I would also support President Obama’s program for health care. In my honest opinion, his health care program, when implemented thoroughly, would make adequate mental health care accessible to every American regardless of color, origin, gender, religious persuasion, and economic status. In a speech which he delivered on May 29, 2007 before students and faculty members of the University of Iowa, President Obama made the following emphatic declaration:
But I also believe that every American has the right to affordable health care. I believe that the millions of Americans who can’t take their children to a doctor when they get sick have that right…And I believe that no amount of industry profiteering and lobbying should stand in the way of that right any longer. To me, this is a declaration of belief worthy of every American’s support. Every one of us should hold our new President to this promise.
In my capacity as a registered nurse, I would try my best to enlighten all of my co-workers, my friends outside of my place of work, and everybody in my community about this statement of our President. Whenever and wherever possible, I would marshal efforts aimed towards the early realization of this presidential dream. My co-workers, my neighbors, the members of my family, as well as the students in the different schools located in my community should be targeted for their active support towards this end.
Writing letters to the editors of the different newspapers and magazines would also be part of my effort to remind the good President of his promise to the American people. In the workplace, the president’s statement should be turned into a strong persuasive argument to enjoin my superiors and the policy-makers of the institution where I work to formulate policies and implement actions aimed at ending all sorts of discrimination so that even poor patients and members of the minority groups could avail of every facility and program available at the institution.
I am reiterating my belief which is exactly the same as those of King and Obama: everybody has the right to avail of adequate health care both under the constitution of the country and under the moral code of a civilized society. It has been Martin Luther King’s dream; it is President Obama’s dream; it is my dream; it should be every American’s dream. It is high time, therefore, for every American to do his or her share in turning this noble dream into a happy reality.
References Carpenter, T. (2007). April 2007 is National Martin Luther King, Jr. Healthcare Month. Retrieved January 21, 2009, from http://www. opednews. com/maxwrite/page. php? a= 32963 Obama, B. (2007). Cutting Costs and Covering America: a 21st Century Health Care System. Retrieved January 21, 2009, from http://www. barackobama. com/2007/05/29/cutting_ costs_and_covering_ame. php The American Nurses Association, Inc. (2005). Code of Ethics for Nurses With Interpretive Statements. Retrieved January 21, 2009, from http://www. nursingworld. org/ethics/code/protected_nwcoe813. htm