Healthcare
It's 2017 and you would have thought that the most wealthy country on the planet would have terrific health care for all of its citizens. Not so. The facts on this have long been established so I'm curious as to why our conservative politicians still think the current "system" is so great? Don't they have to suffer through the same insurance game, co-pays and deductibles that all the rest of us do? See where I'm going with this?
Some republican congressman said something to the effect that everyone has the right to healthcare but that you don't rob Peter to pay Paul. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that he clearly isn't "Paul" in his scenario so it's easy for him to feel that way. But what if he were a Paul, growing up in a blighted inner-city neighborhood and born to parents where the father was never present, mom was drug addicted and could never quite get it together? He wouldn't have had a computer at home, no books around and no one around to ride him to always study and do the right thing. In fact, what if he could barely go for a walk in his neighborhood for fear of taking a stray bullet or being pressured into selling drugs? No, Peter has no conception of any of this and frankly, he doesn't really even care.
Paul's life is so far removed from the one that Peter experienced as a white male born to a middle to upper class family, he cannot see what's out there. His limited experience with the "Paul's" of the world boil down to the occasional visit to the soup kitchen or observing a school lunch program or food pantry. These things, he thinks, should be enough for any young poor child to have enough to succeed. Peter has formed his philosophy of the Paul's of the world by the old adage that America is the land of opportunity and that ANYONE can succeed. Of course this is a true statement as is "anyone who plays the lottery can win" - but your odds aren't very good.
It isn't clear to me how to fix this mental retardation that some of us suffer in this country. One would hope that religion would play a part in adjusting mindsets but very often, the Peter's of the world claim to be very religious so, they either aren't listening or perhaps they are attending the wrong churches. Maybe we should have something like a "Peace corp" for politicians where they go and work in some of these communities for three or fourth months. Maybe they could even live with a poor family to experience their life first hand? Will it make a difference? Who knows but at least they will have some critical experience on which to base their policy choices. At a minimum, all of our politicians should be made to use the same policies and programs they are advocating for the rest of us. Without that, you will forever have a system that views healthcare as a product you buy off the shelf and not something that's, well, really smart to have for all of our citizens- rich and poor alike.
A footnote to all of this if you're wondering why congress doesn't have to use the programs they initiate for the rest of us. That one is easy...he/she who has the gold, makes the rules. They know when they made a doggy.
Some republican congressman said something to the effect that everyone has the right to healthcare but that you don't rob Peter to pay Paul. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that he clearly isn't "Paul" in his scenario so it's easy for him to feel that way. But what if he were a Paul, growing up in a blighted inner-city neighborhood and born to parents where the father was never present, mom was drug addicted and could never quite get it together? He wouldn't have had a computer at home, no books around and no one around to ride him to always study and do the right thing. In fact, what if he could barely go for a walk in his neighborhood for fear of taking a stray bullet or being pressured into selling drugs? No, Peter has no conception of any of this and frankly, he doesn't really even care.
Paul's life is so far removed from the one that Peter experienced as a white male born to a middle to upper class family, he cannot see what's out there. His limited experience with the "Paul's" of the world boil down to the occasional visit to the soup kitchen or observing a school lunch program or food pantry. These things, he thinks, should be enough for any young poor child to have enough to succeed. Peter has formed his philosophy of the Paul's of the world by the old adage that America is the land of opportunity and that ANYONE can succeed. Of course this is a true statement as is "anyone who plays the lottery can win" - but your odds aren't very good.
It isn't clear to me how to fix this mental retardation that some of us suffer in this country. One would hope that religion would play a part in adjusting mindsets but very often, the Peter's of the world claim to be very religious so, they either aren't listening or perhaps they are attending the wrong churches. Maybe we should have something like a "Peace corp" for politicians where they go and work in some of these communities for three or fourth months. Maybe they could even live with a poor family to experience their life first hand? Will it make a difference? Who knows but at least they will have some critical experience on which to base their policy choices. At a minimum, all of our politicians should be made to use the same policies and programs they are advocating for the rest of us. Without that, you will forever have a system that views healthcare as a product you buy off the shelf and not something that's, well, really smart to have for all of our citizens- rich and poor alike.
A footnote to all of this if you're wondering why congress doesn't have to use the programs they initiate for the rest of us. That one is easy...he/she who has the gold, makes the rules. They know when they made a doggy.
posted by Politico at 9:58 AM
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