2008 Woodie Awards
The condition of today's world begins at home
Jeffrey Sawyer
Issue date: 2/15/08 Section: Post
One in eight Americans live in poverty. Half of the world (3+ billion people) lives on less than two dollars a day. I hope that these two different facts make you think.
While discussing this topic with a good friend recently he opined that if one doesn't feel depressed, angry or disgusted when s/he thinks deeply about the way in which the world works that they simply show a lack of humanity. I agree for the most part, while that may be going a bit too far.
I starkly disagree to those who believe that one's situation in life is solely defined by how hard one works and how much personal initiative one has. I might agree if all were created equal, but the truth about our world is that we are not.
By saying that we are not all created equal I am alluding to the reality that we are all born into different situations. Depending on where you are born and what class you are born into usually defines to a large extent your opportunities in life. There are of course exceptions, people break barriers all the time, but they are called the exception for a reason. It simply is not possible for many throughout the world to even receive an education, much less find a decent job, enough food or access to healthcare.
As Americans, we can have the most impact in improving the world by starting at home. As far as developed nations go, the United States is really the only nation without any sort of universal healthcare system. There are many out there who would love to keep our healthcare system private and believe that it is one of the best in the world.
The United States currently ranks 45th in the world in life expectancy according to the CIA World Factbook. Using life expectancy at birth to measure how healthy Americans are, we find that we are at the bottom of the developed nations of the world. We are behind nations such as Japan, Australia, Canada, Sweden, Switzerland, France, Italy, Spain, Norway, Israel, Germany and the United Kingdom.
What do all of these countries have in common? They all have some form of universal healthcare that benefits all of society, not just society's privileged. If these countries can afford it, which they can (their treasuries have not gone bankrupt), then we can as well. I encourage you to think about the benefits of such a system, with this year's election around the corner.
While discussing this topic with a good friend recently he opined that if one doesn't feel depressed, angry or disgusted when s/he thinks deeply about the way in which the world works that they simply show a lack of humanity. I agree for the most part, while that may be going a bit too far.
I starkly disagree to those who believe that one's situation in life is solely defined by how hard one works and how much personal initiative one has. I might agree if all were created equal, but the truth about our world is that we are not.
By saying that we are not all created equal I am alluding to the reality that we are all born into different situations. Depending on where you are born and what class you are born into usually defines to a large extent your opportunities in life. There are of course exceptions, people break barriers all the time, but they are called the exception for a reason. It simply is not possible for many throughout the world to even receive an education, much less find a decent job, enough food or access to healthcare.
As Americans, we can have the most impact in improving the world by starting at home. As far as developed nations go, the United States is really the only nation without any sort of universal healthcare system. There are many out there who would love to keep our healthcare system private and believe that it is one of the best in the world.
The United States currently ranks 45th in the world in life expectancy according to the CIA World Factbook. Using life expectancy at birth to measure how healthy Americans are, we find that we are at the bottom of the developed nations of the world. We are behind nations such as Japan, Australia, Canada, Sweden, Switzerland, France, Italy, Spain, Norway, Israel, Germany and the United Kingdom.
What do all of these countries have in common? They all have some form of universal healthcare that benefits all of society, not just society's privileged. If these countries can afford it, which they can (their treasuries have not gone bankrupt), then we can as well. I encourage you to think about the benefits of such a system, with this year's election around the corner.
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