Andy Hawaii Blogger made a great comment on yesterday's blog post, he said, "Our President likes to discuss these matters over; burgers, beer and cigarettes". This is very insightful. A big part of the problem is that we have leaders who are not able to make real change because they are part of the problem, how can we expect people who are attached to eating burgers and smoking cigarettes to make meaningful changes to the most significant causes of the nation's health crisis - poor lifestyle and diet choices.
In reality the current health care debate is about trying to treat the symptoms of the disease, i.e. the epidemics of diabetes, heart disease, cancer, obesity, etc., are really symptoms of the underlying condition which is poor diet and lifestyle choices. If left untreated, the disease of poor dietary and lifestyle choices will lead to financial ruin for individuals and the nation, and serious illness, disease, disability, and premature and painful death for countless numbers of individuals.
The stakes are high but no one seems to get it. Wake up America, the solution to the health care crisis is starring you in the face when you eat dinner, drink a soda, or sit on the couch for hours watching TV; live a healthy lifestyle and eat good foods and you won't need to spend nearly so much money on costly medical intervention! This isn't exactly rocket science! It is just good old plain common sense. I mean, this is just so obvious, but do you hear it in Washington?
Not only do we have leaders who are blinded to the simple truth by their own attachment to the dietary and lifestyle choices that are the cause of the health care crisis, but we have big industry with entrenched economic and political power protecting their economic interests (at the expense of the public interest and individuals health and wellbeing) who get the politicians to protect their agribusinesses that produce all the subsidized GMO corn that makes soda, burgers, beef, hot dogs (don't get me started on hot dogs again), etc. so affordable. In fact not just affordable, but downright ridiculously cheap. People are actively encouraged and subsidized by government to eat the very foods that are causing the health care crisis (see the movie 'Food Inc' to better understand what I am talking about here).
So we subsidize the crap food that causes all the ill health, and then we have to figure out how to pay for the cost of treating it! Makes a lot of sense doesn't it?
I have an idea, why don't we stop subsidizing unhealthy foods, and start encouraging the production of natural and organic foods, and educate people on how to live a healthy lifestyle, including following a vegetarian diet. Suddenly people will be healthier, happier, less money will be wasted on medical intervention (not to mention sitting around in doctor's offices), there will be less toxins being sprayed over the earth and getting into our water, there will be less greenhouse gases, global warming will reduce, and things will just be a lot better. Sounds utopian, but it can be reality if enough people understand the issues and work together to effect meaningful change.
BTW, there were a lot of other great comments to "Health care debate misses the real solution". Thanks everyone for joining in. Please invite your friends to visit the blog and get involved in the discussion.
Mark Fergusson