Oprah to the Rescue

I just watched an episode of Oprah. I have occasionally flipped past her immensely successful and popular show from time to time. Ninety percent of the time the show glorifies Hollywood and celebrity, so I pass on, but occasionally it gets political; then she's got me. Do you remember when the Texas beef industry sued Oprah for dissing their "product"? How dare she associate mad cow disease with beef!

Today the hot topic was poverty and getting by on the minimum wage which I believe is $5.50/hour in the good old USA. Oprah roped in the Super Size Me guy and his lovely vegan fiancee to live for a month working minimum wage jobs. It was a complete disaster. He worked two full time jobs (that's 16 hours a day) and screwed up his wrist; she worked one and got a urinary tract infection. Without health coverage they were in the hole $1,200 at the end of their 30 days in hell.

Oprah then brought on a succession of impoverished people to talk about their lives and their struggles. These people weren't lazy welfare bums as they are often characterized. They were working full time jobs and still couldn't make ends meet. There were silver linings, smiles (with some tears) and even a standing ovation. I'm being a little sarcastic but I was moved as well to hear the stories of people that never get a chance to tell their stories. The Bible had better be right that the last shall be first and the first shall be last.

However it was ironic to hear Oprah say how shocking this whole situation is and how things have to change. Now I can't imagine how much Oprah pulls in during the year but let's assume it's a little more than minimum wage. And perhaps this is the whole problem. When you're hunting for the American Dream most people are going to come up short; not everyone can be an Oprah, despite what we are led to believe. We don't all start out the hunt equally in any case.

Having said that, I bet that this episode will get a reaction in Washington and in some of the states. That's the power of Oprah. I bet that in the 2006 congressional elections politicians will point to today's Oprah show and demand a rise in the minimum wage. And Oprah's guests might even get a 20 cent raise an hour come 2007.

Universal healthcare is a major issue in the US (and in Canada as we are slowly killing our great system). Americans need it for so many reasons. As a Canadian I'm amazed that you can get a bill for going to see the doctor or be treated for an x-ray. So I'm pondering a new mission from the great white north into the heart of the US. Maybe some well meaning Canadians need to go down there and explain to them that they don't have to line up for the free clinic because they can't afford to see a doctor. If you just tax everyone (especially the successful like Oprah) fairly you can have a national system. It will even be cheaper and more efficient. Yet I already know that we'd be called communists and chased out of town.