My friend Eric

I'd like to encourage everyone to check out this website that is for single payer health care.
http://www.americanhealthcarereform.org/
I've posted this picture of my friend Eric A. because his story is an example of what we have now. I came to know Eric in the summer of 1990. He was one of my housemates in a latter day hippie house here in Durham. We were part of the first bunch to share the "Burch house" but many of our friends lived there over the years. Eric came to Durham from Tennessee, where he grew up on The Farm, a legendary commune. He told us what it was like to grow up in those primitive and unusual circumstances, and we teased him for his love all things sweet.
Eric was one of the kindest, most generous, most vibrant people I have ever known. And he died before he was 35 years old. He had gone back home to Tennessee, and was having digestive troubles. He went to a clinic repeatedly but they did not do tests on him until when they finally discovered the cancer they told him they must operate right then or he had 2 weeks to live. Amazingly, he did survive for some time after that a year or more. I can't help but think if they had only discovered it sooner he would have had excellent chances to be here today.
Instead we feel his absence, a missing thread in our web of friends, without him perhaps we all fly a little farther apart. He would have some kids by now, be married....
If you take the time to read the stories from people who have experience with what health care is like when profit motive is taken out, it becomes much more humane. There are certain things that just do not need to be driven by money. When they are, bad decisions are made. The system is just set up wrong. We need single payer - medicare for all.
Though a majority of Americans agree, it is disheartening to watch the media defend the status quo as the Senate sells us down the river. Thank goodness for www.firedoglake.com - check out the good work they have been doing over there! They have been whipping the house and have over 60 representatives on board supporting a public option.

Health Care for All

I have been following the health care debate and have some links I'd like to share.
http://www.americanhealthcarereform.org/
has lots of links itself, is for single-payer medicare for all. I'd just like to mention that I have been on medicare for about 14 years and it works just fine. The prescription drug part, part D, has a few problems that could use fixing but overall it is a great program. I'd really like to hear more medicare recipients coming forward to say, this is government run health insurance, and it works for me!
there is going to be a march on Washington for single payer on July 30. Info here:
http://www.democrats.com/node/19877
One of the speakers at the rally will be a favorite author of mine Barbara Ehrenreich, she's most famous in the triangle for her book Nickled and Dimed, because when it was assigned as the reading for the freshman class at UNC a few years ago the conservatives freaked out and had a big ole hissy fit.
We were talking about how the world has changed and in order to keep the population healthy it is important for people to be able to go to the doctor when they aren't well. I just read that McDonald's had a hepatitis scare, that one person may have infected thousands. The people who think that their money and their health insurance and their good jobs have them protected are not thinking about all the unprotected people they come in contact with. The only way for anyone to be healthy is for everyone to be healthy.