How Will Uncertain Economy Impact Our Nation's Health Care System

The election is one week away. The negative ads are disheartening. But an even greater concern for me is how our deteriorating economy will effect the ability of those that are elected to begin to retool our broken health care system. When the campaign began (Do they ever end?) I was hopeful that we might make some progress toward guaranteeing cancer patients and others with pre-existing conditions the right to purchase and maintain affordable health insurance. But now, it seems that voters are more concerned about keeping their jobs than reforming health care. Our government can bail out the Nation's banks. It can distribute billions of dollars in economic stimulus checks. But can America guarantee affordable health care for all of its citizens? Here is a suggestion: By helping our citizens gain access to affordable health care, the savings for each American family will be so great that the stimulus to our economy will be immeasurable! Not to mention the confidence that we will all gain knowing that our number one financial concern will be handled! Living here in small town Wisconsin, I was able to vote early today. I was lucky. There were no long lines. I finished in ten minutes. I feel for those voters in urban areas that are waiting in long lines to vote early in order to avoid even longer lines on election day. We complain when our citizens don't vote. Then, when they try to vote, the lines are long or voting machines don't work correctly or their vote is challenged because they are young, Hispanic or black. We can't fix the world economy. But I know that we can fix our voting system. Fix that, and the next step will be to begin to fix our country's health care mess. I know that we can do that too! I know that we can!
Feel good, keep smiling and don't forget to vote! Pat