Chronic Illness and Politics

It may not seem that there is a direct relationship between chronic illnesses, such as Multiple Sclerosis, and politics, however over the past few years it has become obvious to me that the level of care we receive, the education of medical professionals, and the type and amount of medical research funding can be influenced by the beliefs and experiences of legislators, and are directly impacted by the legislation these legislators approve.

As Election Day approaches we may all have different feelings about what has been going on in the campaigns, about the different candidates and their positions, or even whether our vote makes a difference at all.  Now, with the economy and financial condition of our country in such a vulnerable state, one might say a crisis, we have the stress related to how that is affecting us and our nation, added to the stress related to the normal election process.  But this hasn’t been a normal campaign season anyway; it has been way too long in my opinion, and I wish they’d move the primary dates back at least to where they were, and even better make the whole season shorter. We’ve had some groundbreaking candidates in each party as far as race, gender, and positions go. We have had some very nasty, personal attacks that seem to have gone further than in the past.  And soon we will have an opportunity to vote for the candidate that we believe is the best person to run this country in accordance with the Constitution and the laws of the nation.

Electing a President is only one of the things that we are asked to do on Election Day.  We also have the opportunity to elect new or re-elect some members of the House of Representatives and the Senate.  It is important that we know who is running and what their positions are on the issues facing our government today; a President cannot be successful unless he or she has a Congress that is able to see beyond the center aisle and work together to pass good legislation on behalf of the country.  Whether a policy originates in Congress or in the Executive Branch, it must be assessed and debated in both Houses and then approved by both before being sent to the President.  A divided Congress creates barriers to anything being done, so while it is not necessary that those we vote for all agree with each other on the issues, it is important that they are capable of having an open and full discussion/debate on the issues and, when necessary, make compromises that will benefit the country with good policy and law.  After all, we might not be a country today if compromise wasn’t possible among the Founders. 

Regardless of what your political beliefs are, or how you plan to vote in the upcoming election, there are several things that we should all at least think about, and then learn how the various national, state and local candidates stand in regard to them.  You may not agree with everything these candidates say, but you should at least be aware of their positions before voting for them.