Advocacy: A Continuum of Pondering on My Last Two Postings…What Impact Can We Have?

 The Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary defines the term “advocate” as

1. one that pleads the cause of another
2. one that defends or maintains a cause or proposal
3. one that supports or promotes the interests of another.

 As I awoke this morning, I found myself thinking of my previous two posts and had a sense of incompleteness about them. The questions that came to mind were, “What can I do?” “Will any action I take make a difference?” “What can others with similar concerns do?” Alas, I found myself pondering…

 I have several major concerns about what is going on in the world around me and I wonder do I keep quiet and do nothing? If I choose to do something, what can I do? Will my actions make any difference?

 I came to the following conclusion…If I keep quiet and do not express my opinion (s), nothing happens – except sense of nothingness and insignificance. My observations indicate that many people feel a sense of darkness and hopelessness in our country and beyond our borders. Will my solitary voice light one small space of it? Will the lighted candle I hold up, give light to someone else’s voice and then another’s? I don’t know and may never know, but I’m willing to live with that unknowingness. At the end of the day, will I feel better about myself if I speak up or if I remain passively silent? I will feel better speaking up and attempting to improve the world around me. As we get older (maybe as we near mid-life, our senior years or even our deaths) many people start reflecting back on our lives and wondering what their purpose was/is. How do you want to live your life, so that when you reflect back you can feel that your life made a difference?

 Before I go any further, I want to clarify that the term, “world” can have many connotations such as: me as an individual, my family, my neighbor, my neighborhood, my city, state or nation, etc.

 So in reference to my previous two postings, “The Disappearance of US Made Surgical Supplies…” and “The “Public” Option for Health Care Reform is Critical – The Politician’s Call to Serve Their Constituents!” what more can I do in addition to writing a blog about these topics?

 In the case of “The Disappearance of US Made Surgical Supplies…”,

1.      I can contact Johnson & Johnson and other suppliers to express my dissatisfaction as a consumer.

2.      When I have money to invest, I can choose not to invest it in Johnson & Johnson and these other medical suppliers because I do not approve of their out-sourcing critical medical supplies to a country with questionable health values and practices. This thought will lead to a whole other posting on “Ethical Investing.”

3.      I can mention my concerns when appropriate to my family and friends in the hope that they may be called to take action.

4.      I can contact my political representatives and other representatives that are involved in a particular issue. Our political representatives are those individuals we vote into office to be our advocates!

 In the case of “The “Public” Option for Health Care Reform is Critical – The Politician’s Call to Serve Their Constituents!”

1. I can share my concerns with my family and friends in the hope that they may be called to take action.
2. I can contact my political representatives and other representatives that are involved in a particular issue.

 I don’t think one ever really knows their impact on their world. Many people and/or situations have impacted me, some positively and some negatively. Some of these situations I was able to respond to and in other cases I was unable to. I have tried to tell people who positively touch my life how much their actions meant to me, sometimes I have been successful, sometimes not, sometimes the moment was so fleeting there was not time.

 What I do realize is that I am willing to try to affect positive change via non-violent communication and actions.

 The United States of America is a Democracy. Democracy is inherently a call to action, a call to express opinions and a call to participate in the voting process. Yet so many Americans seem so beaten down to silence, inaction and the impression that nothing they will do will make any difference. Democracy will not survive in an environment where only a few participate. Democracy, like other forms of governing is not perfect, but it is still the form of government I prefer and apparently the form of government many other people prefer as witnessed by the numbers of people from other countries who want to live here.

 Doing nothing and not participating means that in most cases nothing will happen. At this time we have some factions of political groups that are highly vocal and active. Where are the voices of factions of all our parties? Why do we let some of these voices be so dominant, even if we do not agree with their views? Our silence can give the appearance of agreement with views we do not agree with.

 Sometimes things happens suddenly and we are thrust into action or inaction. Optimally, we have some time to consider our actions and the possible impacts of our actions. I say possible because we never know fully what those impacts will be. In evaluating potential actions, I believe it is important to weigh the situation because I’m not sure that any of us (I know I don’t) have the energy to take action on everything that concerns us. I think at best we can evaluate the issues and determine which of those issues are most important in terms of our values and our energy. In voicing our opinions, I would hope that one would use the best of their intellectual capacities, in addition to their highest moral and ethical values; in evaluating what possible actions one might want to take. I would also hope that one looks beyond one’s self interest to what is in the best interest of the most people.

