THE WELL HAS BEEN POISONED
BY
DAVID ARTHUR WALTERS
The Well. The town may be changed,
But the well cannot be changed,
It neither decreases nor increases.
They come and go and draw from the well.
If one gets down almost to the water
And the rope does not go all the way,
Or the jug breaks, it brings misfortune.
July 12, 2017
The founders of the United States were not saints. They warned us that factions would spoil the nation with tyranny, and that has become especially true with the culmination of the continuous effort of a minority political faction to repeal or replace instead of improve the hard-won Affordable Health Care Act of 2010 despite the wishes of an overwhelming majority of constituents.
What folly! How such fools were elected in the first place except by fools is a wonder. It is a bitter pill to swallow that we deserve the leaders we elect.
Health is the most vital concern one can have, essential to life therefore liberty and happiness, yet the American version of the House of Lords, in collusion with an uncommon version of the House of Commons, would, by taking away what was previously given as a privilege although it should be a right to live, condemn millions of people to poverty disease and untimely death, all for the sake of more money in the pockets of the wealthy factions whom they serve.
Ironically, Warren Buffet, one of the wealthiest old men living, says he does not need the money, that he is quite satisfied living in the same old house on a hundred-grand or so a year, and contributing his good fortune to charity.
We have in mind an image, water over wood, the image of The Well, and the Superior Man encouraging the people at their work, exhorting them to help one another. But the image may not materialize under the Inferior Man, and it is prophesied that neither people nor animals can drink from this old well. The jug breaks as we try to pull it from the mud. There are a few fish in the well hole, so we may shoot at them in vain, hence the old adage that shooting fish in a barrel is not easy. Note that arrows were meant in those days, for today the repercussions from a bullet fired into a barrel would kill all the fish therein after hitting only ten-percent of them.
The tragedy here is that a clean healthcare well, a national health care program such as those enjoyed in civilized countries, was proposed before it was contaminated by greed. It is called here a single-payer or Medicare-like plan. Everyone would have major medical insurance at least. There might be co-pays for people who could afford them. And people could buy supplemental insurance. Yes, of course, individuals would be mandated to chip into the fund as part of their social security contribution, and the deduction based on their earnings would show on their paychecks or tax returns. Let them complain if the deduction is too high, and rid the system of fraud, greed, and waste.
But even the Democrats would not drink from a clean well because our political system is inherently corrupt. They were too busy spending most of the day raising funds from the special interests to remain in power.
But wait! It is not too late to line the well to protect it from leaking and poisons. We imagine a clear, cold stream replenishing the well, from which everyone can now drink.
Perhaps then we may not blame the politicians for poisoning our well. Do we realize how difficult it is for a politician to raise money for a factitious campaign platform and walk a high wire with thousands of people pushing one way or another for something or the other? No less than Carl Schmidt noted that, given the conflicting interests, the only way politicians could get anything done is to lie.
Sure, some politicians can get away with integrity from time to time, but the system is damned. Why revere systematic corruption because it is traditional? The Constitution has served us well at times, but times have radically changed and it needs amendment or replacement. No? Then why not go back to horses and buggies and death at 35-years of age or less?
If we are interested in our health as a nation, we need to reform not only the healthcare system and morality of our people; we need to radically reform the architecture of our government. That much has become increasingly clear.
Yes, our forefathers were wise, even wiser than we are, blinded as we have become by our institutions. There has been little or no progress in fundamental morality per se and the basic motives of our kind for thousands of years, so people still hold the original texts sacred. What has changed is technology, and that presents an immense possibility for ethical improvement, so that we may in all ways go where no man has gone before in our approach to the good of humankind.
Making those improvements we may draw from The Well without hindrance because it is once again dependable. Supreme Good Fortune.
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