NPR March 19, 2010
President Obama held a big rally Friday just outside Washington, hoping to persuade the last few wavering lawmakers he needs to vote "yes" on the overhaul bill, with a historic House vote just days away. "I know this has been a difficult journey. I know this will be a tough vote," Obama told thousands of supporters inside a college basketball arena in Fairfax, Va. "I know that everybody's counting votes right now in Washington." Obama complained that many of the political media have covered the health care debate as if it were a sporting event. But he quoted from one his most sporting predecessors, Teddy Roosevelt, who said, "Aggressive fighting for the right is the noblest sport the world affords."

Not unsurprisingly, the delivery of health care has become so complicated that to fix its every aspect adds to the complication. Most Americans don't even have the time to read through and understand the proposals and their ramifications. However, one thing is clear: Without antitrust protections, the for-profit insurance monopolies squeeze both medical providers and their patients. When free market competition loses its bite, the market becomes predatory. But overhauling the market is difficult when greed is at stake. Like everything else, selfish special interests overinflate the dangers of reform and derail progress.

So what should we do? Let us first start with overhauling our own personal lifeview. If we have the sensitivity to realize that general human welfare should be placed above personal agenda, then bias will be replaced by interest. This will stimulate us to examine the proposals and weigh in,  not with emotions but with reason. As in everything, Self-building precedes Health-building.