Yesterday, very early in the morning, I posted a diary with the title When "political sense" makes poor public policy : health care and undocumented aliens. My guess is that even with links in subsequent open threads most of you did not read it. I mention it because this diary will continue on that theme.
The occasion for my continuing on that theme is E. J. Dionne's Washington Post column, D.C. Mean Time with the subtitle "Joe Wilson's Character -- and Ours". Allow me to offer the 1st paragraph:
If you saw a woman struck by a car, would you call an ambulance right away? Or would you first ask for her papers to make sure she was not an illegal immigrant?
Please continue reading. . .
Dionne's column, which I do recommend your reading, is somewhat broader than the focus of this diary. Dionne does comment about the uniqueness of Joe Wilson's outburst. But he also notes
But at least as consequential for our politics was the issue that moved Wilson to his outburst.
Dionne reminds us that the issue about "illegal immigrants" was but one of three falsehoods Obama sought to address in his speech, and acknowledges the political reality, that if voters felt his health-care plan would provide services to those here illegally it would probably be a deal-breaker. He then writes
Yet it should bother us a lot more than it does that alleged plans to kill off seniors and promote abortion are spoken of in almost the same breath as the matter of delivering health care to fellow human beings, however they arrived on our shores.
fellow human beings - I would hope that regardless of the policy we might be discussing, regardless of the politics of the particular issue, we never lose sight of this fact - whatever one's immigration status, one is still a fellow human being, and our rhetoric should never be allowed to ignore that fact.
Dionne does not believe any doctor, in an emergency room or elsewhere, would deny someone needed medical care on the basis of immigration status. He is unfortunately far more generous in that belief than I believe is warranted. After all, not all doctors are solely or even mainly guided by the principles of the Hippocratic oath. After his remarks about undocumented aliens already receiving at least emergency care, Dionne offers a brief paragraph which is very much in keeping with at least some of the arguments I presented yesterday:
Forget compassion and consider self-interest. Aren't you better off if the person working next to you who has a communicable disease receives care early on?
That is the clear public health argument for ensuring that everyone in the US, regardless of immigration status, receives appropriate health care - it is an issue that affects all of us.
But I also believe in the importance of emphasizing the moral dimensions of this issue. And thus the paragraph that perhaps most caught my attention in Dionne's piece is the one with which he concludes:
How mean-spirited will we allow ourselves to become? How coarsened has our political culture made us? We like to see ourselves as a generous, caring and welcoming nation. Are we losing that part of our character?
Perhaps Dionne is writing about a character of our nation that exists in ideal much more than in practical terms. After all, we have a long history of classifying groups as "other" on the basis of race, national origin, religion, and sexual orientation, then using that classification as a justification for discrimination or things much worse. In that sense, the current demonization of those without a legal right to be within the U. S. is neither a new phenomenon nor particularly egregious when compared to words and actions used against previous groups of "other".
If one is truly liberal, truly holds progressive values, it seems to me that we should never limit our arguments to the point where moral issues are precluded from being part of the debate. I recognize that there is far from anything approaching universality in those things people will declare as moral issues for themselves. I do however believe that the vast majority of Americans will respond to moral challenges. Perhaps that is because I lived through the shocking of the conscience of this nation during the Civil Rights era. I also remember the impact of "Harvest of Shame" upon many.
I wanted to be sure at least a few more people were aware of Dionne's column. I also think the words I offered yesterday were also of value, and the discussion on the thread also offered some useful insights from others.
I really do not have time for a diary this morning - nor did I yesterday. In about 10 minutes my school day will begin, and I will not be able to closely monitor this diary. I do not like to post and run. But I believed Dionne's column - and this topic - deserved some attention.
I hope this is of some value to someone.
Peace.