Vote Yogacare, 2011!

I recently saw an advertisement regarding soda tax and it got me thinking about the health care fight in the United States. In simple terms, (disclaimer: this short article is based on simplicity of concepts, not figures, studies, or even issue expertise) government run health care of course has to be paid for, and of course the “government’s money” is our money. One of the hard issues with “universal” government run health care isn’t that people are mean and don’t want to care for others, but when “others” keep putting shit in their shopping carts and smoke in their lungs… or when “others” snort crack and abuse alcohol… or maybe when “others” beat up their bodies with over-exercise…

The point is, the issue isn’t always about monetarily caring for others’ poor health, it’s that some people don’t want to pay for others’ poor health habits, addictions, unhealthy lifestyle. And some people don’t want other people deciding what is healthy or unhealthy for them.  Alan Haffa said regarding, “We are talking about expanding the role of government because the private sector is not delivering and this is an essential service.”  This is true, but what about the issue of people servicing themselves? 

Here are four simple scenarios that could correspond to a person’s perspective, regarding universal health care. (The examples could really be linked to any entity we align with for health care, government or private. For purposes that relate to current issues, I’ll consider “government” as the driver behind public program.)

• -Not content to pay for public health care, but wants to participate; not content to be regulated or taxed regarding personal health care/habits (i.e. cigarette, alcohol, soda taxes; being subject to releasing health and lifestyle information to the government; approval of taxes/monies toward government/USDA control, drug companies, related subsidies; allowing the government to judge what is healthy/not healthy).
• -Content to pay for and participate in public health care; content to be regulated/controlled regarding personal health care/habits and taxed/fined if one “breaks the rules.”
• -Not content to pay for or participate in public health care; not content being regulated or taxed regarding personal health care/habits.
• -Content to pay for and participate in public health care; not content to be regulated/controlled regarding personal health care/habits and taxed/fined if one “breaks the rules.”

Obviously there is a lot more to the health care issue than these four scenarios, but in general, which picture is one of personal responsibility? Which is resigning? Which might be blaming? What would be “best” to foster in people, in our society? 

Is there too much scum around the issue to simplify it this much? Yes, of course there is. Is there too much crust to even consider cultivating a fully conscious and self-responsible consumer driven health care system? Yup, there is. And there are too many innocents. I mean, what about the children? The question becomes, “Will they see universal health care or even their own health as something to be respected and cared for as a personal and societal subject, or something that can be abused because “others” pay for it?” Time will tell.

I guess I feel resigned to the idea that personal responsibility is a pipe dream. At this point, who cares who’s to blame? All we can do is move forward and work with what we’ve got. Thank goodness for grassroots (non-government) efforts toward health education, aid, and support. Now, if I could just think of one that isn’t funded in some way by the feds…

Yoga? Yoga? Capitalists will appreciate that (in the U.S.) it is a consumer driven “market,” but of course it is a complimentary force inside each and every one of us. Yoga teaches that the strength of a society starts within each individual, not “others.”  It helps cultivate change, develops a sense of personal responsibility, healthy habits, compassion and love for self and those “others”… (Please don’t make me sad and post a comment highlighting Yoga subsidies or taxes.)

Next election, I’m voting for the guy who will force everyone to practice Yoga.