Michael Moore's movie, "Sicko", is apparently designed to educate the American public regarding the issues of health care. The movie presents a comparative analysis of the health-care systems in America, Canada, France, England and Cuba. Michael Moore and his film crew actually visited all the countries discussed in the film, interviewed health-care professionals, and patients, and presented the fact in understandable details.

Based on the film, health-care in America is very controversial. It is also a highly contested area in the legal and administrative arenas. The film shows how the health-care industry operates with hidden agenda, which is based on profit making. As a result, the average citizen is denied access to health-care payments for frivolous reasons, which impacts minorities the most. Such actions at times resulted in the unfortunate death of individuals being denied insurance coverage, or a family member who desper ately needs the coverage to pay for medical bills not being covered.

The film shows various former employees of the health-care industry providing information on what they used to do for their respective employers. The information is depressing. The actions of the insurance companies as portrayed by the former employees are ruthless, based on capitalistic motives, and show a lack of sensitivity for the health and welfare of others who are sick, unemployed, or in a minority status.

One must consider the impact of the film on politicians. It actually computes in monetary terms the value of how much the health-care industry spends annually to buy politicians and get them into its corner. With the winning over of politicians, the health-care industry is then able to obtain votes and influence the passage of legislations in its favor which affects Americans across the spectrum, especially with the poor feeling the greatest impact.

The film heightens ones awareness regarding the ongoing battle over healthcare coverage, and in particular, the health care debate and proposals by each candidate regarding where he or she stands on the issues. It shows the benefits to be derived from having a health-care system that is universal, and how it improves the quality of life for citizens of that country. The following is my poem regarding the health-care system in America entitled, This Land:

This Land...America!

This land we fought and died for
Ancestral legacy buried in its midst;
This land we shed our blood for
Descendants suffering in its midst;
This land we cried and bled for
Future generation will be ticked;
This land we stood and prayed for...
Lord help and keep us on Your list!

Sicko is a present day reality of America's broken health-care system. It is beyond any reasonable comprehension to acknowledge the fact that the wealthiest country in the world is not even rated in the top 25% of countries world-wide for providing health-care to its citizens. This realization is just deplorable! It is an injustice to humanity to know that Americans are dying in the streets on a daily basis, especially the poor, because America does not have an efficient and effective health-care system to provide for its citizens.

One could assume that the ruthless practice of the health-care industry is designed to further continue the unjust act of covert genocide on certain segments of the American population. The system impacts African-Americans and other minorities the most. It is a further reflection of how capitalism and monopolistic practices by the upper class continue to act in a repressive manner to alienate those considered inferior by unjust standards.

The timing of the film could not have been better especially being released before an election year. If watched by Americans, this film should provide them with enough information to make an informed decision on where they should cast their votes on the health-care debate. Minority Americans have suffered enough under the current unjust practices of the health-care system. It has stripped them of: their pockets book, bank accounts, home mortgage equity, and other finances to pay for coverage the insurance companies should have been held liable for but refused to pay.

The following is another poem about the health-care system entitled, Taking Care of our People.

Taking Care of Our People

Let's take care of the sick
They are dying in our streets;
Let's take care on the homeless
They are sleeping in the streets;
America has money to spare
Let's spend on the sick their share;
Build homes for the homeless,
Lift up humanity to where—
America is truly the Land Of The Free
And proud to be: The Hand of the Brave!