Saturday, April 03, 2010

healthcare bill

Some people are vehemently complaining about the new healthcare bill, and how it will cause delays in treatment for everyone (I suspect they are right) or bankrupt the country (I suspect they are wrong). These people do not seem to be sensitive to the fact that previously, many people were denied medical treatment altogether, leading to unnecessary suffering and deaths.

In my formative years, I read Ursula Le Guin's (pdf) The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas. The story had a giant impact - it was one of those stories that resonated perfectly in me. Anyone who feels like ranting about the healthcare bill should go take a look at this story, and decide where they stand after thinking about it.

I agree that the healthcare bill is far from perfect, and not what I wanted at all. But the status quo was downright evil. I hope this change is for the better, or at least that it leads to something better.

No comments: