Of course it is- we've been taught that since we took social studies or civics in high school. But the interesting question is why.

Management and systems experts have proven conclusively that the system, or context in which one operates, is more powerful than individual values. They put it this way: "the context, or system, always trumps personal values."

In school it's called peer pressure. In business it's called to get along you go along. In the military it's called looking out for your unit and your buddies. In most social circles it's called etiquette or honoring social norms. No matter what the system happens to be, most of us figure out that it's just good business and good judgment to follow the norms.

They exist because we all function better when we honor the same agreed upon rules. When we have a system which doesn't honor these rules we get a society which is fearful and sometimes paranoid.

Honoring social contracts is observable in every country and every social structure. If the system you're a part of has good values, it will be easier for you to both behave honorably and maintain your membership in good standing without fear of reprisal of any kind.

The U. S. Constitution provides a systematic way of maintaining good values whereby all members of society can exist in peace and harmony. By stating that the rights of the individual are paramount, and that the government is here to serve us, and not the other way around, the Constitution and Bill of Rights pretty much cover the way a civil and civilized society can flourish.

It is obvious that people's behavior is very much governed by their context. Change the rules of the game and we are only asking for trouble - which, unfortunately, seems to be a commodity we have in great abundance.

Living by wise and proven rules protects all of us - even those who would otherwise stray were the rules relaxed. Weaken those rules and we're just asking for trouble.

The current administration has done far more harm than is obvious when it says to its citizens, and to the rest of the world - we don't have to follow the rules.

The Bush administration is dangerous because it is essentially ignorant of the benefits this country has enjoyed due to its profoundly wise Constitution. Thus we have both elected and appointed officials who lie with impunity, an Attorney General nominee who can't say that waterboarding is torture and other government agency heads altering reports when those reports don't support their own ideological positions.

Supporting our Constitution is not a political option; our survival depends on it. If we are to survive, and democracy and human rights are to spread it can only happen if we are willing to stand up for what is right and decent. That is our mission - to be an exemplar of honorable and humane treatment of all people,everywhere. And it starts right here at home.

The idea that we have responsibility for our fellow citizens is at the core of the debate we have been having since we emerged as homo sapiens 200,000 years ago. The story of Cain and Abel illustrates the point well.

In the U.S. the debate has raged on for nearly 100 years; the AMA, when opposed to some federal legislation proposed in about 1918, used the argument that government mandated coverage was socialism. Even then the argument was powerful and persuasive enough to doom the legislation.

It is no different today. An interesting aspect of the debate: why is socialism so bad? In our country we actually have a mixed economy: socialism and capitalism. The government build roads and the car companies make cars. No one complains much about taxes to build roads. The government collects trash and private companies make trash trucks. No one complains that the trash truck manufacturers make a profit.

Do not blame the insurance companies. They are only responding to the reality that the demand for health care exceeds our willingness to pay for it. Having been in the health care business for nearly 40 years I can guarantee that if you ran an insurance company, you would behave the same. You would do everything possible to control costs.

In reality, the solution is very simple. Provide universal coverage. Keep everyone in the pool. Providers could be public or private - this doesn't change the basic issue that health care is expensive and we as a country have not agreed that we want to pay for it.

We have a broken system; don't blame any individual player for the problem (you pick any individual you want). The proof of this proposition is simple: if the insurance companies eliminated all the insurance company gatekeepers and reduced the salaries of all key executives, would our health care coverage issues be solved? Absolutely not.

Here's my simple solution. Mandate that everyone be covered.

If the cost exceeded some predetermined percent of income, subsidize the cost. Standardize the coverage provided. Standardize the record keeping process. Allow people to buy supplemental coverage if they wanted it for cosmetic and other non life-threatening medical conditions.

Acknowledge that it is socialized medicine, and be proud of it! Admit that it is OK for us to guarantee coverage for everyone, not just the rich, or people working for employers who can afford to provide coverage. Be proud that we care enough about our brother that we will provide basic health protection for all people.

Health care coverage is expensive, but doggone it, its worth it.