Health Care Reform and Immigration: Morality and Common Sense

Protecting and Promoting Human Rights Are a Unique American Tradition

Greg Spinks
Health Care reform is a complex issue with many tangled webs; add immigration into the mix and it can be an explosive issue in some political circles. Both issues have competing "factual data" and mis-informed truths and, well, call it for what it is, propaganda. Bluntly, the bottom line is money; some are going to loose under reform, others will gain and they are both fighting mad to protect their interests.

While it has been difficult to make an informed and intelligent decision, health care reform should include all persons within our borders because it is an American value and dream. Health care is an evolving human rights issue; protecting and enhancing human rights are an American value. Health care is a right similar to others such: Civil Rights, Equal Opportunity, Disabled Rights, Voting Rights.

Americans have a long tradition of protecting the rights others; our cemeteries and hospitals are filled with those honorable members of our Armed Forces serve as adequate proof.

America is a diverse land of many religious expressions. Many expressions are anchored in a Christian viewpoint of existence. Health care reform is a religious issue within Christian belief, as well as, an issue found in other faith expressions. The Gospel commandment for Christians is to love another, not just some, but all, even enemies.

Politics and religion need to live side by side without one or the other becoming the dominant lifestyle. Religious issue take on a political perspective, much the same as political issues take on a religious perspective; it is a healthy debate and tension. Religious values are not the realm of religious leadership and organized institutions in great cathedrals and Sunday mass media shows; in reality, religious values are far more personal, between an individual and his or her God as well as the inseparable communal aspects.

Health care for all persons within the borders is also a common sense issue. While the path of H1N1 is still unknown, it serves as something of a wake-up call. People who are sick need to seek good medical care before a disease becomes rampant and out of control. In some ways, this common sense issue could also be viewed as a national security one.

National defense is a subject often not discussed in the health care reform debate. There are non-citizens in our Armed Forces serving the nation; there are some serving whose parents are undocumented immigrants or illegals, or whatever buzz phrase. Under an exclusionary and unnecessary heath care policy, they would be unjustly denied affordable health care.

Certainly, many political and religious leaders have worked hard to bring about health care reform, others have not. With more hard work, the questions about national security, our Armed Forces and immigration and humane procedures for illegal immigrants can be justly resolved within deep rooted American values..

We need to move forward and create the best health care system possible, one based on human rights, American principles and moral values. It's also plain common sense.

Published by Greg Spinks

I try to earn a living as a freelance writer. I have written in the past for newspapers, magazines and have contributed to two local history books. I live in a small rual township in northwestern Pennsylvan...   View profile

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  • Michael Woyce 9/27/2009

    I think it would be amazing if everyone could have health care, but wouldn't it be better if everyone had jobs? Instead of handing out free or reduced health care through a government option lets make it that businesses want to invest here in America and create job opportunities so we can all use earned money on health care. As to immigration, well I think Mike makes a good point about putting America in the front but its a touchy subject and as you mention opens up many avenues of dissent. I think health care reform is just a good way to keep us from realizing how far our government has slipped and how deep in debt it is.

  • Mike Hatz 9/27/2009

    (con't) Make it so anyone who wants to live in America cannot do so without pledging to become an American without still having one foot in the soil of their former nation. Seriously, be proud of your heritage, as I am of my Polish and Slovak roots; but allegiance to the country where you reside should come before that.

  • Mike Hatz 9/27/2009

    Look, Greg, I am politically independent with Libertarian leanings myself, and I wish I could help everybody on Earth; really, I do. but if we go to a system with more people consuming from it than there is paying into it, that is a recipe for disaster. Also, as the grandson of LEGAL immigrants, I have a real problem with our corporate controlled government letting all these illegals stay here, just so they can provide our greedy system with cheap labor. Furthermore, my best friend, and Iraq war veteran who saved over $30K while serving over there, has gone broke spending it on immigration lawyers trying to get his Polish wife made a legal citizen. And they're still trying to deport her and his child! I am sick of seeing people punished for trying to do things right because our greedy cowardly politicians want to buy votes wherever they can. The moral thing to do is to create more OPPORTUNITIES for people to support themselves, and make it so anyone who wants to live in America c

  • Mike Hatz 9/27/2009

    While there is no question that we need health care reform (and true reform, and not just a giveaway of more goodies funded at taxpayer's expenxe), common sense dictates that the bill, in the form of HR 3200, would do nothing but increase the already cumbersome burden of taxation on the producers of the nation. Add illegal immigration to the mix, and there will be all kinds of third-worlders flocking to our shores to take advantage of the situation. I use Knoxville as a great example in a different scenario. Our quite liberal amenities for the homeless and transients are a magnet for those from other metropolitan areas. Through their incredible underground grapevine, word gets out that Knoxville welcomes them more than most other cities. Next thing you know, we have WAY more than we can handle, both financially and infrastructure-wise.

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