Did you know that you can no longer purchase sterile gauze pads for post-surgical use that are made in the USA?

I recently had a few spots removed by my dermatologist and stopped at Walgren’s on the way home per her instructions to get some sterile gauze pads. It was not until later that evening when my husband was getting ready to help me change my existing gauze pad that he happened to look at the box and see that they were a product of China!

We didn’t feel good about that so the next day we canvassed Walgren’s and CVS and could not find American made sterile gauze pads. Even Johnson & Johnson (what company “used” to be more American than the maker’s of Johnson’s No More Tears Baby Shampoo??) imports their gauze pads from China. We found we had two choices either imported pads or imported pads that were then sterilized in the US – hmmm, some doubts about sterilization practices in China? Only 3M makes some sterile dressings in the USA but they are for specialized wound care and more than I needed.

There is a serious problem when we are outsourcing the manufacturing of critical medical supplies to China and other countries. My husband has worked in the pharmaceutical construction industry and the construction requirements are extremely stringent and subject to FDA oversight. Off-shore pharmaceutical and medical supply companies are not under the direct regulations imposed by the FDA. We all have heard that the FDA is far than perfect, but I would much rather have the FDA overseeing the manufacturing of medical supplies than have them imported.

I take particular issue with China because it is the country where over 300,000 babies were sickened by milk powder tainted with melamine. As a result, I will not eat any food items that are imported from China. Unfortunately due to the availability of no US manufactured surgical gauze pads, I was forced to use Chinese ones, but was very concerned about their level of sterilization. At the start of this year, I saw yet another article that cited that yet another dairy producer was shut down for producing milk powder contaminated with melamine. When will China institute appropriate and safe food standards? It appears that this was yet another repeat of the 2008 incident.

I do not trust a country to produce surgical sterile gauze pads that poisons its infants. One of the highest risk any hospital patient faces is a hospital acquired infection. Now it appears that the risk may be broadened to a possible infection by critical surgical supplies produced in another country (either sterilized there or in the US).

I find it ironic that as so many of our critical supplies are being manufactured off-shore that the prices do not drop to reflect the appallingly low labor wages of off-shore countries. I do observe that in the case of clothing the price may not increase, but the quality definitely decreases. I am left to wonder if this is also the case with imported medical supplies?

 When are we as Americans going to say enough – we want American made goods!

The “public” option for health care reform is critical at this point in our nation’s history at a time when so many are uninsured, unable to obtain insurance (due to lack of monetary resources or health problems) and we continue to fall behind other industrialized countries in health care quality and availability to our citizens.

It is time to put yourself in your constituent’s position. Go online and apply to various health insurance companies that offer insurance in your state and see if you qualify for coverage and if you do at what cost? Is it a cost that the average wage earner could afford? Or what about the unemployed citizens – could they afford it? If you have any type of health condition, the price becomes prohibitive to the average American, if in fact the health insurance company is even willing to extend you the privilege of health insurance coverage. In most cases, coverage will not be granted no matter how much you can afford to pay. Even if you qualify now, if you develop a medical condition, you will find that your health care provider will drop your policy and you will join the ranks of the uninsured.

How can we trust American corporations to do “the right thing?” Is it not painfully obvious after the recent investment, banking and mortgage meltdowns that greed rules? Even Alan Greenspan admitted that he underestimated the power of greed. Some might say that many individuals are motivated by greed, if this is the case then it is critical that the institution of government protect the common good of all citizens and provide a “public” health insurance option that is not dominated by corporate greed!

I think the President, Senators and House Members have a moral and ethical obligation to insist on a “public” health insurance option. It appears that many politicians make a career out of being a politician which often requires that they pander to their wealthiest campaign donors rather than the citizens who elected you and who you have been entrusted to represent without bias.

You are serving at a critical time in our nation’s history and have the opportunity to make changes that will benefit the citizens of this country and the welfare of this country. Opportunities such as these are rare and as such you are called to serve your countries highest good. This is the time to take an ethical stand on what is best for all of the citizens of this country even if it threatens your ability to be re-elected. Serving in public office is an honor, not an entitlement. It is a time to use the best of your intellectual abilities, in addition to you highest moral and ethical standards, so that you can look back on your time in office and know without any shadow of a doubt that you did the best you could for not only your constituents, but for the citizens of the United States of America – that is your job! Pandering to the lobbyist of wealthy and influential campaign donors besmirches the honor of your position and potentially compromises your ability to serve honestly without bias. Your responsibilities lie with the citizens of this country, not its wealthy institutions.

