Reject the Paroxysms of the Left and Right and Help the Needy

Have you been following the very heated verbal assault that the knee-jerk reacting media have been unloading on President Obama's effort to get health care for the millions of uninsured men, women, and children in our country? If so you have witnessed paroxysms of vitriolic claims from both sides. The Right includes every conservative pundit and talking head, and the Left every liberal talking heads and columnists. The right opposes any legislation at all the extends health care for those who cannot afford the price of insurance, and in effect snubs their collective noses at the millions of Americans who do without health care, and get sick and often die because they cannot pay. The left cries out that we have been deceived by President Obama and the Democrats in the Senate for their apparent failure to achieve complete reform of health care. Complete reform means to the left leaning media a public system like those in other advanced countries such as Great Britain, Germany, France, Canada, etc., where the governments assure health care for all of their citizens with some form of single payer arrangement. Or at least the oft heard "Public Option".

One side represents the Republican opposition to any government involvement in the dispensing of health care and the liberal side represents those who desire a complete take over of health care by our government to assure access for everyone now. I personally believe that the latter is the best solution to our nation's health care problems. However, what I believe is a microcosm of values and beliefs and matters very little except to me.

What does matter? The millions of Americans without access to any health care must be provided with affordable access. We cannot continue to be a country in which family members and individuals suffer and die because they are denied affordable health care. Any legislation must prevent suffering and death because of cost or access to health care. Any legislation must provide an eventual pathway to universal access to health care. This must be the bottom line. But instantaneous total gratification is not the objective.

The liberal clamor for instantaneous government single-payer health care or at least a "public option". To them anything less is unacceptable even if millions of our citizens will be assured access to affordable health care. The right side composed of ALL Republicans and a few Democrats and one Independent in the Senate are opposed to virtually any changes that help the uninsured in our country get health care. The right conservative side rejects the idea that everyone is entitled to health care and instead seems to accept the notion that if you can't pay you do not deserve health care. The effectively shout "drop dead" to those who are sick and suffering without affordable health care.

President Obama certainly did not realize that the conservative right in our country would display a paroxysm of hateful opposition to ANY health care legislation. The reality is that they have and will attempt to prevent any type of legislation that helps the millions of families who cannot afford to access medical care gain affordable access.

The liberal left reject the idea that a half a cup is better than none and insist it must be all or nothing. Both sides are displaying their own individualized paroxysms that resembles two gladiators who are forced to fight to death to accomplish just that. If both the right and left prevail with their knee-jerk reactions the needy uninsured will be left alive and suffering and dying because the two combatants did indeed fight to death.

Our country is suffering from a wild-west complex in which the Lone Ranger and Tonto combat the evil crooks and kill them off or fight to mutual destruction, while the law abiding people are inadvertently killed by their bullets that went astray. Hooray for the victorious and the innocent dead and glory to all the dead who fought in vain.

The time has come to get off the knee-jerk reaction path and pass legislation that gets the train going in the correct direction toward health care for all of our citizens. Our form of government wherein the Senate filibuster has been a tool used by both major political parties to kill legislation must not be allowed to stop the engine that begins to open the door to health care for all of our citizens regardless of their ability to pay. Unless this train starts moving and is started toward the ultimate goal of universal health care nothing will be achieved now or possibly for many years to come. We must get aboard the train even if the destination is not instantly reached. The left must stop their verbal regurgitation of opposition because their ideal form of health care is not attainable now, and allow the train to be boarded by millions of people who are now left off and suffering.

The vocal media and politicians of both sides do not represent the suffering people who are for the most part also voiceless or unheard midst the raucous voices of the left and right media pundits and the political party extremists. Those without any health care will be the innocent victims of well paid affluent talking heads and politicians, and by the media networks to draw ratings for their corporations even if health care legislation fails. The only ratings that count now are the ratings that measure whether some form of health care access will be provided for those who have none and who cannot afford the costs of insurance or are denied coverage by selective insurance companies.

Those without health care access in our country must be assured health care when needed. The paroxysms of the left and right must be ignored for the benefit of the millions of Americans who suffer every day without access to any health care. Fight for them and push for legislation that allows the voiceless poor amongst us to have some level of health care that we are all entitled to have. Reject the vitriolic voices that exclaim their way is the only way, and open your hearts and tax wallets to help those who are unable to access health care in our country. Resolve to help the needy and support legislation that starts to get them on board the health-care train!