Let’s Drop Healthcare Access on One Another, Not Bombs

Mike & Friends Blog

Donna Smith

Donna Smith, American SiCKO, is a national single-payer healthcare advocate and community organizer with the California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee

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March 25th, 2011 10:53 AM

Let’s Drop Healthcare Access on One Another, Not Bombs

By Donna Smith

I’m up for some political behavior modification work. How about we support and reinforce the elected officials who do what we want to see happen and stop giving power to those who act in ways we do not wish repeated?

I think Vermont has it right. When their state House members passed a very inclusive and progressive measure to provide healthcare to all Vermonters, that is what humanitarian effort looks like. Providing access to healthcare for all is much more humanity-friendly than dropping bombs, I think. Read about it here.

So, for me, dropping bombs and allowing people to suffer in other less overtly violent ways are undesirable political behaviors and I will not reinforce them. Providing access to healthcare and promoting peace is something I like and want to see more of in the future. I want to see a lot more peace and a lot better healthcare access, so I want to reinforce those elected officials who make those things happen.

Staring today, for me, my political effort and advocacy goes even more pointedly toward reinforcing behavior like that of the elected officials in Vermont who understand that warfare on ones own citizens, even if it is economic warfare and class warfare and healthcare warfare, is not desirable behavior and will not be rewarded.

I think I’ll find a way today to very concretely reward at least one of the Vermont elected officials who acted so appropriately on behalf of us all. Wish we could get lots of people to do that and send a powerful, positive and behavior-modifying message. It used to work when I was parenting; maybe it’s worth a shot now. Peace. On Vermont.

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