Kennedy's dream is our inspiration-Health care for all would make a more just society, he believed

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http://www.suntimes.com/news/mitchell/1737729,CST-NWS-mitch27.article

Kennedy's dream is our inspiration
Health care for all would make a more just society, he believed

August 27, 2009

BY MARY MITCHELL Sun-Times Columnist

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"Every American should be able to get the same treatment that U.S. senators are entitled to," Kennedy wrote.

To make this point, Kennedy got out of his sick bed to travel to Denver, Colo., last summer to speak at the Democratic National Convention.

Unless you've gone through chemotherapy, you have no idea how difficult it must have been for this 77-year-old man to travel after enduring brain surgery, radiation and chemical infusions.

At the convention, Kennedy draped his political mantle around now President Obama with the hope that he could: "break the old gridlock and guarantee that every American . . . will have decent, quality health care as a fundamental right and not just a privilege."

It is pretty simple.

As a country, we either believe that health care is a right or we don't.

Fear of losing insurance

The raucous debates over a "public option," so-called "death panels" and "taxpayer sponsored abortions" are designed to obscure the real issue:

We live in the richest and most powerful country in the world, and we can't find the will or the compassion to ensure that all Americans receive quality health care.

It is a disgrace.

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Although many in Washington will eulogize Kennedy, you cannot honor this fallen giant without honoring what he stood for.