A Tribute to Senator Kennedy

As a child of the 50’s, a student in the 60’s and beginning my professional career in the 1969, in all through those years since the United States was evolving slowly at first then more rapidly into a nation that ceased to learn from the lessons of the past as to what made America such a the great nation. This noble experiment democracy; a republic under god, one nation indivisible. Today our founding fathers would look down upon this nation and probably say “What the hell happened!” No longer are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness available to all. It’s the more affluent, the wealthiest few are the only ones that benefit the most today.

Most of us now are so caught in a vicious cycle of financial, emotional, physical, and cultural decline. Our elected officials now rule by way of garnishing millions of dollars just to get and stay elected. They no longer take the time, are to self centered and have become to aloof to focus on meaningful legislation that if passed will ensure every citizen is better off because they are in office. That is not the case now and it hasn’t been for a very long time. Just once we would like to see a candidate or elected official start by having a plan of direction short and long term that will produce for every one of their constituents financial improvement, better employment opportunities with real living wages, health care coverage, greater educational opportunities, and achieve real national security. The type of security that produces for every American a true sense of being in a country where they actually are protected from any threat of terror. In every plan of direction that every elected official or candidate should have they must include four phases: one for their direct constituency, one for the sate they are elected or serve in, one for the nation that they represent, and one for the world that they and all of us live in.

The late Senator Edward Kennedy was probably the only one elected official of the past 35 years that tried and succeeded in most of the legislation that he sponsored. He had a concise plan of direction not only for his state but for the country and the world. When President Obama signed the Affordable Health Care Act of 2010 it was only a step in the right direction for this nation. But, it did little to offset the continuing plight that over 65 million Americans still are without any healthcare coverage. Now, the question is; do we finish Senator’s Kennedy’s most important work? That being, establishing Universal Health Care.

His legacy shouldn’t be tarnished by Chappaquiddick but by the eloquence of the speeches that stirred a nation and for all the legislation that he sponsored. But, his most endeared work still lies unfinished. Congress and the President must decide now that tough decisions must be made now for the future of the nation. Through educating the population on the concept of one single payer plan. This plan which Senator Kennedy envisioned for this nation is financed through changing our tax code to a 10% flat tax, elimination of Medicare and Medicaid and shift their funding allotments toward Universal Health Care, { You don’t need Medicare or Medicaid when you have Universal Health Care where there is too much duplication in the federal government and federal budget already} passing legislation legalizing the sale of medical marijuana and putting a 5% sales tax for additional funding, elimination of the capital gains tax,{ this will spur more investment and sales of real estate} and impose a $.05 cent tax on all alcohol and tobacco products. With all these enactments implemented they will fund Universal Health Care. We must remember it is the physicians, nurses, and caregivers that will run and operate Universal Health Care not the government. The government is the one that funds Universal Health Care.

This is what the late Senator Kennedy was trying to accomplish. Now is the time to really put our differences aside and actually achieve Universal Health Care. The United States is financially almost insolvent. Having Universal Health Care is just part of a total economic plan that will ensure the solvency, the national security, a growth in living wage jobs, and in general more economic prosperity for all Americans. Let us all realize that the fear of change or of the unknown is the greatest obstacle toward improvement. Remember that quote by President Franklin Roosevelt ” What we have to fear is fear itself.” That is very apropos today. Education is the best way to rid ourselves of fear and anxiety toward changing from what we have grown accustomed to. But failing to change to where the whole country is propelled toward a brighter and more secure future only continues the economic deprivation that this nation is in today. Establishing Universal Health Care is the key to that brighter and more secure future.


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