I got home from the Mad as Hell Doctors road trip, where we were doing town halls for HR 676 and a single payer system, on Monday night. I had left my daughter, the introverted thinker, on the first day of school and was gone for a week. Her uncle stayed with her for two days at home and then she spent 4 nights at a friend's house.
She was very glad to see me.
I was inspired and joyous and confused about the trip. I was amazed by applause when I spoke about why I was Mad as Hell. I didn't know what to do with praise. Praise made me want to weep. I have been looking at that.
On Tuesday I spoke to my mother outlaw on the phone. Ex-mother in law? I like outlaw better. I want to rejoin the Mad as Hell Doctors for the last week, but it would mean taking the introverted thinker out of school for a week. She gets horribly car sick, so I can't take her on the trip, but her grandmother is in Rockville, MD. I could leave her with her grandmother and rejoin the team. It's insane, but worth it, I hope.
Tuesday night the introverted thinker wept at bedtime, said she didn't want to go and then asked why I thought it was important.
I explained a little. We are the only industrialized country where people go bankrupt from medical bills. Lots of people are not getting care for treatable illnesses and even lethal illnesses like cancer, because they can't afford it. People don't have health insurance or they use it all up. We have the most expensive health care in the world yet are ranked 37th overall for health care. And the insurance companies' first job is to make a profit. The money that they and their investors pocket could go to health. No, the government won't do it perfectly, but exactly what in your life is perfect? And driving from Seattle to Denver, the roads of the United States and the rest areas remind me: this is MY country. The people of the United States agreed to have the government help maintain roads. The people can decide that everyone has a right to health care. Our government does not belong to corporate america. I will make a noise until Congress remembers that we the people are the ones who vote: not the corporations, no matter how much money they have. The insurance companies are paying 1-2 MILLION dollars daily to lobby to keep their profit, at the expense of someone's health. Thirty percent of the health care dollars go to administration and profits and that is not where I want it to go. Health care for health, not for profit!
Then I dropped the topic for two days, to let her think.
Thursday night I brought it back up.
Here is the thinker's logic: she wants to be in 4A, the school club that stands for Attitude, Academics, Attendance and Activities. She got a 63% on her first language arts paper, all because of spelling. She inherited my math/music brain, not her father's visual spelling brain. She is busily attacking spelling, like a tiger, but she says that she doubts she can get an A in that class. Therefore she is willing to defer 4 A until next quarter and she is willing to let me go with the Mad as Hell Doctors. With a preexcused absence, it does not count against the attendance for the 4 A and she is considering asking for extra credit work to make up for that initial spelling score.
I love watching her make her way through emotion and logic. I am sure that she is also thinking about the health care issues, though she is reserving comment.
And I think she is 4A.