Sunday, June 28, 2015

The week that was

By Jeff Orvis

What a week we just experienced! Who would have thought when we began the week that by the end, our Supreme Court would have the courage to affirm what many of us already understood as the right thing to do, not once, but twice. Then our president represented all of us, whether we like it or not, in mourning the deaths of nine folks who were in a Bible study when they were gunned down by a young segregationist.

Such important events. So much to comment on. So many views and I already know that some of my friends will not share my opinion, but that's what makes this country great.

I don't pretend to understand all of the ramifications of the Court's decision on the Affordable Care Act. But it would seem that it at least partly affirms what has been in effect since the passage of what even the President now fondly calls “Obamacare.”

I believe that basic health care is a right, not a privilege. If you want a plastic surgeon to try to take a few years off your face, you should pay for it. If you are the victim of a fire and that surgeon works to restore your appearance to something similar to what you had before your accident, you should get that care, whether you can afford it or not. If you get cancer and you are facing drug costs of $100,000 a year to extend your life, you should have it.

Most of the rest of the modern world knows this. Why don't we? While this may be an over simplification, don't you think if we didn't have all those commercials and print ads touting every drug under the sun, prices would go down? If there were reasonable limits to malpractice awards for those drug companies and health care professionals, wouldn't there be less money needed in the system? If training for those health care workers was free and malpractice insurance was paid for, their salary structures could come down to a more reasonable level.

And of course, if we were all issued a health card by the government, the complicated, bloated health insurance industry would just fade away.

I've already written enough to make a lot of folks mad and just maybe more than a few of you are nodding your head in agreement. But time to move on to my next topic of the week.

When the Court ruled in favor of gay marriage, the reaction was immediate and loud. Some devout believers mourned the ruling. Some candidates who unfortunately use religion as a prop for their campaign were the most vocal, while they were secretly smiling because they now had more ammunition to gain campaign contributions and support.

When I heard the news, when the shock subsided, I was very happy. I should say here that I am a lifelong heterosexual. Some of my best friends and were and are female. But I also have some friends who choose a different lifestyle. Putting aside the Biblical questions for a moment, I recognize that they find most comfort with members of their own sex. Not for a moment do I question their devotion to their partners.

Amid the hundreds of people who instantly appeared on the steps of the Supreme Court to celebrate the ruling, a couple of moments made me tear up a bit. One of the men who sued the state of Ohio to allow his name to be placed on his partner's death certificate as his immediate next of kin, held up a picture of his departed partner and tried to explain what this ruling met to him. The other emotional moment came when an all-male chorus broke into a splendid spontaneous rendition of “The Star Spangled Banner.” It was their way of saying they were still proud to be Americans.

The ruling which seems to say we can no longer discriminate against people based on their sexual orientation brought to mind another time in our history. There was a time when women were not allowed to vote. There was also a time when people of different races were considered second class citizens in parts of this country. The Court's ruling blasted another stumbling block toward equality.

The other major event in this country this past week was a gathering of more than 5,000 mourners in South Carolina for the funeral of a young pastor. The funeral was attended by the president and vice president and their wives, along with several members of congress and other officials.

The President delivered a very moving eulogy, capped by his singing of “Amazing Grace.” It was a fitting tribute to the victim and his family and hopefully a comfort to a stricken community, state and nation. It also delivered a message to those misinformed folks who still maintain that our president is a Muslim. How many Muslims do you know that can sing that old spiritual with such emotion?

While President Obama may have been the first president to sing while speaking at a funeral, he is not our first Mourner in Chief. Unfortunately, wars and other tragedies have forced our presidents of both parties to be our spokesmen. We may not agree with their politics, those that I have observed over the years have represented us well.

We are in the last 18 months of this administration. This week showed that President Obama has a chance at a positive legacy. But that can only happen if the opposition will abandon its smokescreens regarding gay marriage and affordable health care and concentrate on dealing with the real problems we still face.

No comments:

Post a Comment