America’s Health Care System in Shambles
I just saw the movie ‘Sicko’ from Michael Moore. Well not the whole movie, but enough to get informed about America’s health care system. I was quite shocked to learn that the terrorists who was involved in the September 11 attacks on the Twin Towers was getting proper health care, while volunteers who helped out after the 9/11 attacks were not getting proper health care. These people were suffering from all kinds of chronic illnesses, yet the government had forsaken them. They did not have the financial means to take care of their health problems so they had no choice but to live with it.
For a country who has the biggest economy in the world this kind of thing is hard to swallow. Morally it simply makes no sense at all, and neither does it logically. Of course the fact that terrorists have better health care than the people who were cleaning up after them makes no sense, but also the fact that health is a primary need means that it should be among the very first things governments take care of. In the movie Michael Moore also pays a visit to France, which have one of the best health care systems in the world. I have personal experience of that because my mom has bi-polar disorder, and ever since she has lived in France they have taken care of her really well(the health care system in South Africa is terrible as well).
In this area France obviously is way ahead of America. Incidentally I have spend quote a lot of time in both America and France myself. Although America has it strengths, I found it to be quite superficial in many ways. It was all about winning, and the ego seemed to dominate in American society. Of course in spiritual terms the ego is of little value. True power comes from the knowledge of one’s true nature, which is oneness with all things. In America power seems to be about the opposite, which is individuality. Don’t get me wrong, I think individuality is an important thing. Being spiritual in this world often means being different and
individualistic.
Michael Moore
I guess it comes down to perception. If you want to be different only for individual gains so that you can be ‘better’ than others, then you are missing your true power. But if you are different because you have authentic power and realize your true nature, then it is a good thing. To come back to the subject, I just think France is ahead of America in many ways. In France the well being of others are very important, while in America it’s often about success at the cost of others’ well being. That is where western society gets it wrong, because success is not about setting oneself apart from others, but rather coming together with others.
What does it say about a country when the fire fighters of 9/11 gets all the medical benefits they need and are hailed as heroes, but the volunteers who helped out of the goodness of their hearts are overlooked and doesn’t even get proper health care. As far as I’m concerned, providing health care for citizens should be one of the first priorities of a government, along with things like food, housing and education. I mean health is a basic human need, without it life loses most of it’s meaning. America would do well to spend less money on flexing it’s military muscles by making war and instead start healing their own citizens, by giving them proper health care.
In the movie Michael Moore also remarks that Americans are brain washed into hating the French, almost as if the American government do that so that Americans won’t demand the same things that the French have, like good health care. The French has always struck me as a very humane people, and their substantial health care system is testament to that. It’s really the first thing a government should have in place if they want to show them that they care and to make them feel safe. What effect does it have on the morale of a public knowing that their basic health needs are not even properly cared for?
It seems to me almost like the American government wants to have a certain amount of control over the public, instead of being controlled by the public. Isn’t governments there to serve the people, instead of the other way around? Anyway the movie ended on a touching note when Michael Moore took the sick volunteers from 9/11 down to Cuba to get proper medical care. On the trip they also met with Cuban fire fighters, and the fire fighters express their compassion for the American fire fighters who died in 9/11, saying that fire fighters all over the world is their family. That was touching because Cuba is a supposed enemy of America, yet there was this common humanity that transcended all that.
In the end I think Michael Moore is doing a great job in making people aware of certain things. There is a guy with a web site whose purpose is to criticize and hate on Michael Moore, and the guy who ran the site at one point had to close it down because his wife became ill, and because of the American health care system he couldn’t afford to keep the site anymore. Michale Moore then sent the guy the $12k that was need to take care of his wife, which allowed him to keep the website going. I thought that was a great gesture and I think it’s pretty sad that the site is still online. Here it is:
But the point is we must not hate this guy for keeping this website running. We should love and respect others, even if they don’t love and respect us. That is how true power is gained. As Michael Moore says: “Lets live in a world of ‘we’, not ‘me’”. It will make all the difference, and yes, it is possible.
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