (physicians) who have had to deal with the health insurance companies for years, trying to get appropriate care for our patients. Then, too, Joe Wilson, who heckled Obama in front of a world-wide audience last night,  is an ignorant buffoon whom we could easily dismiss if he were not emblematic of a much larger systemic problem that exists in this country.

People attend meetings, yell into microphones both in person and in the Media, and write interminable “tweets,” Facebook entries, etc., about issues they’ve only heard about from someone else; either a Media miscreant, an already owned politician, or a television commercial from the insurance industry. Hardly ever do these people read the bills, check their facts, or even question the people they heard them from.

It is axiomatic that for democracy to flourish, there needs to be an informed electorate. How can we expect our government to be held accountable when the people who vote our representatives into office are uninformed and, in some cases, proud of it?

Our children need to be taught, from the earliest age possible, to question everything and everyone. Never accept a statement as true or accurate merely because it comes from a respected source; whether that source is a teacher, a textbook, a clergyman, or a parent. We need to constantly encourage intellectual curiousity and critical thinking.

Teaching children these things is hard and time consuming, and demands that we each be prepared to defend what we say to them ourselves. The two most important words a child can learn today are, “PROVE IT.” If I cannot prove what I say, then it is opinion only and need not be accepted. We are all entitled to our opinions, but when our children learn to accept those opinions as fact, I fear our Republic cannot long endure.

IF NOT NOW, WHEN?

The United States has “flirted” with Universal Health Care since WWII, while other nations have had it almost since then. We tend to be the last hold-out for may things. We are one of only a few small countries that do not use the metric system, for example, and it has cost us dearly in the economic arena. This is different, however.

The time has come for us to joint the remainder of the civilized world and make sure ALL of our citizens have access to the best health care available. The detractors of the bill keep saying that we have the best health care system in the world, and that others come here for care. What is true, is that we have some of the best health care in the world available here. Unfortunately, between having nearly 47 million people uninsured, and a large part of the remainder prevented from accessing the best care by their profiteering insurance companies, most of us do not get to use all that wonderful health care and, if it’s not available to you, it simply doesn’t exist for you (although you can bet it exists for Congress!).

NOW IS THE TIME for President Obama to finally act like a President, not a mediator. TAKE A STAND, MR. PRESIDENT! No Public option, no signature. After three generations, we can no longer afford “triggers” and incremental change. Too many people will die while we give the insurance companies a few more years to ignore lives and health.

Mr. President, IF NOT NOW, WHEN?

Lowest Common Denominator

Most people would agree that the best approach to governing in a democratic society is to make every attempt to raise everyone’s living situation to the highest level possible. Most Americans take pride in our being the leading country in the world, and trying to set an example for others. Unfortunately, we in the US seem to have reversed our priorities.

Listen to the rhetoric; “We don’t want our children to listen to the President of the United States because he is going to turn them into Socialists.” One wonders if these “parents” have ever actually listened to the President or read the speech. Actually, one wonders if they can even define Socialist, or whether many of these people know how to read at all!

“We cannot afford Universal Health Care,” despite being the wealthiest nation in the world, spending more on health care than most other nations, yet they can afford it and we cannot. “A public option would make us “Socialists” or “Communists.” If we pay for an office visit in which people discuss end of life care with their own physicians, we are going to allow the government to “pull the plug on grandma.”

How mean spirited have we become in the US, that we (and especially the big insurance companies) would rather lie, cheat, steal . . . do anything that would prevent our providing cost effective care for ALL of our citizens. How corrupt have our legislators become that there seems to be an acceptable number of people dying without health care as long as they get their money from insurance companies.

People get the government they deserve, and those who are so afraid of words like “socialist” should remember the historically proven outcome of their “let them eat cake” approach to government. Abraham Lincoln once said that if the United States is ever defeated, it would be from within. We now know that the “WingNuts” (e.g. the people who claim to actually understand Sarah Palin and refuse to accept Evolution) will be the tool that allows the “dumbing down” of America to lead to our demise.

Thomas Jefferson once quipped that, “a little revolution from time to time is a good thing.” After watching our current Congress, and listening to the Wingnuts, perhaps now would be a good time.