Okay, I know you’re getting ready to play The Twilight Zone theme, so before I drift too far into The Outer Limits of decency, I’ll readily admit that I know where the great newspaper man and author, H. L. Mencken (1880-1956), was coming from when he quipped, “The older I grow the more I distrust the familiar doctrine that age brings wisdom.” Truth is, a damn fool only gets older, instead of wiser, if he or she is lucky enough not to allow their mouths to write a check their butts can’t cash. Quite frankly I’m inclined to believe that misconception about age automatically translates to wisdom was propaganda that was cultivated by some slick old devil, which was a slick young devil who covered all bets, after figuring out that life is a crapshoot. What I’m saying here is that Marvin Zindler’s mantra, “It’s hell being poor,” should be amended.
First, however, mayhap I should make sure that we’re on the same page when we talk poor. I say that, because I often hear my brothers and sisters testify, “I grew up poor, but had no idea that we were poor because we had everything we needed and a few things we wanted.” Trust me, if you say amen to that, you weren’t poor. I’m talking the kind of poor that translates to needy (FYI: Poor came from old French’s povre through Latin pauper “poor.” This is thought originally to have been a compound meaning literally “getting little.” – Arcade Dictionary of Word Origins.) Webster’s Dictionary, however, cuts to the chase with: “Poor, possessing little, without means needy; deficient, unproductive, inferior, those dependent on relief or charity.” Knowledge is power notwithstanding, if you think it’s hell being poor, try also being Black, ill-educated, old, sick and/or crazy.
I’m talking for real, sho’ nuff poor. I’m talking my elder brothers and sisters that have no schooling, family, or even a caring neighbor. And that’s who I was speaking for when Dr. U. W. Watkins cut me short of Senior Issues, his Sunday evening (5 - 7 p.m.) call-in talk show on KCOH (1430 AM) radio. Hey, I was just trying to explain why Medicare D could be a Healthcare Trojan horse for the kind of poor folks I cut for. It will have the same impact on public healthcare as a nationwide voucher plan would have on our already ineffective public school systems. In addition it will hurt the truly poor and needy Black folks and the doctors a helluva lot more than the HMO fiasco did. Okay, I know you have a problem believing a crazy, old African warrior who doesn’t trust nobody, about nothing at no time.
Since there’s no way that I would go to sleep with a White doctor hovering over me with a sharp instrument, mayhap you’ll believe Sen. Edward Kennedy, who said, “The new standard in S. 1955 would create a serious adverse selection problem: healthy groups would join bare-bones plans, and older and sicker groups would join ‘enhanced’ benefit plans,” during his May 9, 2006 Senate rant. “The bill would create adverse selection problems, trigger a ‘race to the bottom,’ and would likely hinder access to critical health care services Insurers already will have the freedom to price enhanced benefit plans at unaffordable rates and, as healthy groups shift to bare-bones plans, premiums would spiral upward for enhanced benefit plans.
“Healthy groups would no longer be helping to cover their cost. Older and sicker groups would have to pay substantially more than they do today for comprehensive coverage and may find themselves unable to afford premiums for the health plans that cover their health care needs.” Translation: It’s hell being poor, but it’s much worse being poor, Black, uneducated, sick and crazy as hell. I wonder if anybody knows where I’m coming from?