Without adequate health care the innovation and productivity of our country will suffer greatly and health care costs will continue to spiral out of control as citizens will be denied access to health care insurance at affordable rates and more citizens will be unable to pay for health care services. We have seen when patients cannot afford health care services, the healthcare resources of our nation become further stretched and in the end we all end up paying!

In a well used phrase, “there but for the grace of God go I” we all (with the exception of the wealthiest) could face financial ruin and bankruptcy when confronted with a job loss or health crisis. I think it is easy for politicians to forget that they have the privilege of accessing the “best” America’s health care system has to offer whereas the majority of their continents do not.

I read an article in the New York Times entitled “The Expense of Eating With Celiac Disease” http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/15/health/15patient.html?ref=health and it found myself pondering the subject of food shopping. One of my family members has  gluten intolerance sensitivities and boy did we learn fast that gluten free foods are considerably more expensive than wheat based foods. 

For many Americans, the goal of food shopping is to “get deals” and “save money.” Many pride themselves on using coupons and only getting what appears in the Wednesday sale inserts in their newspapers. But have they stopped to consider quality versus cost?

Due to a number of factors over the past decade, I have moved away from having the primary goal of saving money on food to considering the quality of the items I am purchasing. This can be a frustrating proposition, I remember years ago, when I tried to go completely organic (could not find enough organic products and my grocery bills soared). There are many opinions by many so called experts on what is considered healthy eating: high protein diets vs. high carb vs calorie counting, vs  the Mediterranean diet, and the list goes on. Basically, the experts still are trying to figure it out. I have often found myself unhappy at the prices of higher quality and/or organic food items, but then I think, “The food I eat has considerable impact on my health”. So, I no longer purchase the cheapest ground beef, but the leanest, and if possible organic ground beef or even better ground buffalo because it has a considerably better ratio of omega 3 to omega 6. The omega 6 found in so many of our food products is a key contributor to inflammation which leads to a whole host of chronic conditions.. 

I now focus more on eating whole grains, organic livestock, poultry and produce items when possible and when it they are not outrageously expensive. And no, I am nowhere near perfect in my quest!

I have found it interesting that the “healthier the item” (i.e. organic, low salt/no salt added, etc.) the higher the price. Hmmm, if you are adding less (salt, pesticides, chemicals, etc.) to an item, should it not be cheaper? Unfortunately for the consumer many of the healthiest foods are also the most expensive.

Other issues to consider food shopping:

1.      Sodium Content: Sodium is a major causative factor for developing high blood pressure and/or kidney disease. Individuals with one or both of these conditions need to reduce salt/sodium intake in their diets. Canned and processed foods are loaded with salt. The recommended salt intake for a healthy person (no medical conditions) is 2300 mgs which equates to 1 teaspoon of salt per day. Many of our less expensive processed and canned products easily exceed this amount of salt. New York City’s Health Department is taking on the battle to reduce salt (see http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30352252/ns/health-diet_and_nutrition/ and http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/html/cardio/cardio-salt-coalition.shtml in processed and restaurant foods as a means of reducing high blood pressure and the diseases that can result from this condition.

2.      Low Fat/Higher Sugar Content versus Low Sugar/Higher Fat content: Have you ever looked at a processed food item that advertised low fat? Look at the sugar content and then compare it with the regular fat item, in most cases the sugar content is higher to compensate for the lack of fat. The same is true for low sugar items. These low fat or low sugar items are generally higher priced and come in smaller quantities than their regular fat/sugar counterparts.

3.      Hormone Sensitivities: Our livestock and poultry animals have been pumped full of various hormones for years. Hormones and antibiotics are stored in the fat of animal products we consume (i.e. milk, cheese, meat fat, etc). Hormones are affecting our children’s growth and the earlier onset of puberty for both boys and girls. Women who have or currently have breast cancer take hormone therapy that block estrogens (hormones in food can compromise these therapies). Eating for maximal health is no easy task, but maybe it is time we ponder the health benefits of eating higher quality food versus the cheapest. 

