Op Ed: Change Process Shapes Healthcare Despite GOPsters Demands of Democracy Guarantee Delayed- 'Right'

Part 2 of 2: On healthcare, America has long lingered ‘way back in the early 1900’s, when famed warrior Theodore Roosevelt first realized the nation must have firm, full, fast, effective, efficient healthcare for every citizen.

(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

(EUGENE, Ore.) - Despite all resistance-possible in any democracy, the majority-power for decision must finally drive what is done. Centuries of development since early emergence of democratic concepts has devolved into a complex process of change, demonstrated down the long, dark halls of history ever since early Roman and Greek days.

That change-process has always been the massive, driving and shaping pattern --and also the main tool-- for all forward progress, especially for natural human rights. The crucial lessons of the Reformation and the Enlightenment emphasize how we can best govern to guarantee its accomplishment: Rationally, reasonably, by dialog and discussion and debate, ending in democratic consensus and consequential cooperation for cordial mutual governance.

That’s WHY our Constitution begins with resonant, ringing reference to “the pursuit of happiness” --fully realized, for all, for sure, only when good health makes that remarkable action possible. When that “majority-rules” fundamental principle is disregarded --whether by neglect or simplistic denial -- disaster follows far too closely for all concerned, on any page of history one chooses to seek out.

The truly democratic principle is for rational and reasonable --and responsible-- dissent, decently then presented, for full consideration and final consensus via the wise mutual actions of elected representatives.

Of all human rights, that of effective, affordable healthcare is widely understood as the most basic of all such citizen benefits, more essential-and-demanded in the 21st Century than any other action undertaken by government.

It is undeniably an essential foundation for true national security, by providing healthy citizens to build both wealth through employment, and progressive social action through citizen responsibilities. That’s WHY the current, ill-conceived GOPstercabal decision to oppose healthcare reform as political tool to build “a Waterloo” for the Obama Administration was rapidly recognized as only merciless, mind-boggling, massively manipulative political pandering, by most thinking Americans; and by many nationally-published writers with major insights into American politics.

Immediately recognized for the primitive and longdisproven political philosophy it claimed as foundation, its current disastrous denigration of former party-wide reputation has now become among the most damaging and future-defeating debacles in U.S. political history. In this 21st Century, can there any longer be any principled question for the necessity of centralized and strong government, given easily-observed state of the world?

Healthcare Bill related White House images

Is there still a small spark smoldering here, buried in the unreasoning “fear of bureaucracy” (read: socialism, communism, or any other political fright-word); and clinging to the chimera of “the miracle of the markets”, driven by “fair and open competition”? (For the latter, read: corporate dollar-driven influence by means of massive “campaign contributions”.)

If so, let it be Enlightened and Reformed by the very facts of worldwide change-and-massive continuing development --led by such charging aggressors of outworn and widely-disregarded international “old rules”, like China, India and the other emerging nations, seeking for themselves whatever advantages can now be well accomplished by superior education, massive further manipulation of world politics, and entirely different, essentially conflicting values.

The world doth change, before our very eyes, and the process hass always been slow, painful, demanding and --if not understood and “contained by cooperative action” --dangerous to those who fail to see.

Today that unavoidable process of change is itself being inevitably quickened and realistically shortened, by the simple facts of international life involving new technologies not only for communication but for rapid political emergence by vastly more competitive peoples.

On healthcare, America has long lingered ‘way back in the early 1900’s, when famed warrior Theodore Roosevelt first realized the nation must have firm, full, fast, effective, efficient healthcare for every citizen.

That slow-process of change has been emerging here ever since --denied, delayed, and even defeated during preceding political regimes --prior to this one, where progress has now been achieved as new,strong law. But elsewhere, worldwide, effective, efficient forms of modernized healthcare have arrived...while we stalled and quarreled, and paid the price by inertia and ennui.

One cannot govern by obstruction to those placed in political leadership by majority vote. To defy and deny the wit, wisdom and will of the American people is to forget that still-vital and highly essential “American exceptionalism”, demonstrated all down through our history.

