“You measure the justice of society by how it treats its children.”
-Former UN Secretary General, Peres de Cuellar

12-year-old Deamonte Driver died Sunday. He wasn’t hit by a car, pierced in the heart by a stray bullet or taken by some rare, incurable disease. He died of a toothache.

His life could have been saved by an $80 procedure but, his mother lacked the funds to take care of it. So, the bacteria from his abcess spread to his brain.

Let’s back up. His mother did try to get this fixed but, try finding a dentist who takes Medicaid. Want an even greater challenge? Try finding an oral surgeon who’ll accept Medicaid.

So, his mother did like a lot of poor people do — she hoped for the best. Unfortunately, all her hopes and prayers didn’t spare her son’s life.

For the want of $80, she would have had her son alive, today.

If that doesn’t move you, try this. As a result of the infection going to his brain, Deamonte had to have two operations and spent 6 weeks in the hospital. The final cost to taxpayers will likely be in the neighborhood of $250,000.

All this was because we, as a country…as THE superpower in the world…as THE beacon of hope and democracy…as THE pillar of humanitarianism let a child die because he didn’t have $80 to get his tooth fixed.

But, if that didn’t move you then, riddle me this — what’s less money, $80 or $250,000? Some people call universal health care “socialism”. I choose another s-word — “sensible.”

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