While trying to pass a complete revision of everything we have ever thought of as healthcare and emphatically denying that care would ever be rationed, and despite decades of pushing routine test,our imperial Federal Government's U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (a panel, not called a death panel even though some people will die because of their decision) has revised downward standards of recommended care for early detection of breast cancer. Not content yesterday's demeaning our healthcare, today they did the same thing with cervical cancer and pap smears. Forgetting for a moment the very real human cost of these changes, are they politically stupid? Their goal is to change our healthcare system to one of equality. Where no ones care is allowed to be any better than anyone else's (save politicians and their families). A world where all care is equally mediocre. Lowest common denominator.
Shouldn't the least they do be hide their intentions? One has to wonder, did these panels anticipate the outcue*? Did they release this information earlier than they were supposed to?
Or maybe the current climate in Washington is absolute confidence that they will have their way with us no matter what we try to do about it.
*An announcer who steps on (talks over or cuts off) the last second or two of the preceding show or commercial is said to anticipate the outcue.
Showing posts with label nationalized health care. Show all posts
Showing posts with label nationalized health care. Show all posts
Friday, November 20, 2009
Sunday, November 8, 2009
It's a Done Deal
Socialized medicine has passed the House of Representatives. Now the House and Senate hammer out their differences in secret and give us what they want to give us.
And the Republicans? They are proudly proclaiming that they managed to slip in two amendments that prohibit Government funding of Abortions. Aside from the obvious detail that they will be slipped back out in the backroom negotiations - no, that's the wrong word. There is no negotiating going on. There is just wheeling and dealing, carving up the spoils. The real tragedy is that it passed at all. The Government should have its sticky fingers out of ALL MEDICINE, not just abortions. If you had worried as much about that, you could have had your cake and eat it too. No government funded medicine, therefore no government funded abortions. Sometimes I think there are only the pro-abortion Progressives and the anti-abortion Progressives and there are no Republicans up there in Washington at all.
This Republic was the United States of America, not the Peoples Republic of America. There was a reason this is not a democracy. The founders of this country loathed democracy as tyranny of the masses.
And the Republicans? They are proudly proclaiming that they managed to slip in two amendments that prohibit Government funding of Abortions. Aside from the obvious detail that they will be slipped back out in the backroom negotiations - no, that's the wrong word. There is no negotiating going on. There is just wheeling and dealing, carving up the spoils. The real tragedy is that it passed at all. The Government should have its sticky fingers out of ALL MEDICINE, not just abortions. If you had worried as much about that, you could have had your cake and eat it too. No government funded medicine, therefore no government funded abortions. Sometimes I think there are only the pro-abortion Progressives and the anti-abortion Progressives and there are no Republicans up there in Washington at all.
This Republic was the United States of America, not the Peoples Republic of America. There was a reason this is not a democracy. The founders of this country loathed democracy as tyranny of the masses.
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Pre-Existing Conditions
Every [otherwise sane] person I speak to about the coming health-care takeover who is still in favor of it comes down to the same argument - someone [they are related to] has a pre-existing medical condition (generally diabetes, but not always) and cannot get affordable [read as cheap] insurance.
Skipping for a moment the observation that after an accident is not when you would buy car insurance, and presume that there is some kind of societal need to provide for diabetics. What obligation would we have? The need for catastrophic treatment? Heart failure. Reasonable, but every hospital will not turn you away and will treat that without insurance now. Kidney failure and dialysis? Seems like a reasonable request. Very expensive and labor intensive on the part of medical personnel. Insulin? What responsibility do people have in there own care and life? None????
But more important, if our biggest need is to cover people whose care is more than any reasonable person can afford to care for, why is it necessary to destroy everyone else's health care system to allow for the coverage of these people? And especially, why is it necessary to destroy a healthcare system that at least 82% of the population is happy with - to enable coverage of the other uninsureds, people who have better things to do with their money instead of buying insurance. Things like buying a 52" flat screen TV and a high-end new car? And why are we covering people who are not even supposed to be in this country anyway? (especially if their country is one of those model countries whose health care system is so wonderful - send them home for treatment)
As a society, we can see the need to cover the old and very young. Perhaps covering or subsidizing diabetics, catastrophic diseases and the like might be justifiable, but at what cost to the rest of us? Our own health?
Skipping for a moment the observation that after an accident is not when you would buy car insurance, and presume that there is some kind of societal need to provide for diabetics. What obligation would we have? The need for catastrophic treatment? Heart failure. Reasonable, but every hospital will not turn you away and will treat that without insurance now. Kidney failure and dialysis? Seems like a reasonable request. Very expensive and labor intensive on the part of medical personnel. Insulin? What responsibility do people have in there own care and life? None????
