Health Care Reform

I’ve had arguments with friends on both sides of this issue, and I hear the same things over and over.  One thing few people are talking about is this: is it our moral responsibility to make sure all citizens have access to health care, regardless of their ability to pay?  I think we can get into any real debate abotu the pros and cons, we need to convince the American people of this one simple thing.

With the Christian Right, we just need to remind them of their own words over and over again.  What WOULD Jesus do?  Did he ask for payment when he raised Lazarus from the dead?  When he laid hands on the blind, did he ask them to go and find him a coin immediately thereafter?  Or did he heal those who needed healing, without question, without demand?  Jesus would be on the side of universal health care, and I think he would be appalled that we don’t have it already.

With others, I’ve heard two major arguments.  1.  People have to wait in Canada and England for months, sometimes for years, for surgeries they need.  2. The Federal Government is inefficient and we don’t want them running anything.  My answers are as follows: 1. People DIE in the United States, the WEALTHIEST country in the world, because they cannot afford health care or their insurance companies turn down life-saving procedures.  and 2. I’m pretty sure that in the Declaration of Independence our Founding Fathers mentioned something about what should be done about  ineffective governments.  If we are to hold to the sacred documents which make out country what it is today, doesn’t it stand to reason that we should be forcing a change within our government if we truly believe that it’s not working for us anymore?

The Tragedy of Michael Jackson

I grew up listening to Michael Jackson.  My father played the Jackson 5, I saw the Thriller video on MTV, I attened the “We ARE the World” event, I danced to his songs with my friends.  There is no doubt that he was the most famous person of our lifetimes.  He was an amazing musician, and incredibly talented singer, and a gifted dancer.  His music will always be a part of my life.

Still, his life was a bit of a tragedy.  The amount of pressure we put on celebrities to constantly be in the limelight, to give up a part of themselves to be in the public eye, to become icons (demi-gods) and give up something inately human and fallible in themselves is one of the worst parts of our culture.  We have no idea who Michael Jackson really was.  We know the stories, we’ve seen the tabloids, and we’ve heard countless accusations, but we ignored the fact that he was just a man.  My hear goes out to the family of Michael Jackson.  Oney they truly knew the man.

Teenage Pregnancy – Where’s Your Daddy?

Why is there not a movement for the parents of teenage mothers to sue the teenage father’s for child support and force them to take joint custody?  In the cities, most people don’t have the money for a lawyer, so that I understand, but it’s not just minority girls getting pregnant.  There are teen mothers everywhere, and something like 6 out of 10 teen fathers disappearing.  Being a minor shouldn’t preclude you from taking care of your child.  That certainly doesn’t work with the mothers.  If it were more difficult for the fathers, if they actually had to give something up, they might think twice about not using protction or having premarital sex.