If everyone making their voice known on the healthcare bill would acknowledge two truths, we’d all be healthier for it:

1. There are people who support the healthcare plan who love our country. Some of them are my friends. You are welcome to completely disagree with them, but please don’t slap hateful labels on them. I keep hearing the supporters of this bill being stereotyped into a big unpatriotic group. Be careful what you say. Be careful what you imply. The hateful/ignorant stuff is only stiffling any meaningful conversation.
2. There are people who oppose the healthcare plan who deeply love the poor and vulnerable. I keep hearing things like, “If you care about the poor, you support this bill,” or “If you care about the vunlnerable and you vote pro-life, you’d better care about the vulnerable/un-insured and support this bill.” These kind of statements are ignorant or agenda-driven, and they are really cruel. The truth is that some people believe that the current bill will greatly increase poverty and medical costs. They believe that the bill stands opposed to their faith, and that it will be terribly mismanaged. They hold these views as they care for the poor in the name of Christ. Some of them are my friends. You are welcome to disagree with them, but please quit implying that they don’t care for the poor, or have shunned the Gospel. The hateful/ignorant stuff is only stiffling any meaningful conversation.

Trust me, you can find loud-mouthed morons on both sides of this debate. You can find people who lack concern for the poor, and people who lack concern for the country. You probably already have. Ignore them, and please don’t be one. Instead, learn from wise and varied sources, listen well, speak with gentleness and thought, and perhaps your words will go far.

You will note that this post does not delve into many related issues. Like you, I have plenty of opinions about many of those, but I’m not including them here. I’d love for you to comment, if you keep it on topic and gentle. I enjoy learning from you. I have a lot of that to do.