Governor Rendell on morality

In the Governor’s recent budget address he refers to the three-quarters of a million people in the state without insurance as a “moral stain.” Good for him.

It’s nice to see a smart, wonky Governor show at least some willingness to talk about morality. It seems like our side seems to feel that morality talk doesn’t win fights or that it somehow debases you to talk about right and wrong (rather than our preferred facts and figures).

I wish Rendell had gone a little further. I wish he’d sermonize a little. You know, it’s not like he can’t. It’s not like a guy who could have been a mega-millionaire with his acumen and talents doesn’t have the moral indignation, the righteous temper that would enable him to sermonize if he felt it appropriate. I don’t think he would be governor if he didn’t feel it. He could have done other things and come out richer. He didn’t. I think he believes this is right and I wish he’d say it. I think the Budget Address is a moment for sermonizing. A Budget is a moral document of a people’s priorities, after all.

Still, I’m glad to see him say something. Most times our Democratic leaders don’t say anything about values.

We seldom see our leading Democrats get out there on morality. Espeically when it’s social morality. Is it wrong that we live in a wealthy society that chooses to make healthcare a profit system and thereby deny the care to millions. Yes, of course it is.

Instead we feel the need to wrap discussion about issues like healthcare in the cloak of business competitiveness (American cars cost more than foreign cars because of healthcare costs for US workers), fiscal responsibility (long term cost savings via preventive medecine) and not so much about the fact that we just oughtta change the system because it’s flippin’ right.

Sure, the Governor covered all these other bases as he went, of course, but it was nice to see him get that one purely ethical shot in there.

The prevalence of uninsured people in our state is a “moral stain?”

You bet it is.

Good for you, Big Ed.