Ninety Billion Reasons

The main reason why my children are in Philadelphia turning it on its ear is so that I can be a participant in the Family-Centered Care Conference that is going on in the city.

I was fortunate enough to be in the right place at the right time and tomorrow a few of us representing the Women and Children's Hospital of Buffalo will stage a presentation.

Walking around the conference and hearing all of the stories and talking to people about the books I've written on health care at the hospital has only raised my awareness of what a bungled-up mess it's all become. In the background I'm listening to the fight as Obama and crew try to make some sort of sense of it and get hammered at every turn.

I don't know much about anything. I'm not sure why the proposal is being marked as a socialist-type of legislation. I am smart enough to realize, though, that if you stand for something there will be someone sniping at you from the shadows. We certainly didn't have this outcry during the last administration's run because nothing was even attempted or considered.

The crux of the matter is always about money - too much money given to the people who aren't in position to earn their own way. Too much free health care being offered to people who don't earn their own keep - that's what the critics are saying.

I watched a video this morning of a mother who fought to keep her child alive as he suffered with cancer. A black mother, single-parent, without resources. A real, tangible woman who watched her son die without care. What do those critics of health care for all say to her? Tough luck? You can't afford it, so say goodbye?

Things have been terribly askew for a lot of years when it comes to health care, but I hear that the battle is over 90 billion dollars - certainly that is money that is tough to get your hands on in these economic times - yet it is about 800 billion dollars less than we threw at Iraq.

It's a real issue that given the American resolve, can be handled. Yet still we struggle.

I'm sure that any man, woman or child who's ever been driven crazy by the state of the system as it is presently constructed, can provide you with at least 90 billion reasons why their child should not die if he or she can be saved.

At least that's the way I see it - too liberal for you?

May God keep you from ever feeling that way about one of your own then.

Comments

John said…
I haven't studied the debate but have debated it with my mother. The other side is ALL about FEAR! She is afraid of paying for abortions, afraid of loss of control of her care, afraid of too much money being spent. None of them sound like rational fears to me (but don't tell my mother I said that.

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