So, this morning, I was exchanging emails with a young man who was telling me he couldn't talk to me outside of work, because he has a young daughter at home, and she would figure out that he's gay if he spoke to a gay man on the phone.
I've long understood that terrified homosexuals are the bane of gay rights, and in fact are frequently in the vanguard of those campaigning against gay rights and gay existence, but last night's lesson in this truth that it is we who fight ourselves was quite startling.
My sister, who lives a life of extreme privilege compared to the large body of US citizens, is unwilling to give up her employer paid benefit package in support of universal single payer health care.
My sister has never been without health care. She's never been without paid vacations, employer paid retirement, and a benefits package that provides her with disability insurance, life insurance and long term care benefits. She travels considerably for work and so pays nothing for recreational travel, as she keeps her frequent flier benefits.
Our conversation last night could not have been more polarizing. Her opinion, and apparently that of most of her associates, is that they should keep their titanium plated benefits while everyone who isn't covered now gets some kind of Medicare/Medicaid plan.
This completely overlooks several of my primary points, especially that of personal bankruptcy and debt defaults (improves credit worthiness generally, and improves bank's risk exposure,) small business and entrepreneurial flexibility and growth (more jobs, increased economic activity, and economic expansion,) taking the huge load off of globally competing large corporations (Business Week wrote last week that Chrysler was a health care company with some car issues,) and significantly ignores the 14th Amendment to the United States constitution. Meaning that, if the government gets into supplying health care, then exemptions or variations from that which the government is providing violates equal treatment mandated by the 14th amendment.
And she just doesn't care. She is unwilling to even entertain a program that would bring everyone's health care up to these standards. She went on about how no one would vote for such a package, because it's too much like socialism. The 14th Amendment/Equal Protection argument is lost on her, even though it was the first thing my room mate (who has such platinum plated health and other benefits through his employment, but was completely in agreement that everything should be pitched into a common hopper for the benefit of all.) She wasn't willing to discuss at all that her notion fragments the risk pool, making the cost unsupportable for the government covered population.
No, no, no, no, no. It can't be done, you won't take anything from me, nothing's going to change anyway.
It's like she read my thoughts and gave them no consideration - only the statement that everyone have health care together, and "bang!" She shot that one dead between the eyes.
Okay, I'm from Texas - I have to use such metaphor. But, you have to understand - my sister isn't just liberal in her politics and thinking - she's what today would be considered a wide-eyed fanatic left wing nut job. It's a family trait - that isn't a criticism of her political views, because she and I share most of those.
It's only that if this is what resistance the idea is going to get from those who are in the left, how is anything going to be accomplished?
I still stand on my assertion that if big business (I guess that should be Big Business) and the Chambers of Commerce get behind the economic forecasting, increased economic resources and activity, and behind the idea of universal, single payer health insurance, it will happen. We just have to look out for those whom we thought would be standing with us stabbing our backs as we try to walk forward.
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