Once upon a time, a Conservative wasn't wealthy...

Okay, the secret is out--I'm a Conservative. Now I fit nicely into the stereotype of white, male, probably in the South, Protestant, and undoubtedly financially comfortable. The only problem with this stereotype of a Conservative voter is that I [at 19 years old] have yet to live in a household with an income above the "poverty line." My father moved out when I was 6 and it hasn't exactly been smooth sailing since then.

I've definitely reaped the benefits of the Medicare/Medicaid system for most of my life. It has given me and my brothers insurance under PeachCare for a long time. LBJ did a great thing by signing Medicare/Medicaid into law--my younger brother might not be alive today had he not. I know the system works, but we're aren't average people. We were three kids living with a single mother that had that lifestyle forced upon herself after years of stability. This is an instance where public services are sound investments in the welfare of the People.

Last October, I turned 19 and I lost my insurance. I went a good six months without medical insurance until I luckily got on my father's. My brother just turned 18 in June and he's in the same pickle. My mother has been unemployed for over a year now--and she doesn't have insurance. I know what it's like to live without insurance.

She and I laugh at the idea of universal health care--or anything in between here and there. We know that anything you want badly enough, you can get. Anything. We deserve nothing we've not worked for--and even then we may not. The point I'm trying to make is not that I'm somewhat poor and have actually had to put forth an effort to find myself in a more stable lifestyle. The point I'm making is that it's a prejudiced arguement to believe that just because I believe health care isn't a right that I also proclaim "the poor deserve to die or to be forced into bankruptcy/ in debt for the rest of their lives if they fall ill." Because, you see--I would then be condemning myself to death/debt.

I just believe in getting my hands dirty to get what I want in life. I'm not alone when I say I'd rather be in debt than under Big Brother's reign.

-RichardWest

P.S. For those of you that refuse to think of health care as anything but a right, let me say this: I have the right to become a millionaire in this country. Does that mean it's the government's job to make that happen? I fear some of you may still answer "Yes..."

America's Healthcare System: Where are we going and where did we begin?

It is amidst the reality of failed initiatives to remake the healthcare system of the United States of America over more than 60 years that one approaches the efforts of our Congresspeople and President to pass healthcare reform. I feel that the posting by scholar's logic was an impeccable analysis of the influence of lobbying efforts on healthcare reform. To understand the resistance to healthcare reform happening now it is helpful to look back for inklings into today's political reality. More than sixty years ago Harry Truman tried to enact what he called his “Fair Deal” and (despite its many parts) one thing it centered on was healthcare reform. Lobbying efforts by the American Medical Association led to the failure of Truman's healthcare reform imitative. President Lyndon Baines Johnson had success in passing healthcare reform and signed Medicare & Medicaid into law. One cannot help but note the fact that President Johnson had the support of the American Nurses Association and the American Hospital Association. The loftiest opponent Johnson faced to his ideas of federally funded healthcare and the idea of a national healthcare plan was the American Medical Association. Nevertheless, there were some achievements in 'moving the ball forward' on healthcare reform. People branded his healthcare as socialized medicine and Johnson had trouble with people feeling that many of his reforms were going to the 'undeserving poor'. Moreover, public opinion was decidedly against the deficit spending that would be required to uphold these Federally funded programs. President Nixon's Comprehensive Health Care Act failed in the Congress. The most recent attempt by President's past was of course by Clinton and that also failed. The American Medical Association has been opposed to every major healthcare initiative aimed at reform.

So what is different with President Obama? Won't he Fail? Well one should be put at relative ease considering that the American Medical Association has actually been working with President Obama and has endorsed his plan (as 'a work in progress'). The fact that the American Medical Association is at the table with the Congresspeople (to me at least) seems to say that there is a consensus for change. Those who are arguing for the status quo and claiming that the current government proposals are a form of socialized medicine are correct. Pointing out that these initiatives are proposing socialized medicine is kind of like standing on the highway and screaming out what billboards say to passing traffic. WE KNOW IT IS SOCIALIZED MEDICINE THANKS! We've already socialized medical care for many Americans already (with Medicare & Medicaid).

