Healthcare For All, A Communist Conspiracy?

Barack Obama is trying to sort out the inequalities of the American health care system where 46 million people have no health care insurance, most from the working classes and most being native Americans or immigrants. The situation is getting worse as business cut back their employee costs by reducing the level of cover provided to the bare minimum or withdrawing the perk altogether. You would have thought the country’s politicians would be keen to resolve the problem and actively working to find a solution. Nothing could be further from the truth.

The bill Obama is trying to get through Congress has a mix of measures that attempts to meet the needs of the many pressure groups who only want to see changes made on their terms. The problem he faces is two fold. Firstly many of these pressure groups have diametrically opposite views and would never find common ground; secondly many people see the provision of a universal health care service as a socialist policy; and socialism is too close to communism to be any part of the American Way.

The one option Obama has not discussed or considered is the model of healthcare used in the majority of the developed world; one provided by the government and paid for through taxation, sometimes with the option to add an element of private care or to substitute it entirely. Obama knows this model would have the conservative right taking to the streets in their thousands and jeopardise his chance of a second term even though he has only just started his first. He has made some brave decisions and completely changes many policies of the previous administration, on this matter, however, he seems to have gone soft.

Keeping Enemies Friendly

The opposition outrage at President Barack Obama shaking hands with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is not unexpected. Any opportunity such as this should not be missed, nor should have Obama missed an opportunity to get close to someone who has previously criticised American policy and some people consider is an enemy of the US. Obama is starting to do the very thing previous American Presidents have been unwilling to do, talk to those leaders who are in conflict with the West.

The only way the world’s problems are going to be resolved is by talking and understanding each others view point. Simply demanding a country adopts the democratic way is going to get nowhere. Threatening them because they want to have the same destructive technology as everyone in the west is rather ironic.

Obama has made it clear he wishes to be a more conciliatory president. He has already made concessions on travel to Cuba and his meeting with Chavez will help bring stability to the Americas. However the imprisonment of an American citizen in Iran will be difficult to manage and could derail his attempt to open a productive dialogue with the Arab world. East West relations are probably the biggest challenge he faces. Lets hope he ignores the critics and continues to shake hands with his enemies.