Nexus

Latin word for connection, or hub, a place where things and minds come together and function.

Readers will remember we have a group called Nexus. We came together in April of this year and meet monthly. We discuss issues of importance. Issues that matter to all of us, even though we disagree. That’s the purpose of Nexus: find purpose and value in the issues so we can carry forward. Not to change minds, but to help each understand the issues better so we can go forth confident in our knowing.


This month we discussed Medicare For All. The 9 brave souls gathered were not in 100% agreement. But we agreed on terms and their definitions. Not sure any decisions or conclusions were formed, but we had fun and enjoyed each other as we muddled forward.


Clearly, Medicare For All is an issues that zeroes in on a common denominator of functionality. Who will do this, with what resources, and to what end? Huge issue, huge operation, huge cost. Only one party big enough to handle this with fairness and justice. That would be the federal government.


That’s where the discussion stutters to a close for a time.


The crux of many social issues is the wherewithal needed to solve or manage the issues. An all-knowing partner is needed. An argument is made that private industry is not the right partner because it would become a monopoly, unfair, and profit oriented, running up the costs that would exclude the very people it promises otherwise to help.


That line of thinking quickly arrives on the doorstep of government. But then the issue becomes: What is the role of government? Ought it be large, small, or somewhere in between? And if not large, how do we achieve the desired outcomes we know are necessary for the commonweal?


There you have our next Nexus discussion. It will be held Tuesday, November 5^th. Al’s Pizza’s front room, at 6:30 pm. Buy a pizza, have a beer from Towne Tap next door, and enjoy the conversation. That's in Warrneville, 30 miles due west of Chicago. We don’t promise results, but we do examine many ideas. Together we get to know each other and enjoy each other.


This process is so much better than yelling at the TV during the news hour! Join us?


October 10, 2019