Ever wonder the best way to store a food or how long to keep it?  Well StillTasty is the web site for all your questions. Different foods have different lengths of freshness and optimal ways of preservation (leave a banana out if you want it to ripen versus refrigerate fresh meat as soon as you get home from the store). To find out the shelf life of various food items (fruit, vegetables, meats, fish, snacks, nuts, beverages, condiments, etc.), check out www.stilltasty.com and it will tell you, so you don’t have to wonder anymore.

Optimally all those who labor would have access to group health insurance at affordable rates through their employers. Unfortunately this is frequently not the case. There are those employees who work very hard, but for an employer who does not offer health insurance and does not give their employees a stipend to cover health insurance expenses. There are many now with unemployment being the highest it has been since 1983 that have no job and no job prospects. If they were lucky enough to have been laid off last fall, have worked for an employer who offered health insurance, had been employed at least 12 months prior to their termination and were laid off after Obama got elected president, they have subsidized COBRA benefits where they only have to pay 35% of their premium instead of 100% (that is if they can afford even 35%). Then there are those who were lucky enough to meet the above conditions who had access to COBRA even thought they had to pay 100% of their premium because they got laid off during the Bush administration, but those folks have rolled-off the 18 month limit for COBRA benefits and in most states have no access to health insurance either because they cannot afford the high rates of an individual health insurance policy or they have been deemed to have a “pre-existing condition”. Let me tell you most people have something that an insurance company can and will deem to be a “pre-existing condition”! Go ahead and try to get one of those private insurance plans – I spent months trying unsuccessfully. There was vague and unconfirmed possibility with Blue Cross of NC: $1500/month premium with a $5000 deductible – how is that for affordable???

I have trouble understanding why so many individuals in this country are so upset about health care reform. The primary issue is providing insurance coverage for those who are uninsured that is comparable to group health insurance that many citizens receive through their employers. Of all the things in life to feel threatened about, why is that so threatening? Is it a matter of the haves versus the have-nots? If this is the case it is a sad one. For if we are to learn one thing in life it is that change is inevitable and life is uncertain. You may have insurance and a job today, but will you tomorrow??? Assuming you have good health today, will you have it tomorrow? A close friend of mine emailed me that her daughter had been diagnosed with a progressive form of MS (some forms progress slower than others – not hers). My friend’s daughter who I will call A. is probably in her late 30s and probably makes close to 75K/yr. Her husband is self-employed, so A. provides the health insurance for her family (husband and children). A.’s world and comfortable life-style started to shatter with that diagnosis. If A. is unable to work (her company only provides short-term disability, not long term), how will she be able to get access to health insurance? MS is definitely one of those “uninsurable pre-existing conditions!” Her family is now struggling with the question of how they will be able to afford the 10K in medication she will now require. So even those of us who can be the healthiest and insured can have something happen to us the severely compromises our health and robs us of our insurance (if she could not work – she would only be eligible for COBRA benefits if her family could afford them for 18 months – there is an example of how an affluent family of 4 becomes uninsured!

There are few things more important than one’s health and collectively the health of a country’s citizens. With health and periodic medical care, most individuals can lead healthy and productive lives. Without health, many citizens are unable to work and health care cost escalates for all of us – since in the end we all pay for those who are uninsured regardless of the reason. Yes, I admit there are a certain number of individuals who can be termed, too lazy to work. But if we look closer and deeper, why are they really not working? Mental health issues? Alcoholism? Drug Abuse? Many of these conditions are treatable, maybe not curable if one has access to medical care.

I implore you to ask yourself, “What is more important than my health, the health of my family, and the health of my fellow citizens?”

We as a nation have never had such high rates of obesity and diabetes. These conditions spawn a host of other conditions (i.e. heart, kidney, eye-sight conditions).  As with most chronic conditions, the longer they are left untreated (and uninsurability leads to untreated conditions) the more damage they do, the more expensive they become and the more we as a country pay on health related issues.

Have you ever considered that even though making insurance available to all our citizens is expensive, it may be more expensive to deny insurance to our citizens? Doctors, hospitals and other medical entities do not give out discounts when you are uninsured, in fact they charge you the full price (no negotiated insurance fee discounts there), these entities are going to get their money and right now they are doing it by increasing charges for those that are insured. One way or another they will get their money, so in the end we all pay for those without insurance.

