Thursday, March 20, 2008



When I was younger, I thought the US was the only place to be, and I was thankful to have lived life there. Now, I know that there are other nice places around the world, but I’m still thankful that I lived life there. There are so many wonderful things about the country, and I’m so thankful. At the same time, I want to help improve the country and address some of the many problems still plaguing it. It scares me, here in South Africa, when I see people say things like “Well, in America, they have so much debt,” and “But look at the American system for presidential primaries.” And they use us as a measure. The problem is that we’re not perfect nor do we do everything in the right way or in a good way. So people sometimes mimic our bad behavior as well.

Here we have 16.9 million people in debt. A news reporter said in response to this, “But don’t Americans have a lot of debt?” I wanted to shake her very quickly and then smile. It’s not a good thing. On top of that, there are only 16 economically active people in South Africa (the population is about 45 million). So that’s a huge percentage (6/16 is under 19 percent). They passed a law/act here that makes it harder for lenders to recklessly pursue bad loans from people. And it places some liability on the lenders. It doesn’t make it impossible, though. Moreover, the greater problem is the backlog of loans before the act took effect. And so there are many people economically paralyzed due to the situation and predatory lending.

Over here such mimicking scares me. I see it happening with health care. I really wish that we (ZA) did something similar to the UK or France. It would be hard here as the hospitals could be overwhelmed (especially directly after apartheid), but I love the practice with medical doctors here: after 6 years in university and getting your medical degree, you have a year of internship and a year of community service in which you are assigned many times to rural areas around the country. Instead the US system has taken root and health care is out of the reach of too many South Africans.


In the US, about 1 in 6 Americans don’t have health insurance or health care. And the situation is sad. I know a lot of people don’t like Michael Moore; the say he’s one-sided and he exaggerates. Personally I think measured middle-of-the-road people like me don’t really incite people enough about certain situations. So it’s good to have some people who present one side. Plus, he’s allowed as he does not represent the media (who should be even-handed). He’s propagating his view or, some would say, the facts. Some would say exaggerations. I think this is his least controversial (best because of that?) film.

The very thing that makes us great—our free market or supercapitalism, our hyperentrepreneurship. It has made us a leader all over the world. Since the world runs on corporations (am I allowed to say that?) our influence is felt in almost every country as our influence spreads through globalization. It is the same area in which we are losing our edge and lead, and others are gaining in number of businesses and pace of technology (like China and India or Japan). But as I have seen, sometimes the system comes above people or the institution becomes more important than the individual. I’ve seen it in institutions of higher education. And I’ve seen it in our system.

I’m not sure why a little help from the government scares people (well, I do know why), but capitalism unchecked is chaos or anarchy. It just doesn’t work. It needs help and direction; it needs a conscience. It needs a hand.

People say the normal things. “Oh he shows how bad it is in the US, but he doesn’t show the issues with health care in the UK and the long lines.” Though most people who talk about the long lines in places like Canada or the UK are not Canadian or British, it is true that you can wait longer. And it’s true UK people complain about the wait, and they actually have the option to pay for private health care if they don’t want to (a friend of mine could get an x-ray to prove the absence of tuberculosis in 10 days or he could do private and have it done in 2 days; remember only ONE isolated example, but just to give an idea). I would like to point out (just thinking matter-of-factly) it is better to receive care after waiting than none at all. So point taken: if you are rich it is better to live in the US. But it scares me when we have a system that favors the rich. I want to be part of a people that cares about the least of us, the least among us. It should work for even the poorest.

The stories in the film are moving and true. But I don’t just speak vicariously or from watching; I, too, have experienced issues with health insurance. It’s the simple problem that arises—a conflict of interest—when the person who is supposed to make decisions about your care and health is also a person (an organization) trying to maximize profits. The two need to be separated. It’s clear from the US system. It’s why I had an operation deemed necessary by my doctor that my insurance viewed as unnecessary and wouldn’t fund. I’m very picky about money and, on my own, would not have had it. But I got advice from friends. They suggested it was better to go into debt and be healthy than to stay out of debt and not have something that was important. So I did.

But I know how it important, I know how people in the US have died from refusal, I know how it is not fair, I know how some people who want coverage cannot get it, I know how Medicaid/Medicare doesn’t cover everything and is not enough many times. I know it. And I hope that it is something that is changed by the next president. But in all honesty, I would prefer a more extreme change than any suggested, not universal health care due to lower prices, universal free health care or universally accessible health care. It can be done and there are examples around the world. It is what is needed here as the situation is dire. There are too many without anything.

People attack Michael M. a lot. And I know he presents one side. But the reason I like him is that he fights for "the least of these," as Jesus would put it. I have no idea his faith, but that spirit is wonderful. He is using the film and website to help and publicize the cases of people who are dying. Do you remember John Q? It’s the same thing, just less controversial to opponents when an argument is presented in fiction or story form. Let me just mention one thing he did in the film.

There is an unnamed vitriolic attacker and critic of Michael Moore, and this gentleman runs a website. Sadly, this gentleman’s wife became very ill and the price of her medical bills/treatment was above what he could pay. In order for her to receive treatment he would have to shut down his anti-Michael Moore site because he would need the funds used for that site. He would need those funds to pay for his wife’s health care. In the film, Michael Moore says that he (Michael Moore) believes no one in the US should have to choose between health care and their right to free speech. So after discovering the cost of the wife’s medical treatments/procedures, Michael decides to send the guy an anonymous check to cover the expenses of his wife’s operation/treatment/procedures. He of course had to send it anonymously. After a long while, the critic wrote back apologizing for his delay in sending thanks to the anonymous person. The delay was due to the fact that he did not believe that the money was real. But he finally checked into it, and it was real. He was so thankful and so appreciative and so gratefully relieved. And now his site is still running with increased fervor and invective (some vulgar) used against Michael Moore. I’m sure the guy did not know Michael paid for the bill, but after viewing the movie, he does now. Some might call it a stunt and not real care on the part of Michael Moore.

I'm just thankful she received care.

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