I received an email from an old colleague who volunteers with me on a retiree health care support group.
[My] sister took her car in for an oil change last week. With her in the waiting room was an elderly gentleman watching the news on TV.This isn't the Soviet Union, so fears of a government takeover of health care and other large segments of the economy are unfounded... right?
He said "Excuse me, but do you understand what they are doing with these health care changes? Can you explain this to me?"
Not knowing the gentleman, recognizing that English was not his first language and not wanting to enter into a debate on health care, my sister briefly highlighted some of the upcoming changes in what she felt were fairly neutral terms. She addressed a couple of his questions, noting that he was becoming uneasy as he continued [watching the newscast].
Resuming, he asked her: "Do you mind if I tell you about myself?"
"I don't mind", she replied, "Please do."He said he was a colonel, a pilot [in the Soviet military]. He didn't say what branch of the service. He showed [her] 4 pictures of himself in uniform. He said, yes they had free education, and free medical care, BUT they had nothing else. No one had any money, to do anything else.
"Why don't they ask me what it was like, why don't they ask me." He kissed [her] on the forehead when he left and said, "God bless you!" It was so touching.
