What have we become America?

The battle continues between Democrats and Republicans about health care reform in the United States with citizens citing their differences of opinion on both sides of the fence. Perhaps I should say, many folks have been engaged in heated arguments with each other, abusing their first amendment right of free speech and toting firearms to town hall meetings where President Barack Obama had been in attendance. What kind of people have we become?

Now don't read too much between the lines of my previous statement, I'm all for freedom of speech and I'm still in favor of the right to bear arms in certain cases; however, I think we've crossed the line here. It's time that we all sat down and heard both sides of the story without all of the fear and smear tactics and abuses being hurled at each other. It's childish to say the least. This is one of the most important domestic issues that we will face for generations to come. Let's work it out!

I really think we Americans need to take a closer look at the question; what is the function of government supposed to be? It's a simple question. I feel that we have lost sight of that basic, but very important principle. Are we to be bullied around by our leaders or are they to lead us all to prosperity and well-being? Yeah, I know what many of you are thinking about now, "I can do it own my own." Well…good for you! "Why should I help anyone else?" Because you're supposed to, it's why we exist! There are many Americans that aren't as fortunate as some of us. What about them, are they to be left aside to wither away? Only the strong survive, is that it? This is not the animal kingdom in which we live; this is the human kingdom. Where is the compassion in that kind of behavior?

In retrospect of our current governmental system, I think it's time for a civil revolution to take place between the voters and the way in which we govern. I'm not talking about over throwing the government and I'm certainly not encouraging violence at all! I'm talking about passive resistance in the form of rallies and protests, and utilizing our constitutional right to vote in order to change the ways in which our government conducts a lot of its business. Everyone must get out there vote!

We are still continuing to allow these Special Interest Groups to lobby on behalf of their industries to buy off our politicians. This must change! Our leaders and law enforcement officers have become one step away from a Gestapo regime ruling with fear tactics. As for the working class, don't even think of bucking the system at work or you might loose your job. Furthermore, law enforcement authorities have been treating the average person like everyone is a criminal during the past ten years. Don't even think of driving after 10 O'clock at night, everyone is a DWI suspect. Well you know some of us have to work two or three jobs just to make ends meet, so we might be out a little late, but they don't consider that fact. The ones in power do these things to enable the rich and powerful to remain rich and powerful while the rest of us remain downtrodden and out of the loop.

We the people have been demoralized, many of us feel hopeless and we have been lied to by many corporate leaders and our elected in government to keep us in debt, so we must go with the flow on the job or go bankrupt. It's modern day slavery! That's why they do it, to keep us on the edge! They don't want the average person to prosper. We are still the only developed nation in the world where the majority of our mothers must work; it's just not an option for most American families today. Furthermore, this has led to increased family problems such as divorce in our country, causing single parents to have to dump their kids into childcare programs that are both expensive and below par.

It's time for the American voters to stand up and demand that these policies change! It's time that we support President Obama as a nation united as one. He has done a great job thus far given the fact that he was handed the torch with such little flame left in it. The changes will come if we support him and we the people will be better for off it.

If we are a country founded on Christian values and beliefs, and we are believe it or not, like it or not, we must remember what God has required of us. Philippians 2:4 "Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others." Galatians 6:2 "Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ." Ephesians 4:32 "Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as Christ God forgave you."

I'm thankful that we have freedom of religious beliefs in America and that we also separate church from state, but we should embrace the principle of compassion for others, simply because it's the right way to live. We are a nation founded on Christianity and other moral values that promote unity and solidarity. "In God we trust," is printed on our currency and it's also the state motto of Florida. My favorite state motto is from Missouri, "The welfare of the people shall be the supreme law." In addition, almost half of our states have similar mottos of this fortitudinous belief. If we embrace the principles of Christianity our nation will be great. Without them we will flounder.

U.S. Health Care Reform

I'm sure everyone understands the fact that Health Maintenance Organizations have been exploiting American citizens for decades, ever since Richard Nixon was in office, and their main goal was to benefit and profit from those who could not afford to insure themselves without some type of financial assistance. It has become the most profitable industry in America and has caused millions of American citizens to be without proper health care and tens of thousands to die due to their lack of ability to pay for something that should be awarded to every human on the face of the earth at very low or no costs. Furthermore and to boot, these insurance companies have had the audacity to make it common practice to deny claims for certain lengths of time to save money or even to deny claims outright when an insured filed for benefits.

American doctors have been on the bandwagon from the start as well. Their greed has sparked a policy of "let's keep them sick, so we can make more money." We've all heard about the ones doing unnecessary operations just because they wanted a new yacht or a fancy new car. Have they changed the doctor's Hippocratic oath to include something to the effect of it's OK to treat someone as long as a small fortune can be made and only if the patient has a very good chance of recovery? Maybe not, but it is a fact that HMO's have made it policy to give out bonuses to hospital administrators who refuse certain types of treatment to patients who are chronically ill and have a lower chance of recovery if treated. They call it profit management. I call it death management or playing god. The insurance companies would rather give bribes to doctors and health care administrators to save a few bucks rather than to help their insured as contractually promised. Where have their values gone?

