Indivisible

“… One Nation, under God, indivisible …”

We repeat these words in our Pledge of Allegiance. We say “indivisible.” That has only one meaning: “not separable into parts.” We are one nation, all working for the common good, for one another. This is what has made the United States of America such a great nation.

But I see our country starting to divide, almost evenly, into two diverse factions. One-half of our population is “favorable to progress or reform,” and the other half “disposed to saving existing conditions.” The definitions I have just used are from my Webster's dictionary. They identify the terms “liberal” and “conservative.”

A nation divided cannot properly service our country. The terms “liberal” and “conservative” appear to have become terms of disapproval and are being used almost as if they are curse words. This great divide is affecting our economy, and it is also driving our industry into a major debate.

The United States needs both Medicare and Medicaid. These are two vital services. However, differing views from conservatives and liberals about these government programs are worlds apart. We must help guide them to develop a program that will benefit all recipients and that will not bankrupt the country.

The Civil War came about because the nation at that time was no longer “indivisible.” The United States had both an agrarian and a manufacturing economy, one in the South and the other in the North. Neither side wished to recognize the other or to sort out their differences. I am not a historian, but we all know the agonizing results that came from this lack of negotiation.

So please, work with your senators and representatives in Washington. Help in the battle to protect our industry and to protect all of your customers, because American citizens deserve only the very best. Let's not allow things to deteriorate into name-calling and “only-I-am-right” attitudes. Let's all sit down together and address our differences.

Show and Sell

I am always chagrined when I visit an HME/DME showroom and walk through to find that it is neat and orderly, with every item dusted and every price marked — BUT, there are no real traffic-stoppers.