Just another average morning. Nothing really stands out from the day. I am building the Civics & Economics students up to a little project, but they do not realize it. Today they had to go to the computer lab and look for a few people on the House of Representatives website and the Senate website. A week ago I asked the students to simply write down a political issue that was important to them. We will connect the two by having the students do some research on their issue and write a letter to their congressperson and Senators. I think it will be good practice. And hopefully their letters will be met with a response, just as my letters are. I hope that the people in congress will not ignore letters from teens because they cannot YET vote. It would be a shame to throw away future votes that way. My goal is to have the students realize that it isn't difficult to stay informed about the issues that are important to them and to make their views known to government - a right guaranteed in the First Amendment. Hopefully this will be the beginning of active participation in civics for these students and they will continue to exercise this right throughout their lives. To me, this is the biggest political problem plaguing America - voter apathy.
A friend of mine sent me an email today regarding yesterday's blog. I will respect this person's privacy by not saying mentioning the person by name. I assume they would like to remain anonymous or else they would have posted the response directly to this blog (by the way, if you have any comments to add, feel free to post a comment). Although we do not agree politically, our debates/discussions really help in getting our opinions out. To me, it is fun, unless, of course, it gets personal. I try not to get personal, I am not sure I always succeed. Anyway, today's email was a vote against a state funded healthcare system, which I could would support - always remember, the devil is in the details! When I set out my response, I realized a couple of related things. Here is my response:
So you are saying you'd rather the elderly have to choose between food and medication? Or children, who will sit along side yours in school, not go to the doctor to take care of normal illnesses such as colds, flu, etc? Would you rather children who grow up with a compromised immune system due to a lack of health care to become a larger burden on the system for acute problems that take them to ERs? Oh, and by the way, a hospital cannot turn away someone who requires medical attention even if it is unlikely they will ever pay for the service. So who will pay for those costs then? Sure, there will be patients who will unfortunately slip through the system and have illnesses not attended, but that is better than a systematic denial of healthcare to those in need. And if you are worried about what government will do with a state run healthcare system, it is your job to provide oversight as a concerned voter to keep pressure on your elected officials. If we are not happy with the way elected officials take care of the tasks we ask them to, then it is our job to lean on them. And if we don't then it is just as much our fault as it is theirs. The root of the problem then is apathy. If citizens took the time to provide oversight to our government, as it was intended, then we would be less disappointed with the results. I am in favor of a state run system. In the details, I am not entire sure what I would like, but there is no reason why a state run system could not run along side a privatized system, since it would be likely that the private system would be more comprehensive for those who can afford it. But for those who cannot afford it, a minimum amount of healthcare is logical. In the long run it will likely reduce the burden on the system as a whole if preventative measures can be taken to reduce the risks of people getting debilitating illnesses later on in life. It just seems that we are too reactionary then proactive. We wait for something to happen before we decide to acknowledge the problem. In addition, I would be neglecting my duty to point out that for the BILLIONS of dollars poured into Iraq, and not nearly as much to show for it, the money would be better spent here on our own citizens who need it (not those profiteering from the continued war). And no, I don't think I am being too cynical.What I realized is government has been able to get away with shoddy responses to political issues because the citizens have let them off the hook. We as citizens have not been vigilant and held our elected officials accountable for the debacles they create. It is our job as citizens to be heard. To voice our opinions about government and the issues that we find important. If we do not, then we are just as much to blame. The easiest way for a citizen to voice their opinion is through their vote. By voting for the candidate that best supports the issues you favor you send a message of what is important to you. Those who do not vote are not being heard - and I hate to say, that is a majority of US citizens. But we can also write letters to our elected officials. The Internet has made the process painless. Simply surf over to the House or Representatives website or the Senate website, find your Representative/Senators, and on their webpage send them an email. They all have a form for you to use that makes it very simple. So is the war in Iraq bothering you? Email your congressperson. What about healthcare? Social Security? Education, Immigration, terrorism, taxes, whatever. Let them know how you feel. Remember, they are there to represent YOU. If you don't tell them how you feel, they will never know. This is an important responsibility of being an American citizen. Here in America we flaunt our freedom and open government and yet we don't practice or use the very things we brag about. Millions of people around the world die fighting for just some of the freedoms and rights we enjoy, and here we are squandering them. Don't be afraid to be heard, no harm can come of it. In fact, someone may actually listen.
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