Some of the most interesting things to read about in the news and/or to hear political agendas about are health care reform or social security.

It’s strange to me because when I see these programs being discussed or speak to my peers about some of the issues, I hear opinions, which are almost scary in the attitude they portray.

I am always taken aback by the sentiment, especially among young people, that denounces Medicare, Social Security, and Medicaid as inefficient.

The belief seems to be that implementing these systems requires serious changes in order to ensure that the government does not have to spend an arm and a leg to fund the expenses of those who did not save enough while they were young and able.

I am not going to deny the claims that paying medical expenses for certain citizens is expensive or unnecessary. It really is a burden on this country, as is just handing out free money to the elderly.

But then again, is it an undue burden? As a nation there is no question that we can afford the costs. It does require additional taxes upon the workers but it will not drive the nation into anarchy, nor will it result in the collapse of the entire economy.

What is even more revolting to me than the concept of additional taxes is the fact that I see people in the wealthiest nation in the world who seem to have lost out on the benefit of its success.

I recently witnessed a waitress working a late shift, clearly over the age to receive Social Security and I wondered why it was that the country cannot provide her with a check large enough to allow her to enjoy the remainder of her life, away from the stress of a job. Were the years of her life already spent working just to get by insufficient to earn her a break in her later years?

It’s concerning when there are stories of people that could not get treatment for their illness because their well-being is a “burden” on the country’s economy simply because they worked at a job which did not offer sufficient health benefits to its employees.

For some reason Americans have decreed that those who are not helping the country or its citizens are not worthy of retirement or medical attention.

Unlike the rest of the world, our elderly are put away in nursing homes so that their children do not have to put up with them moving back in. We may as well put them on an ice floe and allow them to float off into the ocean.

People have also been known to vote officials out of office if they ask for a few percentage points more in taxes to pay for those who do not receive medical coverage from their jobs.

Though it is nice to keep a greater part of what one makes, people in this country need to ask themselves if they can accept a slight downgrade in their living style in order to make the country as a whole truly one that looks out for all of its members, and not only the productive ones.

- Khalil Farah is a sophomore from Jacksonville, Fla., majoring in political science.