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Saturday, May 26, 2007

public health, war and the bill of rights

Nice comment from Rick Ayers over at the HuffPo. Makes the point that the military trains people (recruits) to kill people (the bad guys).

Public Health policy would say make love not war. Heal thy neighbor, don't kill her or him. Public Health and War are usually not good bedfellows. WWII may be an exception, but it isn't an easy decision to attempt to tally up the dead and wounded and decide whether there will be more pain and death on this course of action versus another course of action.

Regrettably, the current administration is not concerned about public health. Generally their policies support large corporations making money, their friends raking in money, and regular people (read poor, and middle class) do not need health care. Health care is a privilege, not a right. Unfortunately, we need to put that into the bill of rights.

The right to health care needs to be enshrined in the constitution.

A proposed amendment to the constitution:

Section 1. The federal government shall provide for the health and health care of all persons within its borders, for citizens outside of its borders and for members of the armed forces of the United States of America. Health care shall be equally available to all regardless of age, gender, wealth, race or any other characteristic distinguishing human beings.

Section 2. The federal government shall be authorized to institute laws to enforce and enable said health care. A health care administration will be brought into being to allocate funds to the health care of all.

Section 3. Health care is construed to be what is affordable and available; this amendment shall not be construed to mean the impossible.

What do you think?