World Views

Social insurance was originally conceived as a way to cover/protect everyone “from the cradle to the grave”, as the British prime minister Winston Churchill put it back in 1943 (a term that Franklin D. Roosevelt also used). However, in this country the American Medical Association (AMA), among others, fought vigorously against government health insurance, and so it was excluded from the original Social Security Act in 1935. It's time for a major political climate change (and the needed votes in Congress) for a long overdue set of measures to finally achieve national health insurance! 

We celebrate gratitude in November. Telling someone thank you is another way of showing that you care. Showing gratitude doesn’t have to be taught or learned; it’s simply saying Thank You. Thank you for everything. Thank you for being in my life. My article this month The Writing On The Wall examines reading, writing and the decline of the novel. I am grateful for the many novels I have read, and I adore the authors who have written them. Some books are better than others, but every book I have read has become part of me. My article is my way of saying thank you to all of the authors whose books have touched my life. Do you have a story to share about a book that transformed your life? Happy Thanksgiving!  –Patricia Vaccarino