<\/p>\n
There was a spiritual dimension A precedent was set that may help <\/p>\n The idea of democratic Oligarchs and worse will always Democratic governance is the In my view single payer makes the However, by requiring everyone to Flawed as it is, “Obamacare” re-establishes Second, the avenues through which A certain impoverished brand of Last night America as a nation This was the real victory last <\/p>\n UPDATE<\/b><\/p>\n
\nto the victory of health care reform last night. <\/span>One that decent people of any religion can celebrate.<\/p>\n
\nreverse a deep misunderstanding of the nature of democratic government, and
\nthis precedent is a deeply moral and ethical one.<\/p>\n
\n<\/p>\n
\nself-governance by a community of equals is to enable it to serve its own
\ninterests as well as it is capable.
\n<\/span>In this democratic government is like undemocratic government – but with
\none exception. <\/span>For kings and
\noligarchs and single parties the entire community is supposed to be a resource
\nthrough which the leaders serve themselves. <\/span>In a democratic one such as ours the community exists to
\nseek its own good. <\/span>This may seem a
\nsmall distinction, but it is a pivotal one. <\/span><\/p>\n
\nseek to twist that goal into their own direction, and always will succeed to
\nsome degree. <\/span>But rarely have they
\ndone a better job than during the past several decades. <\/span>Entirely lost in our public debate has
\nbeen any sense that our government should be our servant. <\/span>When in power the dominators claimed we
\nshould be subject to it. <\/span>When out
\nof power the same dominators treated it as a alien force planning to enslave
\nus. <\/span>Entirely lost from our public
\ndebate was the Founders’ vision of a free community of self-governing people as
\nan ideal.<\/p>\n
\nmeans by which a community can address goods for itself that neither small
\nscale cooperation nor a free market can address – goods like health care. <\/span>Private insurance CAN NOT make medical
\ninsurance available for everyone because its motive – profit – when combined
\nwith ever increasing knowledge of who is likely to get sick and by how much –
\ncombine to guarantee those who need it most will be unable to afford it while
\nthose who need it least will. <\/span>The
\nONLY solution that makes long-term sense is to create one big pool – the
\ncommunity as a whole. <\/p>\n
\nmost sense, but our public debate was so distorted by ignorance, power, money,
\nand corruption that it never got much attention – despite having more public
\nsupport than any other option. <\/span><\/p>\n
\njoin while prohibiting companies from using pre-existing conditions to deny anyone
\nadmittance, “Obamacare” is a rough approximation to it. <\/span>It tries to address our needs as a
\ncommunity of citizens from within the deeply inappropriate private insurance
\nmodel that sees us as nothing but a gaggle of consumers.<\/p>\n
\ntwo essential principles. <\/span>First,
\nas a community we can and should seek to address community wide problems that
\ninflict great suffering on its weakest embers. <\/span><\/p>\n
\nwe can think about a better life are more numerous than simply capitalism and
\nsmall-scale private cooperation.
\n<\/span>Both are part of the options, but there is so much more that is
\npossible. The world of possibilities is opened wider.<\/p>\n
\nspirituality sees all spiritual issues in purely individual terms. <\/span>Glen <\/span>Beck and his war on “social justice” seems to be one of its
\navatars. <\/span>But genuine spirituality
\nenlarges our context of care beyond our narrow selves to embrace a steadily
\nwidening sphere of concern. <\/span>Other
\npeople, even strangers, become important. For those who, like ourselves, see
\nthe Sacred as embracing the earth, this wonderful planet we share with so many
\nother beings is included. <\/span>And all
\nthat lives here.<\/p>\n
\nfinally opened its eyes to a wider and deeper context of care. One embracing
\nthe insights of every religion worthy of the name. <\/span>And it did so as our Founders hoped it would happen – not
\nthrough enforcing a religious vision but enabling those of us who are motivated
\nby our spiritual visions to come together, each in our own way, to serve the
\nlarger good that encompasses us all.<\/p>\n
\nnight, and this was why the forces of fear and domination, human and otherwise,
\nworked so incredibly hard against it.
\n<\/span>They lost. <\/span>I think a
\ncrucial corner may have been turned. <\/span>May they continue to do so.<\/p>\n