So instead of becoming so outraged at health care reform, how about looking deep down inside yourself and figure out what you are really angry about. Some of the things I am angry about include: I am considered uninsurable due to a pre-existing condition; my COBRA benefits ran out; Cash for Clunkers – how about cash for health care??? – my family has two 10 year old cars that are fuel efficient, no gas guzzlers for us – the writing has been on the wall for years – gas prices will only increase – and hey, we can’t afford a new car even with a cash incentive; bail-outs of financial institutions, insurance companies and auto-makers who acted irresponsibly and greedily; high bonuses, heck any bonus for that matter for employees of companies who have had to be bailed out; politicians who want to keep getting re-elected rather than take the harder road and make ethical decisions which will benefit the most instead of the least (i.e. big health insurance companies)!                                            

Maybe we need to dig deeper on our quest to understand anger. Anger in many instances is the response to feeling hurt. Many of us don’t like to admit that we feel hurt, so it is more socially acceptable to “feel angry.” Are so many people really angry about Health Care Reform or does the media focus on them because some of the situations are so outrageous and outrageous sells? Or in our own personal worlds are we angry at ourselves (what we did nor did not do in a given situation?), our spouse (what he or she did or not due that caused us to feel hurt, unloved, etc?), our kids (misbehaving, being rude, thoughtless, not returning the love we have for them – that can hurt), our neighbor’s dog pissing on our bushes and killing them and digging up our flower bed (how could our neighbor be so thoughtless? We would never let our dog destroy their garden!). And the list goes on….In the end though it is important to figure out what we are really angry about and then direct our energy to doing what we can to work it out in a non-threatening manner – who wants to feel threatened? If that is not possible, explore other non-violent alternatives.

Are you spending or not spending (except for essentials such as food, shelter, transportation, medicine, etc.)? Spending a little maybe on an infrequent visit to the movies or an inexpensive restaurant meal? Are you living as you would have a year or two ago, prior to the economic downturn?

I have friends who fall in the “wealthy” segment of the economy (I do not) and friends who fall into the middle class. Income and money can be tenuous things – they can come and they can go – depending on life’s events or crises. I have often observed (though this is but one small slice of all of life’s observations), that some of the wealthiest individuals I know are the tightest spenders. One might inquire if perhaps that is how they attained their wealth? One of my friends lives in a very affluent beach community (no homes are available on the beach  for under a $1 million) is doing everything she can to save money. Growing her own garden, clip every coupon, eliminating entertainment items such as eating out, going to concerts, movies, etc. She admits that what she considers wealthier friends of hers (she does not consider herself) are “hiding their wealth” live less conspicuously, by apparently not spending.

Ironically, my middle class friends who are still employed have not changed their spending habits, they still eat out, go on vacation, spend money on their children and grand-children. I have heard it said that we as a society are becoming more polarized economically, the middle class is being eliminated leaving the lower and upper class.

A question comes to mind, if we all save/hoard our money in our local communities, our local communities will suffer. Why you might ask? Without consumer infusion of money into local businesses, business declines, with a lack of customers, jobs are lost, businesses close, homes are foreclosed, former business buildings sit empty; empty businesses and homes do not make an attractive community to its residents and less so for attracting new residents and businesses.

In many cases people begin to feel hopeless and disenfranchised – a feeling of nothing to lose. Crime increases due to a lack of jobs and the sense of nothing to lose. Some individuals actually benefit from living in jail/prisons – unfortunately these entities provide free shelter, food and medical care. In this economy, prison may be the only place to find these amenities!

So, I am left to ponder by the number of individual I have heard of who are still taking their annual vacations and now all those individuals who are trading in their clunkers – is this recession/depression as bad as we are told it is or has the media blown it out of proportion. I have no doubt that unemployment is high, in fact I believe it is significantly higher than the government reports since they cull their numbers from the number of people collecting unemployment. Many people become ineligible for unemployment (their benefits run out) every month, so they fall off the rolls and are thus no longer counted in the unemployment statistics. However for another group of people who are quite fortunate and have not felt the effects of unemployment in their home, I’m not sure that “our current economic factors” have affected them. What to you think?

Imagine my surprise when I was going through my closet and put on an outfit that I had purchased (major end of year clearance sale last fall), for the first time this year and I looked at the label and saw it was made in the United States. I raced off to the store I had purchased the outfit at, Belks and low and behold their summer inventory was reduced 50% and then and additional 30%! Yes, I ran to the “Hot Cotton” sections and purchased three pairs of pants and two shirts for $112.!

