A message from a friend in America:
When you wake up today, you will have woken up in a country that has finally passed hugely significant, though incremental, health care reform. Hundreds of millions of your fellow Americans (fellow human beings) will benefit concretely from these changes, and we will all be several big steps closer to living in a nation that meets infirmity with compassion and care.
Though there have been times in the past year where I looked backed in uncertainty on my zeal for Obama’s election, that has been washed away by this historic accomplishment. I weep with joy when I think of all the people, real people, who will no longer be denied coverage due to a pre-existing condition, and for all the people who can no longer have a lifetime cap placed upon their insurance coverage (just as there is no lifetime cap upon the amount a person can SPEND on their insurance).
And then I think of all the people who were not able to provide healthcare for themselves or their loved ones, lived in fear that they or their loved ones might grow ill with no money for treatment, or even worse, were forced to endure such a REALITY. I think of all the people who could have hoped for no other fate than a slow, painful death under the previous system configuration, yet who now can afford to purchase insurance.
It’s truly a historic day. I am grateful that, for all its failings, our government can still pull it together and make a stand for its people. Just as my faith in the people of this nation was restored on November 5th of 2008, it is further enervated with this milestone. As long as we can still pass legislation that addresses the issues that really matter, that affect the fate of those least fortunate among us in progressive way, there is great hope that our nation will emerge from a long and painful learning process as strong, healthy, and prosperous as our great potential allows.
Find at least one moment today to celebrate this historic accomplishment. And remember: if you cast your vote for Barack Obama on that day in November 2008, this victory belongs also to you. This is an example of what we can accomplish when we are united.
If you didn’t cast your vote for Obama, even if you don’t support this legislation or if you remain concerned about its effectiveness, watch and see. Even if you admit it to no one else aloud, take a moment to think of all the good this bill will do. Remember the less fortunate among us who, all politics aside, will see their load lightened and their lot improved. Let their joy be your joy, let their triumph be your triumph, and let our victory be a victory for you and yours as well.