Hopeful on health care

Dear Editor,

I believe that it is time to look at the health care debate with a little historical perspective.

The United States is a country born from controversy and contradiction. While Thomas Jefferson was penning the declaration of independence, his slaves were sweating in the fields of his Virginia Plantation.

After the early settlers proclaimed manifest destiny claiming this new land was a gift from God, they proceeded to spend the next 100 years raping and pillaging its resources. Their God was weeping.

While this new nation held itself up as a beacon of hope, justice and freedom to the world, they were destroying 1000s of years of Native American Culture, which by today’s standards would be considered genocide. And while we proclaimed that democracy’s power was derived from the ability of the people to choose their own leaders, there were those that were denied the right to vote simply because of the color of their skin. And so it goes with health care.

We proclaim to have the best health care in the world attracting people from all over the globe to seek treatment at renowned medical centers such as Mayo, yet over 40 million Americans would never be able to access that same health care. We claim that we are created equal, yet if you work in the halls of congress you get a premium health care plan, with your own congressional doctor while others who work 40 hours a week, paying the taxes that support those premium plans, get a limited care plan that only pays up to $1000.00 in medical expenses. That’s half a visit to the emergency room.

Like most other issues there has been a lot of screaming, misinformation, fear mongering, insults, and downright lying to get people to agree with your side. But I am hopeful.

From the ashes of slash and burned forests, we now have pristine wilderness. Native American culture is now a revered American treasure. The idea that anyone could be denied the right to vote is, today, so archaic that it would be like saying birds can’t fly.

And one day we will look back on the health care issue and say, “You mean that people used to be denied health care coverage simply because they lost their job?” The time is now to overcome one more contradiction to our American ideals.

Tags: health care reform, opinion, letters