I did have a moment of dismay when after going through the remaining summer selection, which due to economic times was quite signficant and found that about 15% of their items were made in China !

I  looke up “Hot Cotton” was founded in 1993 by Marc Ware in LA. It became a subsidiary of Active Brands International, Inc. in 2007.

I plan on doing more research to find out about why the majority of their items are made in the US and why a few are made in China. I hope the production of a few items off-shore is not a foreshadowing of future operations.

In the meantime buy Hot Cotton! The items are made of linen and/or cotton. Wonderful for hot weather. Appropriate for general casual wear or for a business environment that has a casual atmosphere.

Share with my readers what other clothing makers are using USA production facilities. Thank you!

The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing.  Albert Einstein

I thought this was a particularly timely quote considering the wide usage of the term “evil” lately of about all things Health Care Reform. Somehow “evil” and “Health Care Reform” are just two concepts that do not go together.  This begs the question of what is the root of this concept of  “evil?” I Googled “evil and health care reform.”  The top hits were about Sarah Palin decrying Health Care Reform as evil. If Sarah Palin read the Health Care Reform Act she would know that there are no death panels, no bureaucrats who decided who should live and die, etc. She goes on to say that Health Care reform is evil because it will determine whether someone is worthy of health care, etc. 

Our current system of health insurance determines if you are worthy or not based on if you can afford to pay for health care or if you do not have “pre-existing” conditions! How is that for determining if someone is worthy of health care? Worth is literally monetary worth!

I find it a sad state of affairs when someone the likes of Sarah Palin, a self-proclaimed “hockey mom” calls the Health Care Reform plan “evil” and the terms takes hold. Note: Sarah Palin expressed her evil opinion of Obama’s Health Care Reform Plan on her Facebook page. Could it be that Facebook is her only outlet since no credible media source interviewed her? If she thinks this plan is so “evil,” why doesn’t she stop criticizing it and come up with a better plan?

So I encourage the people of this country to speak up for Health Care Reform, for the care of their countrymen, women and children because as Albert Einstein says, “The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing.” 

I just watched a fascinating live interview on MSNBC’s Hardball (Chris Matthews was not there tonight and I missed the name of the gentleman who was conducting the show). He interviewed the woman who questioned Arlon Specter on August 8 at a Town Hall Meeting by saying she does not want a socialist country, which she seems to think that this Health Care Reform Act will make us.

The interviewer mentioned that only individuals who made over $250K would pay additional taxes. She would not answer if the small company she and her husband runs makes more than that amount. It seems logical to me that if they made less than that, she would have said so. The interviewer then asked her if she had insurance and she said that she and her family did and she mentioned the high deductible cost of $5000 (apparently she an her self-employed husband make enough money to afford insurance coverage for their family – many self-employed people cannot especially if they have any type of pre-existing condition).

During the Town Hall Meeting with Specter, she indicated that a single payer health care plan would make the US a socialist country like Russia).  The interviewer reminded her that the H.R 3200 Act is an optional program not mandatory, so if individuals with insurance are happy with their health care coverage, they can keep it (it is for people who do not have access to health care insurance).  The interviewer asked her if her parents received Medicare benefits and she said they were close to the age, but not yet. He told her that Medicare was a single payer government run insurance program that was similar to a socialist program and asked her if she wanted to see Medicare repealed. Then he asked her if a similar socialist like program, Social Security, similar to a program developed by Bismark in German should be repealed. She looked pretty horrified at the though that either program be repealed. The interviewer then told her that Medicare covered end-of-live planning consultations with physicians and that the current Health Care Reform end-of-life section was modeled on that Medicare provision.

When the interviewee mentioned what our “Founding Father’s” wanted she said that she thought they would want citizens to look out for one an other. Is that not what Social Security and Medicare do – we are a country that takes care of our countrymen, women and children. Due to numerous reasons, many people are uninsured, is it not time to step up and help those citizens? You and your family may find yourselves in the unenviable situation tomorrow or some time in the future. So a question to those of you who have insurance today, will you have it tomorrow, next month, next year? What if you get laid-off, fired, become too ill to work, have a family member that requires a high level of care that prevents you from working, etc. how will you obtain health insurance?