Ted Kennedy and Healthcare

I have been thinking about Ted Kennedy all day. The first time that I remember hearing his name was in 1st or 2nd grade and we had taken a field trip to the Capitol building. A little girl in my class had a dad who was a senator or an important staffer...I only remember that her name was Sabrina. She was tiny and beautiful. Long blonde hair that always curled just right and she was an amazing artist. A very elegant little girl. Her dad gave us a special tour of the Capitol. We got to stand on the Senate floor and meet lots of Senators and House members. We met Tip O'Neill. I didn't know at the time that it was significant but now I realize how priviledged that tour had been. We went to the Senate prayer room...so pretty and quiet. But the moment I remember the most is the elevator ride. Yes, we thought the elevator was cool....we were six and seven year olds....don't they all think that elevators are fun? But my group rode on the elevator with a very large man with a thick Northeastern accent. My friend's dad introduced us to him and he got down on our level and a huge smile spread across his face. He wanted to know each of our names. He shook our hands. That man was Ted Kennedy. He felt warm, kind and full of life. I was impressed.
In high school we were assigned a project that required us sitting in on Senate committees. I don't remember what the committee was....I only remember that Ted Kennedy was the chairman of that particular committee. I will look it up when I am done with this blog. He commanded the room but not in an overbearing way...you just knew who was in charge. He listened intently to each speaker and asked thoughtful questions. He looked over his glasses and smiled often. He shook our hands at the end of the session. He knew that we were students and were there on assignment. Again, he wanted to know all of our names. Again, he felt warm and kind and full of life.
I am angered by the negative words spoken about him from people who don't appreciate his style of politics. He was a Democrat and he fought hard for what he believed in. Aren't we all supposed to fight hard for what we believe in? We live a country that doesn't decide all that for us and aren't we glad? Aren't we glad that we can speak out? But, please don't just use that free speech to lash out...use to make change for the good of us all.

I wish that Ted Kennedy was still around to see us through the healthcare reform. I was listening to a Senator on CNN today talking about healthcare and talking about how we all want a choice and that of course, as a newly married woman she chose to pay for maternity coverage. The more she talked, the angrier I became. Yes, all of us want choice. But right now there are so many people who don't have a choice. They don't have insurance and yes, they can choose to be treated for their ailments, or go for a preventative visit...but, they can't afford it. Their only choice is no healthcare. Can we live with that?
I believe the healthcare system is so like the public school system. We all pay for public school (and roads, and bridges, and Medicare, and disability, the public library, and police, and firefighters....) but you can choose to not use it and send your child to private school or homeschool. But we all still have to pay for public school....otherwise the only people to receive an education would be those who could afford it. What a shame that would be! Well, I think that healthcare is even more basic than education and we are doing exactly that...those who have money are receiving healthcare and those who don't have money are not receiving healthcare. We need to take care of each other and stop thinking only about what we think will be good for our own family.

Looked it up....Senator Kennedy was chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee in 1979. I was a senior in high school.