Obama healthcare

COMMENT

BARACK Obama’s success in finally getting his healthcare reforms approved by the American House of Representatives last Sunday night has to be recognised as a political landmark.

Since the infancy of his presidency, reform of the system has been a priority for him and it now seems as though he has achieved his goal. Despite having to water his proposals down significantly, the changes accepted this week will mean coverage will be extended to 32 million people not previously insured. It is difficult not to admire this.
The howling rhetoric from the Republican side of the house has reached fever pitch in the last few weeks and some are claiming that European-style socialism is being introduced by the president and his allies in the Democratic Party. This is a laughable statement when read from this side of the Atlantic but one that will stick in America and could have serious implications come the mid-term elections that are looming at the moment.
I think what has pleased me even more than the fact that the suffering of those without healthcare will be reduced, is the display of political bravery we have seen from the Obama administration.
Healthcare stands as a major political pillar. It is an issue that goes to the heart of what a government should do for the people of a nation, so to see it addressed so directly and with such tenacity is refreshing.
So much of the political discussion we see all over the world at the moment seems petty and inconsequential when we see a  major issue that will benefit the people so directly addressed in this way. This is an example of a president and a government seeing a glaring need in their nation and taking direct, if unpopular, action to address it, despite potential negative consequences for themselves. This political bravery is the kind of thing we should expect from a politician and yet this example stands out as something rare and beautiful.
Certainly, politicians and decision makers all over the world work tirelessly every day for the people who elect them or pay their wages but are they addressing the real and practical needs that have a major impact on the lives of people? In many cases, I propose they are not. They say the road to hell is paved with good intentions, well perhaps it is also partially paved with fatuous legislation.  
In recent times, we have seen many governments all over the world make very difficult decisions in response to the global financial crisis and, to their credit, many governments, Ireland included, took those decisions despite the fact they will certainly have consequences at the ballot box. This acknowledged, we must also admit that for many years, those politicians had not really been tackling the major issues affecting the core lives of people.
The health service in Ireland has been under attack for many years. The schools in which the nation’s children are educated have not seen the sort of investment they need so badly and are now suffering cutbacks to their already weak positions.
All over Ireland, people are caring for their loved ones and trying to live on pittance from the Government. All these gaps in public services have seen a massive rise in the voluntary sector, simply to try and plug the gaps left by government services. The fact that people are voluntarily coming together to give their time and energy to these projects highlights, not only the need, but people’s desire to see the sort of society that takes care of that need.
Given this enormous need, the failure of Government to address it is laid out in plain sight. Have the politicians forgotten why they were elected in the first place? We go to the ballot boxes and vote because those seeking a place in Dáil Éireann from all parties tell us that they will make our lives better. It is clear they are not.
One possible factor in the decline in positive action politics is the culture in Irish politics. Complacency has crept in over the years, an acknowledgement that no matter which party is elected, similar measures will be taken and the big difficult issues will be ignored. Only when one party will actually tackle a major issue will the others sit up and take notice. Unfortunately, they will do this only to avoid being shown up and outdone.
I’m sure anybody reading this could now pause for ten seconds and think of many more issues to add to the shortlist above of inequalities and issues which need to be addressed. Looming in the background of Irish political life are a myriad problems which could be addressed if there were somebody with the political bravery to do it.
Barack Obama has set a marker in having healthcare reform passed in the United States. Every politician in the world should now ask themselves if they could do the same for their constituents. The issues are not hard to find. There are no secret problems hiding in dark corners. Anybody with eyes and a willingness to look can see the injustice and the serious problems in their society. They must now ask themselves if they have the strength of character to try and address them.
To ask that politicians do these things now may seem like folly with the country in such dire economic straits but in reality, there will never be a good time. These are difficult decisions which will require funding but the benefits will be society-wide and hugely beneficial.
It has been shown very clearly that a society is more successful the more equal it is so that should be our goal. That’s a big should and one we can only hope will be addressed soon by those we elect to make our lives better.