I sent this to the White House and to the DNC through the contact pages on their respective websites, yesterday. I have no idea if they will use this unsolicited advice.
TO The White House
CC Democratic National Committee
This is a piece of strategy/messaging advice regarding the opposition to health care reform.
The radical right is fond of invoking the mythical and unassailable opinions of the "founding fathers". Since no one can possibly know what our late founding fathers would actually think of the current state of affairs in the United States of America, there is little hope of a reasoned debate. At a recent town hall gathering, an Arkansan cried, "I want my America back". Another held a copy of the Constitution, and stated, "It doesn't say anything in here about health care!". Shockingly, one of our elected officials himself, Sen Grassley, recently said at his own Iowa town hall gathering, "I see nowhere in the Constitution where health care is a right. ... I want to hear it from Obama, I want to hear it from Pelosi, about how this is about 'We the people.'"
Assuming that some segment of these disrupters at our elected leaders' recent local town hall gatherings is merely poorly-informed, as opposed to something more subversive and sinister which I will refrain from naming, I suggest the Democratic leadership remind the public (and Sen Grassley) of the following fact. This is the Preamble to the Constitution of the United States of America. There is no doubt that this statement was reviewed and signed by our founding fathers.
"We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."
The current health care reform proposal is in line with the fundamental founding objectives stated above. This is especially true when the proposed legislation is compared to the alternative, the status quo a decade from now. Here are some suggestions for how to make the connection apparent.
1. "Provide for the Common Defense"
What does it mean, in terms of the common defense, aka national security, that by 2019 we will have 54 million uninsured non-elderly Americans? The common defense is a matter of preparing for the unexpected. What if we suffer another sneak attack such as Pearl Harbor, and need to quickly mobilize a fighting force to defend ourselves? It is against the interest of the common defense for our pool of working-age citizens to be largely unable to afford basic, preventative care on the eve of a mobilization. Furthermore, with a large number of Americans absolutely unable to afford to stay home from work and see a doctor when they feel sick, an otherwise containable microbe could get out of our control and weaken the general population, to a greater extent than other nations. In terms of the common defense, the weakened American population will be less industrially productive and more vulnerable to other forms of attack. In short, a healthier America is a stronger, sturdier America.
2. "Promote the General Welfare"
Under the current system, only a fortunate segment of the public enjoys the benefits of health coverage. Many are denied benefits through no fault of their own. For example, some may lose their job, or a providing family member may lose his or her job. Most absurdly, some Americans are denied benefits other Americans enjoy simply because they are declared by insurance company bureaucrats to be too costly to insure. Worse yet, sometimes Americans lose their jobs when insurance corporations apply pressure to employers. Many share the blame, but mostly this unfair and unhealthy treatment of our fellow Americans is a consequence of inextricably linking health care to employment. The current system does not promote the interest of the general welfare. It promotes the interest of the fortunate few at fortunate times in their lives. It's not just about fairness, either. It's about the overall health of the country, and the associated costs. Strikingly, the proposed health care reform will elevate the health of the general population at a lower cost than the status quo. In other words, this proposal does a great deal to promote the general welfare.
3. "Secure the Blessings of Liberty to Ourselves and Our Posterity"
With the proposed health care reform enacted, we and our posterity will be free to migrate to more attractive jobs or careers, and will be free to engage in entrepreneurial pursuits, without the fear of innovation-crippling health care costs. On the other hand, under the current system, every American young person who is denied health care due to their parents lack of health coverage suffers a horrible denial of liberty before they even have a chance to claim it. Lastly, access to health care is often a matter of life and death. In 2006, 22,000 Americans died due to lack of insurance. A more profound denial of liberty, I cannot imagine.
Good luck. Please, never let up on the fight.
Adam Wolenc
Age 30
Albany NY, CD21
Crossposted at
http://adamuu.blogspot.com/2009/08/heath-care-messaging-advice-to-white.html">adamuu's blog
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