The fact of the matter is that millions upon millions of Americans are uninsured and so there is a need for socialized medicine. For those who say healthcare is not a right let it be clear what their argument really is: “the poor deserve to die or to be forced into bankruptcy/ in debt for the rest of their lives if they fall ill.” Most people don't choose to get sick. Others choose to make bad decisions that are not conducive to good health and serve as proof for why we need greater emphasis on preventative medical practices.

The point is that we need healthcare for all Americans at affordable prices. The answer is socialized medicine: period.


(P.S.Because I feel an obligation to actually answer the question posed in the title.... Here are some good sites the first is a history of healthcare and the second is a good article from NPR... check it out to find where we're going)
http://www.pbs.org/healthcarecrisis/history.htm
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=106859971&ft=1&f=1007

Healthcare, Lobbyist and the Future.

Today we are in the midst of an important political issue this being the subject of Healthcare Reform. With the subject being both controversial and also partisan many people and their opinions rise, both for and against the idea of reform. Among these voices hides the face, which many say stopped healthcare reform in the 1990's, of lobbyist.

For many of the people who may not know who lobbyist are, Princeton defines a lobbyist as "A person employed to persuade legislator to vote in favor of legislation that favors the lobbyist's employer". These people are the ones who go to Washington, and to respective members of congress and "lobby" by means of donating campaign contributions and negotiations. Different branches of companies and also so sectors of business employ lobbyist in order to get what they want done and have influence in congress.

Now this ties into the current battle for health care reform in that the lobbyist are now being employed by HealthCare companies in order to maneuver legislation into a bill that doesn't prevent them from making profit or to completely stop it if possible. So far this seems to be working, with current legislation for healthcare being at a stand still. Another reason lobbying seems present is due to the fact that, now the Democrats, who have run on a policy of healthcare reform in both houses of congress, are now starting to reconsider their positions about healthcare with really no justifiable reasons as to why. Some might ask, "Why the switch?" I say the switch is proof of evident lobbying being done inside the Democratic party to prevent passage of this bill. This can also be seen inside of the Republican party meaning the lobbying is not just an one party phenomenon its an American phenomenon occurring and increasing in this generation.

I find this fact bad because of the possible benefits that this bill could have for this generation and future ones to come. This is why i think that we, as the next young Americans soon stepping up to take charge of this nation, should make sure that we ourselves are having what we want done and not what the corporations and lobbyist want. Whether you stand for or against the healthcare bill make sure your voice is heard through your mouth and not through the mouths of lobbyist. Lets turn this government back into one where decisions are made upon whether or not a bill is good or bad and not one based keenly on the prospect of getting campaign contributions from lobbyist for next year's re-election run.

An apple a day or the doctor you pay! [a prompt for discussion on healthcare]

Article 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights:

(1) Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control.
(2) Motherhood and childhood are entitled to special care and assistance. All children, whether born in or out of wedlock, shall enjoy the same social protection.

If we are to believe in the sound principles and the intuitive ethics outlined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights we must be serious about healthcare reform. “According to the latest date from the Census Bureau, in 2007, there were an estimated 13.2 million uninsured young adults. It's the fastest growing group of the 46 million uninsured Americans today. (cnn.com)”

So there are questions to be answered in the health care debate and we'd like to hear some opinions on possible courses of action in health care reform. Is “the Obama Plan” our answer? Should there be a public option to compete with private plans? Where on the spectrum should this reform fall (the far left being complete government control over health care and the far right being a completely privatized system)? Should the government be getting involved at all and if so/ not why? Is the status quo acceptable?

The current debate over health care has our nation up in arms. Something that seems to have been forgotten in the debate ensuing over health care is how young Americans feel about these issues. If we want our opinions to be considered and our voices heard we must formulate our ideas and speak out on the issues. We can't let our emotions get the best of us and I've posted the following link to show the type of counterproductive debate we cannot afford in the discussion over our nation's health care reform: .

Consider this a prompt with liberty for improvisation and a call to speak out as the “Next Generation's Republic.