I ’m no longer a young man anymore, but nor am I close to that golden age of retirement. I guess I’m somewhere in the middle, right smack dab between hopeless naiveté and full blown wisdom.

In other words, I’m young enough to try, but old enough to know better.

Some of the young man’s fight has left me. Do you remember it? Regardless of the challenge, it’s that universal gung-ho “I’m gonna change the world” type of philosophy. At times, it’s still with me, but usually where I believe I can make a difference, where I’m convinced I’m uniquely gifted.I’ve long ago abandoned chasing after the wind, trying to be the hero to each and every person or cause.If something falls outside my area of passion or skill, I’m glad to defer tackling the challenge to another more qualified person.

Those of us committed to improving the lives of those with a disability carry on because we believe we can make a difference.In fact, we’re often operating outside our comfort zone. We’re not afraid to fail. We’ll take chances and even go up against forces well outside our control and well beyond our might.Believing wholly and completely in the merits of our pursuit is not just a good reason to engage, but it’s a good enough reason to “go” even when the world and common sense says “stop.”.

Yet, every now and again, I’m stymied by some, many even our side, that blindly hold to certain principles that I really wish were true, but are not.

First:There are no evil people in the world.

Some say that people are generally good, that there is an innate sense of morality running through their veins. I really struggle with this one because I want it to be true. But as I read the newspaper or look to our world, I see terrible things happening to innocent people, entire countries starved to death by there own people. We see glaring example of the most vulnerable being abused by the very people in whom they place their trust.

Second: The day will come when we’ll rid the world of all disease.

Every time I hear those commercials of some wonder drug, it’s followed by the disclaimer: May cause…(you can fill in the blank). Sometimes the side affects sound worse than the illness.

Short of a miracle, I’ve yet to see the perfect cure. In trying to avoid some issues, we often create more.What an imperfect world.

Third: A government run health care system will be good for those with disabilities.

This one hurts me the most. I’ve receive email from families trying to navigate the various state regulations and agencies that are failing to provide even the basic services to those most in need. In my own state, we have over 20,000 adults on a waiting list for services! And heaven forbid you improve your situation because if you do, you’ll lose services. Get a good job and it can put you right back into a bad situation.

Right now in Congress are five different bills, each consisting of a thousand pages, written in what might as well be Greek. No normal person can actually read them and come away with any real sense of what they say.But I can look at other systems around the world and see what’s happening with socialized medicine.

In Canada, the new head of the nation’s health care system announced the system is “Sick”. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,539943,00.html

One possible solution discussed in Canada was to simply cancel the over 6000 back-logged surgeries.Why?Sort of a “do-over” to allow them to catch up. What a logical solution, unless you are waiting for one of those surgeries!

This is the heart of the issue. To use the word universal in the discussion of health care means the system will work for everyone. And as any parent of a special needs child can tell you, one size never fits all.

My son has had over 11 surgeries to get him to his current level of ability.How many of those would not be done in a system that can’t keep up with the needs of its citizens?

Like you, I want so much for every family and child to have the best care the world offers. But what I can’t reconcile is how our government running the system will improve the current system. I want to give those working on this issue the benefit of the doubt, but when the people writing the bill already have better healthcare than the rest of Americans and won’t sign themselves up for this new plan, I have strong doubts.

What say you?