Cecil Bothwell

The ongoing effort by Republicans and their allies to eliminate Medicare and Medicaid is nothing less than appalling, and their success in dragging some centrist Democrats over to their side of the debate is frightening.

As a man who believes that we have a moral obligation to care for the least of our sisters and brothers, I could never vote to undo the hard won progress we have made toward addressing the common good embodied in the U.S. Constitution. I challenge Heath Shuler to explain his vote to kill Medicare. The “Cut, Cap and Balance” legislation he supported artfully stated that it protected the program, while absolutely ensuring devastating cuts in the future.

In many ways the history of civilization has been one of discovering better and better forms of government that address our common needs while preserving our individual freedom. And short of imprisonment, there is nothing that crushes individual freedom more certainly than serious illness without hope of help.

As guidance in our treatment of others we tend to fall back on the moral teachings of our religious faith. The Golden Rule has rung down through the ages in various forms. “Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them,” attributed to Jesus of Nazareth, is more commonly phrased in modern English as “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” In Judaism, the sage Hillel was asked to summarize the Torah and replied, “That which is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow. That is the whole Torah; the rest is commentary; go and learn.” However it is phrased, the idea is that of reciprocity: “What’s sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander,” is the version we read in Shakespeare.

In my own church, the Unitarian Universalist, our first two principles speak to the same issue. We believe in “The inherent worth and dignity of every person,” and in “Justice, equity and compassion in human relations.” This is the basis for our commitment to work in both the church and the wider community, ministering to the homeless, the disenfranchised, the hungry and the poor. One of our fellow believers, John Adams, second president of the United States and a signer of the Declaration of Independence, put it this way, “If we do not lay out ourselves in the service of mankind whom should we serve?”

When I look at our nation’s history, I see that we have struggled to extend help to the helpless. Before Social Security was introduced, old age meant abject poverty for many. While it’s a grand idea that everyone should save for the day when their bodies are weary and aches become a daily companion, it isn’t easy in the press of everday living, when immediate needs and some few pleasures have our full attention. The organized collection of a payroll tax and distribution of benefits created modern retirement, where those who have paid their dues are rewarded with a far kinder and gentler sunset than our ancestors.

Yet still, the extraordinary cost of some medical care meant that even with a government retirement plan, many seniors and many with debilitating illness or injury were sentenced to a life of poverty. So we implemented Medicare for all, and Medicaid for the very poorest in our midst. Those plans have worked well, with far lower overhead than private insurance plans, and clear benefit to our society and our economy. The poor and ill cannot offer their gifts to our community, they can’t give full expression to the wisdom gained through experience that makes all of our lives better.

Conservatives bemoan the expense of our social safety net in order to distract us from easy answers. If we would simply eliminate the income cap on payroll withholding, Social Security and Medicare would be solvent far into our future. To those who say that increasing that tax on the rich is unfair, I ask “What would you do if you were in their shoes?”

I would gladly pay.

If I do not lay myself out in service of mankind, whom should I serve?
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Cecil Bothwell, a member of Asheville City Council and a self-proclaimed progressive-libertarian, is running for the Democratic nomination for the seat now held by U.S. Rep. Heath Shuler, D-Waynesville.