All that has ever been accomplished by denial of democracy’s first rule --that the majority governs, guided by principled dissent from the minority-- is the inevitable resulting delay, denial, damage and destruction for which this current situation will now become classic textbook example.

When carried to extremes by those few who refuse to learn from history and worldwide experience over centuries, the result has always been disastrous civil war pitting brothers and fathers against one another -- even in a civilized nation like the United States.

In fact, it was “the nullifiers” and the Southern plantation-owner cotton-planter attitude which made our massively destructive Civil War inevitable --even with the great insights and strong actions of Andrew Jackson and Abraham Lincoln. Are there parallels fully apparent in the public statements and political actions under discussion here?

For that, you need only apply our ongoing rule of “see with own eyes and evaluate with own mind” --aided by the sure signs emanating from those who sign the checks for all those millions spent daily to “create a Waterloo for Obama.”.

That “first rule” is among the most essential and clearly most important lessons learned by mankind in the politically and religiously painful redevelopments and proven-principle reforms accomplished during all of the Reformation and Enlightenment decades --establishing the frame and foundation for what has become the worldwide search for forward-striding democracy ever since.

It has long been said that All politics is personal, That highly-evident truth is reflected daily-- thousands and perhaps even millions of times-- by the events and occurrences we see demonstrated in the debacles of such as the Tea Party tee-offs; and the “birthers” bewailing Obama’s arrival; and the crash of catastrophically-hurled bricks or boulders through the windows of political-party offices.

What we see emerging here is simple continuation of uncogitated political-party competition, disintegrating into into the personal expression of mob rule rather than the completion of democratic change-process.

Whether the mob is uninformed or misinformed -- or really malignly-intended and intensified by political subterfuge-- counts for very little: The destruction still denies and defeats the very principles of democracy itself. It is surely safe and fair to state that most of us, as thinking, sensitive, sensible citizens --surely with many major and some massive personal problems --still prefer change process precisely and professionally handled --rather than descent into denial and the inevitable destruction of democracy which always accompanies mob rule.

To bring to all American citizens what has long been the boon and the blessing for the many millions otherwise placed in this world should surely be fully and firmly enough motivation to manage majority confluence of all concerned --rapidly, fairly, and fully democratic in both pattern and performance under the new law of the land.

Healthcare is the first new citizen birthright to be achieved in many a painful pattern of disintegrating democratic governance since the New Deal. How we handle this one sets the system standards for what we do with the rest of what we all know still needs fixing in our fine, strong still-developing nation.

Here is the link to Part One: Mar-23-2010: Op Ed: 'Exceptionalism' Demonstrated In Healthcare Law Patience, Perseverance, People-Power Prevail Again - Henry Clay Ruark Salem-News.com

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At 21, Henry Clay Ruark was Aroostook Editor for the Bangor, Maine DAILY NEWS, covering the upper 1/4 of the state. In the ‘40s, he was Staff Correspondent, then New England Wires Editor at United Press-Boston; later Editor for the Burlington, Vermont 3-daily group owned by Wm. Loeb, later notorious at Manchester, New Hampshire UNION LEADER for attacks on Democratic Presidential candidates.

Hank returned to Oregon to complete M. Ed. degree at OSU, went on to Indiana University for Ed.D. (abd) and special other course-work; was selected as first Information Director for NAVA in Washington, D.C.; helped write sections of NDEA, first Act to supply math, science, foreign language consultants to state depts. of education; joined Oregon Dept. of Education, where he served as NDEA administrator/Learning Media Consultant for ten years.

He joined Dr. Amo DeBernardis at PCC, helping establish, extend programs, facilities, Oregon/national public relations; moved to Chicago as Editor/Publisher of oldest educational-AV journal, reformed as AV GUIDE Magazine; then established and operated Learning Media Associates as general communications consultant group. Due to wife’s illness, he returned to Oregon in 1981, semi-retired, and has continued writing intermittently ever since, joining S-N in 2004. His Op Eds now total over 560 written since then.