The dog in this case is not a metaphor, he is my actual puppy, and he is not feeling very well. He is my adorable, loving, 4 month old westie/schnauzer mix
Here is a picture of my little pup Harvey
He's on the mend but for a few days I was very worried about him, he also helped open my eyes to the real damning part of healthcare in this country.
For the last few days Harvey has been listless and sleepy, he wasn't eating and anytime he did eat he would immediately have diarrhea. Now he is feeling better and able to keep food down, he's beginning to be my tail-wagging, chew everything in sight, bark bark barking little puppy again.
The second day he was sick though I started thinking I should take him to the vet, and it got me thinking about what people who couldn't afford the vet would do. I'm extremely lucky to have a well paying job with great benefits in the middle of this shitstorm economy Bush left us with, so I have the means to get the best medical care possible for my little pup. But the thought kept nagging at me, what if I couldn't?
What if I couldn't take my dog to the vet when he sits there crying and looking at me for help? What if it wasn't my dog but my child, my wife, my mother, my brother? What if it were me?
It was a horrible thought, so heart rending that for a moment I tried to push it away, forget about it, thank my lucky stars that I did have the means, and try not to think about those that didn't. Luckily for me, that damn bleeding liberal heart I have wouldn't let me shut out this thought. It grabbed hold in my head, and I began thinking about the nature of sickness and healthcare, and why treating it like a commodity doesn't make any sense.
What value does my dog bring to my life, I've only had him for 3 months, in that time I've come to love my little puppy, even when he's chewing up my apartment. But what is his value, how much would I pay to keep him alive? It's a terrible thing to think about, one that most of us rather wouldn't, but I pushed myself. $1000? Yes, of course. $10000? I would go into debt for him, but yes. $50000? I don't know, and that's what scared me.
I couldn't stand the thought that because of my inability to pay I would let my little friend die. This decision, in infinitely worse degrees get played out everyday by good hardworking Americans who did nothing worse than get sick. If it were my child or my wife, there would be no amount of money too great to save them. I would do literally anything. And that's why healthcare doesn't work right in the Capitalist framework. Can you imagine a commodity, so important that you would pay and do anything to get it. No, you can live without it. But you can't live without quality healthcare.
In the end my dog is getting better, he's been playful and happy for about a day now, and I will still take him to the vet to get a puppy check-up, plus he needs his last round of shots. This story has a happy ending, but it made me re-examine and reach the same conclusion that I've held for a while now:
Healthcare must be a right to all people, it is the moral imperative of our day.
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Shameless self-promotion
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I'm helping to organize the "Facts not Fear Rally for Reform" in Central Ohio this Labor Day (Sept 7th) from 4:00-6:00pm. I'm trying to spread the news as far and wide as I can.
More details here you can also email factsnotfear[at]gmail[dot]com for more information.