Joe Kennedy

Joe Kennedy is routinely named the region's best writer by readers of The Roanoker magazine.

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Two kinds of people responded to my column on Monday about Michael Moore's movie "Sicko."

One group applauded the column, and the other hadn't seen it because of their dislike for Moore.

Moore has earned that dislike by taking on big people, big companies and big issues and by having the audacity to use some of the same propaganda techniques that our government, corporations and other institutions use to further their views.

But even the people who despise Moore agreed that the American health care system is seriously flawed.

My goal was to stimulate conversation -- not a conversation with me, but a conversation among many people regardless of their political beliefs.

A conversation, not a debate.

Our health care system is too important to be left to politicians, lawyers, lobbyists and corporate interests.

Sharing thoughts

Last Saturday night, Millie Willis and some friends talked at length about American health care.

"We decided it might be a good idea to educate the people as to how national health care would work," she told me on Tuesday.

They wondered how to arrange for people from other countries to describe their experiences with their health care programs, especially national ones.

The presenters would be objective, nonpolitical providers of information for good or ill.

Willis asked me how it might be done.

William and Barbara Crocken of Roanoke had sent me an e-mail Monday saying that every American should see "Sicko."

They had lived full time in England for three years and part time for another three years.

They returned to Roanoke on June 8.

Been there

William Crocken and I talked for a long time by phone Tuesday afternoon. He was knowledgeable and objective and said he would be happy to describe their experiences with England's National Health Service.

He would cover flaws, virtues and nuances. For those who fear that he would be overly biased in favor of the NHS, let me say that at least one of its deficiencies caused them to return to the United States.

William Crocken, 75, is director emeritus of the Center for the Performing Arts and professor of theater and integrative arts at Penn State University. He retired in 1992.

Barbara Crocken managed Penn State's graduate program in acoustics and retired in 1994.

Their son, Michael, graduated from Penn State and Purdue, lives in Roanoke and works in Blacksburg. He is a mechanical engineer.

Their daughter, Laura, lives with her husband and children in England.

She graduated from Penn State and went to Stanford after that. She has worked in government and business in the U.S., Taiwan and Russia.

So explosive is the debate over health care in America, and especially the volatile topic of national health care, that some sort of facilitator might be needed to shepherd listeners and presenters through the discussions Willis and her friends envision.

"It's just a way to get people thinking," Willis said.

Putting it together will require significant work. If you know of other willing speakers with experience in other countries, or if you want to help arrange talks, call Willis at 774-8039, or e-mail her at millieva@cox.net.

On a related note, Lorraine Bratton of Vinton informs me that the AARP has begun a program called "Divided We Fail" to let the politicians know that many citizens believe health and financial security are the most important domestic issues we face.

The goal is to make the politicians find bipartisan solutions to problems surrounding those issues.

In her e-mail, Bratton, a grass-roots AARP volunteer, noted that I said in my column on Monday, "We need to ask ourselves, how well are we handling the hard problems that undermine our society?"

You can give your answer, share your opinions or tell your story at www.dividewefail.org.

Business, labor and other groups have joined in the effort -- the effort to reduce political gridlock and bring people together in search of solutions.

High-minded? Yes.

Impossible? I hope not.