D-I-Y Democracy Endangered By Citizen Ennui.
(EUGENE, Ore.) - D-I-Y Democracy Endangered By Citizen Ennui
By Henry Clay Ruark for Salem-News.com
Factual probing by wide-ranging channels long ago proved up solid American public demand for direct and strong reform of our obviously now-corrupted and broken healthcare system.
Many current continuing polls, journalistic projects and formal reports from agencies involved show the same continuing demands: The American people understand their healthcare dilemma, and when properly consulted they demand true and comprehensive reform as their human right.
Yet public ennui, primarily based on continuing lack of solid decision-shaping information, allows our Congress to play political games with one of the most dangerous, damaging and destructive developments ever to threaten our nation.
That information-status has steadily deteriorated ever since 1912, when universal healthcare was first considered by then-President Theodore Roosevelt, It was summarily killed off then --at the beginning conceptual stage-- by strong opposition from the same forces then only beginning their unending efforts ever since to take over, control and direct our democratic governance system.
Today --nearly ONE HUNDRED YEARS later !-- we find ourselves subjected to repeated billion-dollar/power to continue the same defy-deny-delay actions.
The goal is clear: “They” mean to defeat, if possible, an action long ago accomplished in every other civilized and “advanced” --or even only-now “advancing” nation.
One specific goal --and overriding result of strong and successful propagandizing techniques over the past decades-- is to create and continue to project the natural ennui of busy-life/surrounded citizens into a dangerous apathy, when their human rights are under challenge.
In this healthcare situation, the challenge comes from those who stand to profit from continued predation on unavoidable human miseries, reduced to statistical probabilities sure to lead to that result if allowed.
That determined and highly obvious corporate and special-interest effort --continued at such high cost and undeniable application across all media today -- cannot fail to call probing attention to profit and other dollar-driven motives for such massive expenditures.
Those predations are now clearly seen to occur by not only that sector of the healthcare industry but also by some few among many good/faith healthcare suppliers. (Ironic note: Major strength for such massive flows for corporate propaganda purposes clearly comes from the “Corporate campaign contributions” erroneousprecedent decision by the Supreme Court. That’s made ironic here by the continuing examination of nominee Judge Sotomayor, at precisely the same time as Congressional study-for-decision on human-right provisions for healthcare.)
That very fact should brightly illuminate the unavoidable conclusion that there must be even more reason (read: “unconscionable profits”) here now than in past decades. The historic record shows clearly that early death for just-beginning healthcare concepts was then, too, accomplished via much the same methods.
Further record-revealing examination indicates a number of closely similar “defy-deny-delay and defeat” situations, the last surely known to all occurring as a major debacle during the Clinton Administration.
Despite long-cultivated mythic massage meticulously applied for propagandizing purposes in all-possible media channels, the real worldwide healthcare record is clear and undisputable: Where universal healthcare has been accomplished, the vast majority of citizens are receiving levels above and beyond what our broken system has been able to achieve here.
“Universal” is the basic planning and operational principle for each and every such effective system. Surely we need urgently to remedy and reform a system which has failed us in achieving that human right to affordable and accessible healthcare.
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The fact of recognition as human right is now broadly acknowledged around the world as indispensable public service, by not only broad international adoptions but also by declaration of a variety of international agencies and organizations.
That’s despite some surely expectable individual examples of delay and denial, seen in nearly every such system. Those are comparatively few both in number and impact, given the very large working bases for which all such system must be designed. We can surely learn from that long experience, in the planning, patterns and protocols of our own version here.
We pride ourselves on being the world leader in the very technologies demanded for full information to all concerned re each patient-involved. Yet we lag painfully --at very high costs both in dollars and defeated healthcare applications not nearly so fully available as they deserve to be --especially given our current learning efforts re true preventive healthcare for every citizen.
That’s the solid foundation on which the most effective cost-prevention conceptions in healthcare now surely depends: Widespread application of data-recording and easyaccess transmission to every citizen and all healthcare providers involved can make not only possible but easily applicable nearly every needed fact for true preventive care.
Already, wise preventive-care is very well now established as the root factor for any cost/effective new effort demanded to fully surround and surmount what we now must face as an overwhelming national need. For some, it is not merely a need but a very threatening and dangerous emergency demand.
We have nearly FIFTY MILLION Americans now contending with life-difficulties, including unemployment and partial or complete disabilities or personal situations debarring them from the life-preserving healthcare we others are fortunate enough to continue.
WHY do we still allow to happen corporate-based dollar-driven massively manipulative actions to defy our recognized realities - and thus AGAIN deny and delay truly AMERICAN-STYLE universal healthcare?
WHY is it that we citizens do not now exercise our first, foremost, and surely the most essential human right we have, reflected in the First Amendment, to speak out strongly on what we believe and the reasonswhy? With solid communication to OUR OWN elected representatives in Congress-assembled, charged by oath and our choice to act AS WE DIRECT?
THERE’S the answer for the current threatening danger of still another “universal health care debacle, already predictable by dollar-driven deeply-piled ‘contributions’ selectively placed in secure fashion via seductive means” -- as predicted by several major national sources. (Quote combined from excerpts to summarize statements too lengthy for verbatim inclusion here.)
WHAT can WE DO, NOW, to prevent this from occurring - again? Need you ask? You have access to computer email, since that’s the channel you are using now.
You have access also, almost for sure, to the simple but most powerful communications-tool/of-all: The telephone. Easy access to every elected Congressperson goes with that computer you are using to read this; your ‘phone --either wired or wireless/cell-- is surely right at your hand, either right or left. SO the choice for sudden contact and conversation with your Congress colleagues --both Representatives and Senators-- is truly NOT a RIGHT or LEFT-oriented decision. It is simply, naturally, and ONLY another question of YOUR CHOICE.
A wise philosopher put it pure and simple some decades ago: NOT to DECIDE is to DECIDE.... No matter on what form, or shape, or size, or system of healthcare you feel is best, NOW is the time for YOU to declare yourself to your Congress: Denied-delayed decision for reform, change, direction --even funding-- must NOT be allowed to block and sabotage-again what we need and must have NOW in this nation: UNIVERSAL HEALTHCARE as enjoyed in every other civilized nation in our 21st Century world.
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At 21, Henry Clay Ruark was Aroostook Editor for the Bango, Maine DAILY NEWS, covering 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 as NDEA administrator/Learning Media Consultant for tenyears.
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.
Op Ed: Healthcare ReformSalem-News.com