Have we not evolved from the "I, me, my" time in history, yet? Are we still hunting and gathering to exist? Do we still need to be so selfish? I don't think so! Everyone, no matter where they live or where they were born, deserves the six basic human rights of life itself: proper food, clothing, housing, health care, education and jobs. It's simple, that's what government should be responsible for, creating these vital things and taking care of their people. Government is simply a means in which all peoples can live equally and have the freedom to prosper equally. However, corrupt governments exploit, suppress, dictate and prevent individuals from obtaining these six basic human rights. "A downtrodden class ... will never be able to make an effective protest until it achieves solidarity." (H.G. Wells)

It's time something was done about our current state of the union. It's time that we came together as a nation and focused on the problems at hand and put aside our petty differences between party politics. Why should anyone be without proper health care, it's insane? Our nation already has several social programs that benefit us all and are well deserved, i.e. the armed services, national and state law enforcement services, 911 services, the public school systems, social security for retirement and the two worst ones, Medicaid and Welfare. How about health care instead of Welfare? It would benefit everyone. We all know that moderation is the best policy. Therefore, a balance of some forms of socialism along with capitalism is the most reasonable and sensible thing to do. Some things in life shouldn't be for profit!

I'd also like to clear up these crazy rumors regarding what's going to happen if we adopt a national health care system. I'm sure many of you are afraid that you will not be able to choose your doctor, or that the quality of health care itself will decline. This is just not true in other countries that utilize these marvelous programs. I have first hand knowledge of how one such program works. "There is nothing to fear but fear itself." J.F. Kennedy. There will be nothing to worry about if we allow President Obama to present his health care plan in solidarity. It will benefit every American. The choice is ours.

Twelve years ago I took early retirement and considered moving to Japan. Although unemployed at the time, I still needed to insure myself. Health care of any kind in the states was out of the question; it was too expensive without a co-op from an employer, so one of the deciding factors for my moving here was because the Japanese have nationally funded health care coverage. However, when I first arrived and before I was able to register for the program I became ill with the flu. I went to a private doctor, was in and out of his office in thirty or forty minutes with a weeks worth of medication in hand and the total bill was around $30.00. Again, that was without insurance.

Japan has one of the best nationally funded health care programs in the world. I can choose my doctor, I can choose what hospital or clinic I want to visit, there is no waiting for unreasonable periods of time before being examined, and the services are top notch with modern facilities and comprehensive treatment. The best part of the program is there are NO deductibles. Only 30% of the total costs are required as payment for employed individuals between 20-70 years of age, others folks pay only 20%. Thirty percent you might exclaim, yes, only 30%! My last annual checkup was only 500 Yen or about US$5.00. Monthly premiums are based on monthly salaries per worker, from 5.8% to 9.5% and are calculated depending on the type of industry an insured works in, i.e. industries with higher-risks to workers pay more. That's the total costs of premiums and the employer pays the majority of those costs, 70%; the insured, here again, only pays a balance of 30% of the total premium costs according to his/her industry and salary. There is even additional insurance that can be purchased to cover the 30% in case of catastrophic illness or lengthy hospital visits, which is even less expensive than the national insurance premiums. The doctors are well paid and they are not overworked. As a matter of fact it's common for many Japanese doctors to work only four days a week. Here's a great site for all the facts: http://content.healthaffairs.org/cgi/reprint/10/3/87.pdf

When I turned 50, my doctor recommended that I have at CT scan to check for cancer. It was not covered under the national insurance system, but the cost was only 30,000 Yen or about US$300.00. In the states, the same test with the same machine and a technician with the same qualifications to administer the test, and a doctor with the same qualifications to analyze the results would have been $1,200 to $1,500.00. I wonder why there is such a difference? You know why; the US insurance companies, health care facilities, and doctors are getting rich off us! Many Americans don't even visit a doctor enough in one year to pay for their deductible payments anyway; we just keep paying, and paying, and paying for those premiums without receiving any benefits whatsoever. In contrast, Japan is one of the most expensive countries in the world to live in, however they have great health care coverage, the costs are very affordable and none of the Japanese people would dare be without it.

You know what makes me sick enough to visit the doctor, these bogus rumors and all of the disinformation being flung around by those who are afraid that they might have to pay more taxes. If all of you that thought that way would just sit down, relax and think about it for a minute, you would soon realize that if we adopted a national health care system in the US, it would be less expensive than the current health care premiums that you are paying for now, and it would also provide everyone with better care. The Japanese live longer and have a better quality of life than any other people in the world. Go figure!

For the past eight years the policies of the United States of America have made us the laughing stock of the entire world; Trust me, I live abroad! We should be ashamed of ourselves. My mother once taught me that selfish pride was not only arrogant but also self destructive; and that the most important things in life was to quickly admit when I was wrong and to correct my mistakes as soon as possible. Therefore in taking that wisdom to heart, there are three ways in which we can improve as a nation; first, by admitting when we have been wrong, then to unify as a people and finally by helping each other reach the same goals. We must stop being so greedy and self-centered and search for the middle ground to work from, find peace among ourselves and respect each other. Then we can become a better nation of people. That's common sense; but then again, common sense isn't so common, is it? If we are the greatest nation in the world, let's prove it; let's start taking proper care of all our citizens!

Thanks for visiting,

Bill