The #1 U.S. Domestic Issue to Address?

Obviously the war in Iraq remains a key issue for our political leaders in the U.S. to address. Meanwhile, on the domestic front, this recent posting at Donkey Rising argues that HEALTH CARE should perhaps be priority #1. I agree, and I hope that Democrats can take on the task of serious health care reform (and then get elected!), because the Republicans in power are completely dropping the ball on this one.

And let me add a moral (and a little bit religious) perspective to the poll and opinion survey analysis given in the link above. There are so many people in the U.S. suffering due to the spiraling costs of health care. It is hard for me to just stand by and watch while feeling strongly that Jesus would have wanted to do something about this. And this isn't something we can deal with through individual charity to poor people. There are millions of ordinary working people across America who simply can't afford adequate health care. We need to band together as a society and the only way we can truly deal with a problem of this magnitude is to demand that our government get involved. Whether you are a person of faith or not, I have a hard time imagining any moral system that would let such inequalities persist when it has to do with issues of basic human survival and health.

Of course, if you are yourself without health insurance, or are stuck on one of those really bad plans that can often inhibit health care more than provide it, or if you know somebody who has inadequate health coverage (which would be just about everyone except George Bush, Dick Cheney, and their elite cronies), then I don't need to convince you. You know that the system is broken. Let's have some compassion and work together to try to fix it. I hope some political leaders (are you listening, Democratic hopefuls?) will propose and truly fight for a universal health care plan with single-payer features to contain costs and provide coverage for everyone.