But more important, if our biggest need is to cover people whose care is more than any reasonable person can afford to care for, why is it necessary to destroy everyone else's health care system to allow for the coverage of these people? And especially, why is it necessary to destroy a healthcare system that at least 82% of the population is happy with - to enable coverage of the other uninsureds, people who have better things to do with their money instead of buying insurance. Things like buying a 52" flat screen TV and a high-end new car? And why are we covering people who are not even supposed to be in this country anyway? (especially if their country is one of those model countries whose health care system is so wonderful - send them home for treatment)
As a society, we can see the need to cover the old and very young. Perhaps covering or subsidizing diabetics, catastrophic diseases and the like might be justifiable, but at what cost to the rest of us? Our own health?
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Do the Mere Mortals Shrug Also?
I am creeping ever closer to retirement, or is it racing to retirement? There are a number of factors accelerating my rush to the finish line. There is the increase in the amount of work as we increase the number of schools and classrooms and as they get older and need more repair without adding coworkers to keep the load as it was, nor increase wages to even stay consistent. Then there is the ever worsening behavior of both the students, and the faculty and administrators.
But I realized the other day that I was looking at the straw that would break the camel's back. This was the point at which I would shrug my off yoke and quit. I mentioned this to one of the [decent] administrators on Friday thinking of it as just my own observation. He pointed out that my feelings were expressed by others, especially in the lower level employees, bus drivers, and kitchen help. I said that when the medical insurance became public, and the taxes increased I was going to turn it all in. He said that many of the bus drivers and kitchen staff work as little as four hours a day and at very low wages. They work instead for the health insurance since their husbands (these short hour employees being almost exclusively women) did not have insurance at their jobs. They, also, will have no reason to keep on working without that particular benefit. The pitiful mere wages are not enough reason to put up with the job..
That will be stage five of the Kübler-Ross model - better known as the five stages of grief. As it stands now, Democrats are at stage one, denial. Conservatives are at stage two, anger. Politicians are at stage three, bargaining. Me, I am at stage four, depression. Will I ever make it to stage five, acceptance? At that point, there will be no point in going to work just to give the government a bigger share of my life than I get to keep.
But I realized the other day that I was looking at the straw that would break the camel's back. This was the point at which I would shrug my off yoke and quit. I mentioned this to one of the [decent] administrators on Friday thinking of it as just my own observation. He pointed out that my feelings were expressed by others, especially in the lower level employees, bus drivers, and kitchen help. I said that when the medical insurance became public, and the taxes increased I was going to turn it all in. He said that many of the bus drivers and kitchen staff work as little as four hours a day and at very low wages. They work instead for the health insurance since their husbands (these short hour employees being almost exclusively women) did not have insurance at their jobs. They, also, will have no reason to keep on working without that particular benefit. The pitiful mere wages are not enough reason to put up with the job..
That will be stage five of the Kübler-Ross model - better known as the five stages of grief. As it stands now, Democrats are at stage one, denial. Conservatives are at stage two, anger. Politicians are at stage three, bargaining. Me, I am at stage four, depression. Will I ever make it to stage five, acceptance? At that point, there will be no point in going to work just to give the government a bigger share of my life than I get to keep.
Friday, July 31, 2009
Senator Christopher Dodd
Senator Christopher Dodd, Senior Senator from the State of Connecticut, and hereditary politician and Senator has announced today that he has prostate cancer and will undergo prostate surgery in early August, in other words, in the next few days. Senator Dodd is 65 years old.
During my cancer treatments in Atlanta, Georgia in 2005, the radiation clinic that treated me was also treating a number of Canadian men for prostate cancer. Apparently using the considerations of age (most prostate sufferers are in advanced years), and prognosis (prostate is often, but not always, a slow moving cancer) Canadian government health care postpones treatment for reasons of economy.
Fortunately, Senator Dodd is in the United States and the new Obama-care health system is not yet in force, so he will get the treatment he needs and age and prognosis will not be considerations of whether he will get the treatment.
Then again, age and prognosis will never matter for him, for he is a member of the elite political class who does not have to live by the same rules and deprivations they visit on us, the hoi polloi.
During my cancer treatments in Atlanta, Georgia in 2005, the radiation clinic that treated me was also treating a number of Canadian men for prostate cancer. Apparently using the considerations of age (most prostate sufferers are in advanced years), and prognosis (prostate is often, but not always, a slow moving cancer) Canadian government health care postpones treatment for reasons of economy.
Fortunately, Senator Dodd is in the United States and the new Obama-care health system is not yet in force, so he will get the treatment he needs and age and prognosis will not be considerations of whether he will get the treatment.
Then again, age and prognosis will never matter for him, for he is a member of the elite political class who does not have to live by the same rules and deprivations they visit on us, the hoi polloi.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)