For the first time in my life, I am speechless. And for those of you who know me, you know that does not happen often. I am responding to the remark made in Doug Zabrowski's Oct. 14 Viewpoint, "Vote for Bush called 'right decision'" and Ryan Shaw's Oct. 26 viewpoint, "Healthcare examined" where both mentioned "healthcare is a privilege, not a right."

For the most part, those who do not support universal health care usually think it is only for the poor, those on welfare and the single parents of the world. That is not necessarily the case. A lot more people are in need of universal healthcare than you think. First of all, let me tell you about myself. I am white middle-class Marquette student. I have a job, I do my homework and I pay bills. Upon graduation, I will be many thousands of dollars in debt, all for the sake of a good education. I sound like a lot of other students. But did you know that my parents pay $9,600 a year for health care? It comes straight out of their pockets. $9,600. That is a lot of money!

I was lucky enough to be born into a family where my parents made sure I had a home, they had a job and we had health care. But not everything lasts forever. My dad lost his job in September 2002 and for over 18 months my dad was unemployed. He had to dip into his retirement fund just to pay the bills. My mom took on a second job. And the only affordable health care available allowed my family the ability to see the doctor. Prescriptions? No coverage.

We have to pay full price. And let me tell you, it's not cheap. And even after my dad was lucky enough to find a job, he landed one that does not offer him or his family benefits. So we still can't afford full health care. I am grateful that we have some type of coverage, but $9,600 is a lot of money any way you look at it.

Now if this story does not pull on your heart strings, how about this? When you graduate or turn 23 years old, depending on what health care plan your parents currently have — if they have one for that matter — you will no longer be covered under their plan. So if you are not lucky enough to land a job right after college or you find a job that does not offer you benefits, you will have no health care.

And as I said, it's not cheap. You probably won't pay $9,600, but it will still be a couple hundred. And that's money that could go toward a new car, a new apartment or even something as simple as food. Still think universal health care is unnecessary?

This could happen to any one of us at Marquette. So until this happens to you, I don't suggest you try to tell someone else what he or she is entitled to. Heath care, in my opinion, should be a right granted to all individuals regardless of race, ethnicity or their financial situation. Health care is not a privilege. It is a right. Last I checked, the Declaration of Independence said I had a right to live. So what gives you the right to make it harder for me to live?

Johnson is a senior in the College of Communication.

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