Sitting in the emergency room after a scary episode of chest pains I am prepared for the drill that over 50 million Americans who have no form of medical insurance must endure in order to receive any type of healthcare in this country. The drill consists of walking into an overcrowded emergency room, waiting for hours and finally being seen by a tired and overworked emergency room staff. With good fortune I will be seen, treated and sent home with some type of remedy to the problem that brought me here.
In the Emergency Room today are poor immigrants, senior citizens, welfare moms and babies, homeless folks and young street kids. None of these people have insurance and all find it necessary to come here for healthcare. There are few emergencies here today but all find the E.R. to be the only place to go for care. While I am here today I overhear a case that typifies our country’s failure to provide a comprehensive national health program:
An 18 year old migrant worker from El Salvador is admitted after ignoring stomach pain for six months because of having no money and no place to go for help. Finally the pain drives him to the ER and he is diagnosed, just in time, with kidney failure as a result of pancreatitis. Waiting one more day may have killed him. I wonder if the corporate giants that lured him here to work for slave wages feel any responsibility for his care? Does our current administration care more about protecting corporate profits than protecting its citizens?
If it were not for the bigger picture that my program affords me it would be easy to be-come depressed and discouraged about living in a country that cares very little for the welfare of its citizens. As the rich get richer and the current administration spends billions of dollars on an unnecessary war, as the government contractors continue to line their pockets on the misfortune of others; its own people cannot afford the very basics of medical care. While bureaucrats, politicians, doctors, HMO’s, insurance companies and pharmaceutical companies prosper our country is decaying from the inside out. As poverty and its resulting social conditions of ignorance, hunger, addiction, drug abuse, crime and illness increase at an alarming rate our federal government seems less and less interested in the general welfare of its citizenry.
Over the years I have chosen to follow our tradition that says we do not engage in any controversy and I have been satisfied to deal with my concern over our social problems by trying to shed some hope and light locally. I find that if I try and stay in a spiritual place above the day to day societal problems I am much happier. However it is at times like this when my personal situation forces me into dealing with these issues that my “old hippy” anti-establishment attitudes resurface.
As editor and publisher of a newspaper for recovering people and people on a spiritual path, I try to consciously avoid politically oriented journalism. In fact I am often criticized by some friends for being too “bland”. My own editorial columns almost always deal with sobriety, spirituality and positive messages of hope. In ten years I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve published anything even remotely “political”. This is kind of ironic for someone who developed his political and social roots in the sixties.
The years have moderated my views but it is impossible to ignore the glaring turn for the worse that our country has experienced over the last four years. The time has come for us to take our country back and restore it to the caring, compassionate oasis in the world that it has always been. The very values that those of us in recovery cherish and practice daily are needed at the national level. Instead of having our country’s policies based on the fears and negativity of a leader with his own substance abuse issues, it is time for those of us on the positive side of life, and who know better, to become responsible.
Our motto roughly paraphrased says: “Whenever anyone, anywhere reaches out for help the hand of our fellowship should always be there.” Our country needs help, our hands as responsible members of society need to be.