The health care debate is getting very interesting if you are a social scientist, a researcher, reporter, or political pundit trying to figure out who has the most influence in Congress. For the rest of us who are looking to our elected officials in Washington to fix our current broken health system…these are scary times.

For those of us who currently have good paying jobs and who are lucky enough to have access to quality health care coverage, this debate may not seem too important. But ask the folks who recently lost their jobs and now regularly visit Harvesters to obtain free food to give you input on the importance of what is happening in Congress. Thousands of college educated, experienced and loyal employees of big and small businesses who have recently lost their jobs and their health insurance are now going to Harvesters or a local free food kitchen in the area to obtain food. Many of these families with pre-existing health conditions may never be able to purchase health insurance again. Losing most of their assets and declaring bankruptcy is clearly in their future if one member of the family becomes seriously ill.

While as Americans we currently spend more on health care than any other county by a very large margin, no other citizens in any other industrialized country in the world has to worry about having access to health care. Providing affordable health coverage for every citizen is a moral obligation that every industrialized country in the world has found a way to implement…except America. Now is our time to fix this… contact your elected officials in Washington, DC and let them know that all Americans deserve affordable, quality health care.

The day of September 11, 2001 will unquestionably be one of the most remembered days in the history of our country. On the day of the attack, I had one daughter working in New York City and one daughter going to college in Washington, DC. It took us several hours after the attack to reach both daughters to make sure they were OK. Later that week my wife and I drove our van to Washington, DC and New York City to see our children and to observe history.

I will never forget the quiet of New York City. There were no taxi cabs on the streets. No one was in a hurry. People were simply taking time to care for others. We went down to ground zero and while the smell and sight of this enormous tragedy was overwhelming, it was heartwarming to see how fire fighters and other rescue personnel were treated and revered. As trucks carrying very large steel beams that were twisted like pretzels drove by, people stood and cheered.

In Washington, DC large US military fighter jets were flying over the city nonstop and people were looking to the sky to see if another attack was in process. Tears, hugs and spontaneous tenderness and compassion were all around. The amount of donated food, water and clothing donated in both cities was inspiring to see.
While these were difficult days for our country, I remember how proud I felt that people put aside their differences that sometimes keep us apart and came together to celebrate the values we share and the compassion we have for each other.