This is getting old

In the last 8 1/2 months I have lost my wife of 42 plus years, a dear friend of over 20 years and now an 18 yo neighbor whom I watched grow into a marvelous young man. basta! enough already! Stop the world, I want to get off.

I'm not a sports fan; however, I noticed that Mr. Vick has just completed his 18 month sentence and is out on parole. More than that he has been picked up by the Eagles to resume his pro career. In his press conference today he appeared contrite and mouthed the correct words.. until he added "on some level". He indulged in the cruel and unusual treatment of dogs and obviously feels the punishment far exceeded the scope of the crime. All those in favor of revoking his parole? Aye!

Who are we.

I was glancing at obit's today, the better to know if one is still well, and an opening line caught my eye: "We celebrate the loss of a mensch. (mentsh)" Not a man of innumerable feats, or the world's greatest you fill in the blank, but a truly decent human being. And it struck me that over a life time of 70 or more years, how difficult it would be to consistently treat everyone and every situation with such selflessness that you would warrant the title of a truly decent human being. We should all be so fortunate!

I have to be the most oblivious person in the country. Either that or I'm the only one who can see things clearly, in this case Health Care Reform (HCR). The rabidly discussed, argued about, end of the world HCR died when the congressional break commenced. Stop yelling, whining and carrying on about the Nazification of America! It will be debated ad nausea this fall, but it will not be passed into law during the Presidents term. Will it be a catalsyt for changing how health care is presently delivered, I believe so. Can medicaid pick up the slack for all the uninsured - in a way it already does, albeit only for those sick enough to get to an emergency room. Preventive medicine? Good idea if you put the emphasis on pregnancy and lowering the infant mortality rate to the single digit range. Immunizations for kids is the second best option, after that, a healthy diet will do the rest.
Like it or not we have a tiered health delivery system, always have. Prior to WWII individuals made tough decisions about their health care on a regular basis - hospitals, let alone Medical Centers, were often few and far between. The veterans came home having experienced on demand health care in the service and wanted it for their families; hence the Hill-Burton Act and the proliferation of community hospitals.
To the point: the conservatives will deride this issue from their bully pulpits on AM radio until the mid-term elections in 2010 when it will become a strident cry for the preservation of the American way of life. Then, and only then, if they fail to displace the Democratic majority, can meaningful dialogue begin.