Mixed Feelings

Although I disagreed with him on nearly every public policy issue and think he benefited from treatment/forgiveness that would never have given to a Republican, I was a little bit sad to hear that Ted Kennedy had passed. I genuinely think he had the best interests of people at heart. Politics Daily had a well-written post by Alex Wagner about a touching experience her family had with Sen. Kennedy. Her father had worked on his presidential campaign, and a few years later her mother went through terrifying surgery for a tumor in her throat. Kennedy called the hospital several times to help ensure she was getting the best care, which was quite a decent thing to do and beyond what one would expect him to do for the spouse of a former campaign aide. It also highlights exactly what I and a lot of other people who aren't closet Nazis fear about government involvement in health care. When my mom gets sick, will she get the same care under a heavily government influenced system as the mother of someone who worked on a presidential campaign? I fear not.