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 A perfect storm is in the forecast. 43 million Americans have no healthcare, a tsunami of baby boomers will retire in the next 15 years, and health costs are soaring. Yet - Americans sleep soundly at night. On occasion, there is a wakeup call but the groundhog sees no shadow, hits the snooze button, and goes back to sleep. Is this sustainable? Will Americans continue spending their hard-earned tax dollars on vote-getting missions to Mars or Iraq - versus that of life itself? Are Americans that cruel?
I say no. The America I lived in, (Massachusetts), rallied to the misfortune of a neighbour, or a crisis, with as much passion as a Canadian would. So why, then, do Americans not rally around the healthcare cause?
Healthcare as a Taboo Subject.
I discovered that when you break bread with Americans, and bring up the subject of national healthcare, the debate loses all life support when those in opposition paint images of wait-times and higher taxes. In some cases the feedback I received would make the late Senator McCarthy proud. "Socialism", they say. "Big Government", they protest. I quickly got the message. National Healthcare was a Do-Not-Discuss item at the lunch or dinner table.
Americans face a terrible dilemma. On one hand they're a great nation that has faced and survived many a crisis. Yet, they have a disdain for anything that smacks of Big Government and Government Control of their lives.
Source: lannigan.org
Image provided by: Colombia Basin College |
