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Has America changed?  Have American’s become a people who emphasize their personal welfare at the expense of others?  Lately I have begun to wonder.

I remember stories told to me in my youth about how the original settlers in this new world helped each other.  If someone in the community needed a barn, the people of the community gathered and built that barn.  If a farmer was injured, his neighbors harvested his crops for him.  When a woman gave birth to a child, the local women came to assist.

I heard many such stories in history class, and others in civics class (which was a required subject).  Additionally, I remember my parents and grandparents participating in many actions to help their neighbors.
I studied the Marshall plan in American history.  I marveled that our country decided not only to help our World War II allies rebuild, but helped Germany and Japan as well.

Recently I have heard numerous media pendants and politicians railing against a bill to revise health care in the United States.  I have listened carefully to the rationale for and against revising health care.  Those for revision talk about people who do not have health insurance, the high cost of medical care, and the plight of people who lack health insurance.  Those against claim the idea is socialistic, that it might reduce our choices, and that medical costs may increase.  Some of those against also engage in fear mongering by contending, for example, that any government run program may kill grandma.

Listening to one town hall presentation on health care, I heard many complaints from people who themselves had health insurance.  Their comments seemed to indicate that they were afraid that any change in the law could somehow reduce their personal health care.  Others were certain that Medicare would be harmed by any change in the law.  Where do these rumors originate?

None of the opponents to the health care bill have suggested how or if we would help those who lack insurance.  None of the opponents have suggested how to help people who go bankrupt by medical costs.

What happened to our values?  Somehow knowing that those against the health care bill have no alternative plan to help people in need leads me to wonder whether they even care about the plight of the millions of folks in this nation that are  suffering because of a lack of access to insurance.

I don’t understand – what happened to our traditional values?