Comments on: He Isn’t Even Old Enough to Remember the Cold War http://archpundit.com/blog/2008/08/18/he-isnt-even-old-enough-to-remember-the-cold-war/ Illinois, From Misery Tue, 13 Mar 2012 17:34:35 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Sheldon Schafer http://archpundit.com/blog/2008/08/18/he-isnt-even-old-enough-to-remember-the-cold-war/comment-page-1/#comment-17943 Sheldon Schafer Tue, 19 Aug 2008 04:08:53 +0000 http://archpundit.com/blog/?p=9899#comment-17943 Jack Kennedy's quote was taken totally out of context, and actually in the correct context JFK would have supported the idea of universal health care. His famous statement was preceded by these words "a call to bear the burden of a long twilight struggle, year in and year out, rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation - a struggle against the common enemies of man: tyranny, poverty, disease, and war itself." Earlier in the speech he said "If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich." I remember his speech - I was a 7th grader at the time and I was moved by it and have lived by it. Shortly after this JFK founded the Peace Corps, and I responded with a pledge to serve, which I did after college. In fact, it was JFK's words and that desire to serve that led me into this campaign as well, vying with Mr. Schock for the 18th Congressional District. FWIW, I certainly don't regard universal health care as a socialistic entitlement either, as we would all pay into it, just as we do medicare, or just as Canadians do into their system through their taxes. However, I would be paying less into a universal health care system than I am now into a private insurance system, and getting more out of it, because of the greater efficiencies, and the fact that those who now lack insurance would be able to avail themselves of less expensive prompt care facilities and such. Check the recent NPR archives for their series on health care in the rest of the developed world, or just talk to Canadian citizens (I ask every Canadian I meet) to learn how good health care could really be. Jack Kennedy’s quote was taken totally out of context, and actually in the correct context JFK would have supported the idea of universal health care. His famous statement was preceded by these words “a call to bear the burden of a long twilight struggle, year in and year out, rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation – a struggle against the common enemies of man: tyranny, poverty, disease, and war itself.” Earlier in the speech he said “If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich.”
I remember his speech – I was a 7th grader at the time and I was moved by it and have lived by it. Shortly after this JFK founded the Peace Corps, and I responded with a pledge to serve, which I did after college.
In fact, it was JFK’s words and that desire to serve that led me into this campaign as well, vying with Mr. Schock for the 18th Congressional District.

FWIW, I certainly don’t regard universal health care as a socialistic entitlement either, as we would all pay into it, just as we do medicare, or just as Canadians do into their system through their taxes. However, I would be paying less into a universal health care system than I am now into a private insurance system, and getting more out of it, because of the greater efficiencies, and the fact that those who now lack insurance would be able to avail themselves of less expensive prompt care facilities and such. Check the recent NPR archives for their series on health care in the rest of the developed world, or just talk to Canadian citizens (I ask every Canadian I meet) to learn how good health care could really be.

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