Senator Ted Kennedy, Health Care Reform Originator

We just lost a national treasure. Politics aside. Personal life aside. Ted Kennedy spent his life in public service and was a key influence on many a social, political, and economic issue. We just lost a national treasure.

It's such a shame because Ted Kennedy was one of the originators of Health Care Reform. He died right when the debate is hitting a feverish high, right when we might actually see the kind of change he's been aiming to create for decades.

Ted Kennedy's work on creating an effective health care system started back in the '60s, when he was part of the creation of Medicare in 1965. Through the years, he became a legend in the Senate where he spent much of his energy on healthcare, labor, and economic issues including the Family and Medical Leave Act, the WIC nutritional program, and AmeriCorps, to name a few.

He spent his professional life in public service. And although it's a shame that he didn't see Health Care Reform come to fruition in his lifetime, he did see what in his eyes was hope --- in the Town Halls sweeping the country where citizens are debating Health Care Reform and trying to make things happen. He also saw hope in Barack Obama to continue the work that he started in the beginning of his career.

Politics aside. Personal life aside. We lost a national treasure. But we still have hope for Health Care Reform, just like Ted Kennedy did.

Hope this finds you well -- Jim