Reform for the people, not for the votes.

We are overwhelmed by it: health-care reform, welfare reform, government reform. A political revolution in the making? Maybe for some. Politics as usual? Probably for most.

It is understandable that reform efforts need to have political winds behind them to reach the legislative finish line. Reform for purely political reasons, however, will not "fix" anything. Reform should be for the people, not for their votes.

As explained recently by Pope Benedict XVI, "The more we strive to secure a common good corresponding the the real needs of our neighbours, the more effectively we love them. . . . When animated by charity, commitment to the common good has greater worth than a merely secular and political stand would have."

We should question the sincerity of the national health-care reform initiative of the left, just like we should question the motivation behind welfare reform initiatives of the hard right.

Economically and socially, we need to find a better way to do things. Reform efforts should be judged through the lens of effectively helping people, not merely re-election efforts.
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