LOOK DOWN!

THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN THE SHADOWS

By Matthew Lucas Beckett

On the first day of the new split Congress, The Republican controlled House of Representatives passed the repeal of Health Care Reform and a bill that made it harder to sue doctors but nothing else in its place. “After all,” said The Speaker. “That's all that is needed to lower costs, and lowering costs is the only reform that is really needed.”
Of course, the still Democratic controlled Senate did not even take up the measure.
“They ignore the will of the people to their own demise,” observed The Speaker the next day.
On his way back to his residence, The Speaker was accosted by a man with boils all over his skin.
“Sir, could you spare some change for a sick veteran?”
The Speaker pulled his arm from the man's grip in revulsion. “You should cover all of that diseased skin,” he said in a disdainful and dismissive tone.
“If I had any money to do so, I would,” the man shouted after him as he faded back into the shadows of The Capital Building.
Later, a Republican Senator who had voted to pass The House Health Care Bill and repeal the old one was walking through the darkened square when a little girl approached him. “Please, sir, my little brother Billy's real sick, and the hospital says it won't take any more poor kids. But if you took him to the hospital, they'd care.”
The man jerked his arm away. “Your parents can take him.”
“Our parents are dead,” said the little girl flatly. “Mama died in 'the war', and daddy shot himself when he found out. Now, it's just us, and Billy's dying.”
Before the tears could come, the man quickly got in the cab he'd just hailed and sped away.
A short time later, a Democratic member of The House was passing the same way. “Please, Ma'am,” said the little girl, stepping out of the shadows once more. “Billy's real sick, and the hospital won't take any more poor kids.”
Outraged that the hospital would ignore the law and basic human suffering in so cold a manner and her heart filled with compassion for the suffering little boy and his sister the woman said,”Where is he? I'll take you both to the hospital.”
When they arrived at the hospital, they were greeted at the door by a doctor who had at onetime been a Republican member of The House of Representatives. While maintaining a pleasant outward appearance, inside her expression hardened. “That explains it,” she muttered under her breath.
“No admittance without proof of ability to pay,” the man said. “And since he's been in here several times before with various symptoms, no insurance. . .”
“Has the right to deny minors coverage as of September First under The Patient Protection And Affordable Care Act. Also, even before the new law was passed, it was illegal for Emergency Rooms to deny admittance without proof of ability to pay.”
The man bristled, for both were stupid laws, the poor deserved what they got, but she was right about the law.
“Very well,” he said. “Bring the puss sack in.”
The next day The House repealed Food Stamps, and all Federal Aid to low income clothing and housing, “and if The Senate fails to act again, they'll answer to the people in 2012,” said The Speaker.
That evening, a naked, bone thin and shivering woman emerged from the shadows and approached the Speaker's right hand woman.
“Please, Ma'am, it's a cold night, and all the shelters are full. Is there somewhere else you know of I could stay?”
“Why don't you at least put some clothes on?” snapped The Representative.
“Because my house burned down and I lost everything yesterday afternoon, and since I was in the shower when the fire broke out, my skin was all that I could save.”
The woman stuck her nose in the air. “Go back to the shadows where refuse like you belong. Don't ask the government, or government employees, to make up for your own laziness.”
She got in a cab and sped away before the woman's retort.
“Lazy? I've worked hard every day of my life. I just started my own business, but it was all in my home and so now it's all gone.”
Meanwhile, Billy, it transpired, had double pneumonia and hypothermia, a combination the doctor said was very bad.
“How bad?” demanded the little girl. “Don't lie to me. We're both all the other has left, so I want to know.”
“If he'd come in earlier, we might have been able to reheat him enough to save him, there might still have been enough heat in him to restore his body heat.” The doctor looked agonized as slow comprehension started in the girl's eyes. “I'm so, so sorry,dear, but your brother is going to die in no more than two hours.”
The last of her hopes shattered, the little girl's fortitude vanished and she sank to the floor and dissolved in tears.
The doctor took the woman who had brought them in aside. “Is there anyone we can call, Representative Comption?”
She shook her head. “She said that both her parents are dead. Her mother in one of the wars and her father by his own hand when he found out. She didn't mention any other family. How long do you think it's been since she's eaten?”
“Eaten well I would guess some time, but such a small frame couldn't go very long without something.”
“I'll bring something from the cafeteria. I think she at least should be with Billy at the end.”
The doctor nodded and led her into the room while Representative Comption went to the cafeteria and then returned with a complete child's meal.
“If only he'd looked down,” sobbed the little girl.
“Who?” asked Representative Coomption, startled.
“That man,” said the little girl, and then gave a description that left no doubt in Representative Comption's mind that it was the new Speaker of The House. “He could have gotten us here in ti. . .”
She stopped as Billy's unconscious form let out a breath and failed to take in another one. She gasped as the machines hooked up to him made a single, long, shrill noise and all the lines went flat. The girl fainted as she realized that her little brother, her last remaining family, was dead.
“Yes,” said Representative Comption. “If only he'd looked down. If only they'd all look down. If only they'd all look at, rather than through, the people that live in the shadows.”

