[finders] Amazing Grace and Sicko

[finders at findability.org]

July 12, 2007: Amazing Grace and Sicko

http://www.findability.org/archives/000176.php

Last night I watched Sicko, Michael Moore's funny, disturbing, sad,
important movie about the corrupt US healthcare system.

The facts which even CNN agrees are mostly accurate include:

* There are nearly 50 million Americans without health insurance.
* 18,000 Americans will die this year simply because they're uninsured.
* The US spends a higher portion of its gross domestic product on healthcare
than any other country (nearly $7,000 per person).
* The US is ranked #37 as a health system by the WHO.
* The British, Canadians, and French all live longer than we do.
* There are four times as many health care lobbyists as there are members of
Congress.

It's that final fact that makes hope hard. How do the people and their
leaders find and trust the right information in such an environment? I'm not
sure, but I'm glad Larry Lessig will be actively seeking a solution despite
knowing the odds:

"I do this with no illusions. I am 99.9% confident that the problem I turn
to will continue to exist when this 10 year term is over. But the certainty
of failure is sometimes a reason to try. That's true in this case."

I find that inspiring. I'm reminded of remembering Amazing Grace and Chuck
after the fall of the wall. As grace reminds us, sometimes the lost are
found.