Taking in both sides of the health care debate.

Health Care for All
Originally uploaded by bdinphoenix/

The sometimes raucous debate that is the reality of the national health care discussion came to Phoenix, Arizona, on Monday, August 17th. President Barack Obama came to Phoenix to deliver a speech at the VFW convention and his appearance assured that the pro national health care folks, as well as the anti national healthcare people, would be in attendance making their views known.

As is the norm in Phoenix in August, the temperature was close to 100 degrees, and that was at the 7am announced starting time. The high temperatures and the beginning of the work week probably conspired to hold down attendance for both sides, though there appeared to be far more pro healthcare advocates than anti ones.

Taking the new Phoenix light rail line to the rally not only saved on parking expenses but it also spared my having to drive in the brutal traffic in downtown Phoenix. Taking the train also meant I had to walk past the anti health care people’s meeting place, which was a restaurant with an outdoor pavilion. Conservative talk radio station KFYI was broadcasting from the site and as the antis sipped their coffee and munched on their breakfast bagels, they did not say anything to passersby but their signs were very visible and spoke volumes.

Carrying a professional camera, and wearing nothing that enabled either side of the healthcare debate to discern where my sympathies lay, I moved freely between both sides taking photographs and asking questions. I now know that someone who wants to know why either side has staked out the position they have, can learn a lot from talking to people at these rallies.

The competing signs make a silent shout for, or against, single payer national healthcare. People who are opposed to a government sponsored national healthcare plan refer to the government’s inability to efficiently run anything. They talk about the huge government deficit and how a national healthcare program will create greater deficits, thus leaving our children and grandchildren to shoulder a debt they will be unable to pay.

Some of the arguments on both sides of the issue are specious. The pro government healthcare plan people want healthcare and does not care what it costs, does not buy into the “government cannot run anything” argument, and is not willing to accept anything less.

The anti national healthcare people ask how can the plan be paid for. When it is pointed out that the Iraq debacle could pay for the entire plan the antis quickly point out that “Muslims are trying to kill us” and we must have that war. I countered with Muslims are no more trying to kill us than Christians were when Timothy McVeigh bombed the Murrah building in Oklahoma City. That simple statement of fact brought no response.

The anti healthcare people say the government cannot run healthcare. After identifying veterans in the group I asked how was healthcare in the military? They generally agreed it was not bad. I pointed out that this was government run healthcare. Again, no response. They did point out that medicare and medicaid were both poorly run and yielding to my ignorance regarding either program, I had no response. At age 62 though I better start learning about both programs.

Pro healthcare people frequently say they do not mind an increase in their taxes to pay for healthcare because they will no longer be buying medical services. When asked how much of a pay cut they would be willing to take to cover national healthcare there is never any answer.

The misinformation put forward by the anti group gets to be a monotonous drone on the sensibilities. The talk of death panels, coverage for illegal immigrants, and other inaccurate information put forward by conservative talk show hosts and the Republican party can lead a person to believe these people are owned by insurance companies, who may have the most to lose if price competition from the government is brought to the health care field.

All in all, the health care rally was a very worthwhile and educational way to spend a morning shooting photographs and educating myself on this crucial issue. Click on the photograph to see more pictures from the Phoenix health care rally.