I’m 78 years old, having witnessed the Depression and World War II. I served four years in the U.S. Army during the Korean police action, and worked through the Vietnam debacle and numerous subsequent conflicts, including the current conflicts in the Middle East now that I’m retired. And as the economic downturns continue and the military budget ratchets upward, we have yet to see a universal health-care plan for all American citizens. At least Obama’s proposal gets our foot in the door and helps to push aside the vast, rapacious, private health insurers. I’d like to witness such an event before I return to my ancestral dust.
This article appears in Apr 9-16, 2009.