Denial of benefits/coverage and

[moniss]

19. When I took part in advocacy on Work Comp

issues long ago I was a young man and from a rural life. Vietnam had recently "ended". I saw the system failing at the time through that lens. I had no idea how much other failure there was. When people would come and tell me story after story of how the system had failed at every turn and their situation kept getting worse it was evident to me even more clearly than before how much the whole thing is not for the benefit of the people but is really just for the benefit of some. Through it all it became clear to me that one of the most important functions in my life was to be there to listen to people tell their story, to remember and to tell what I'd been told over and over.

I also found that the difference between human decency and selfishness is being willing to listen or claiming to be too busy.