THOGHTS OF THE AUTHOR AFTER WATCHING THE STATE OF THE UNION AND REPUBLICAN RESPONSE ON TUESDAY, JANUARY TWENTY-FIFTH, 2011.

As one of those Americans with a preexisting health condition that President Obama mentioned tonight, who has been denied private health insurance coverage because of it under the old system, but under The Patient Protection and Affordable care Act (P.L. 111-148) and The Health Care And Education Reconciliation Act (P.L. 111-52) of 2010 could not be denied private coverage, I am beyond furious that anyone considers this a bad idea. In tonight's speech, President Obama mentioned that there are surely ways the law could be improved, and I'm sure there are. However, taking away the right of ALL Americans to have decent, affordable health care is not one of them. I recently wrote letters to Senators Cornyn and Hutchison, since I live in Texas, encouraging them to stop opposing decent, affordable health care for all Americans. I have only heard back from Senator Cornyn, and while acknowledging that the status quo was unacceptable, he maintained his opposition to the new law. He encouraged me to visit his website to see the “common sense” reforms he does support. I did so, and while I found many of his general ideas and broad principles sounded like positive ideas, there were no specifics in how he would achieve them, and most of them are achieved by the new law. Also, there was absolutely nothing in his ideas that would help those of us with preexisting health conditions. His proposals did a lot about the financial cost of the old system, but nothing on his site nor in tonight's Republican Response to President Obama's State of The Union nor that I have heard from any Republicans does anything about the truly greatest cost of the old health care system, The Human Cost of putting profits over people. In The Republican Response to tonight's speech, it was said that unless we get our financial house in order we will bankrupt the country in a mountain of financial debt, and while that may be so, if we balance our financial house on the backs of the poor, the powerless and the least of those among us, we will accrue a moral debt and a moral bankruptcy that if we still have when an eternal account is demanded of each nation at the end of time, will condemn our nation to eternal punishment and torment (see THE GOSPLE ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW, CHAPTER 25, verses 31-46). And it's not just health care, neglecting to feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, welcome the stranger, clothe the naked and visit the imprisoned are just as damning as neglecting to care for the sick. In tonight's speech President Obama laid out a vision that if realized will lift up all Americans, and Republicans' only answer to that was 'more wasteful spending', even if there was agreement on some matters. But we as a nation neglect 'the least of' those among us at our own peril. Those who stick up their noses at those of us for whom the old health care system didn't work but have no ideas of their own to lift us up, and to those in need food or drink, and to the stranger, the naked and imprisoned would do well to LOOK DOWN every once in a while, if for no other reason than to avoid tripping over our dead bodies, left in their wake.

For another take on Health Care Reform, check out John Fugelsang's video on youtube.com