Posted by
CyberMom on Thursday, July 23, 2009 1:24:46 PM
Well folks, you can thank Glenn Beck for failing the American public as of this morning, July 23, 2009. In fact, I would go so far as to say he embarrassed the whole of the Republican party this morning. In life, there are some things you can joke about that are funny - there are some assumptions you can make that are generically okay - and setting political correctness aside; there are some empty arguments you can blindly toss out there and it's still okay. But, there are some you can't, and health care IS one that you can't attack empty handed. Barrack Obama told a story about a woman who paid into her health insurance but they refused to pay for her cancer treatments, and a story about a person who lost their job and ended up with an exorbitant debt from a life-saving surgery. All that Beck could focus on, was that we "don't know the cancer woman's whole story," and it's probably her fault, and that the guy who lost his job was too "stupid" (yes, word that Beck used ver batim), to get Cobra. He spent plenty of time making fun of both of them simply because Barrack Obama, rather than dragging out a speech with all the details, gave those two highlighted examples of problems with our health care system. They should have never been the brunt of his jokes because: 1: Insurance companies have had an infamy for refusing services they are supposed to provide and 2: because we don't know that the guy with the debt DIDN'T have Cobra. Ignorance only begets ignorance.
The problem? People like Glenn Beck with insurance, who are not disabled and haven't hurt, don't know. Glenn will profess that unless you've been an alcoholic and gone through recovery you can't possibly understand things about that system that he does; and he's right. The same goes for health care. But, those of you listening to his show may be in the same position he is, and rather than weeding through ignorance and getting the truth - you had more ignorance blasted in your face. It is now REALLY upsetting me that EVERY FORM OF MEDIA coverage has seem to "Magically," *poof*, forgotten the stories we've had about the health care system since Obama suggested socialized medicine. Sure, there are plenty of stories of people leaving socialized medicine countries and coming to America so they can get the treatment they need, "in time." How do they get their treatment, by paying for it? NO. They come here, broke, and get their treatment through the: SOCIALIZED portion of health care system as it is now??!! Oops - forgot to mention that when attacking socialized medicine, huh? Did we forget that there are LITERALLY thousands of people, EVERY YEAR, leaving THIS COUNTRY to go to Europe, Canada and OTHER countries to get alternative treatments because our health care system won't provide them? Oops - forgot to mention that little caveat when discussing the "evil," socialized medicine, huh?
Have we so quickly forgotten the woman in southern california desperately trying to cross the border to Mexico so that she can get an alternate form of cancer treatment for her 5 year old little boy so that he didn't have to be radiated for cancer because he
BEGGED her to save him - but the LAW - the LEGAL SYSTEM - the JUSTICE OF AMERICA - sent the authorities after her, blockading roads, and
FORCED her to relinquish her child to the medical community to radiate the
CR@P out of him? Did you forget that? Did you forget how the GOVERNMENT ALREADY forced people into treatments they didn't want through fearmongering and absolution of power? Oops... sorry... yeah.. forgot there are just a few, bugs, but only a few, right - isolated stories, right? Well, maybe we've ALL forgotten the young lady in Oregon, who was only in her 20's, that needed a
LIFE SAVING SURGERY, but her INSURANCE COMPANY wouldn't authorize it until her family initiated a LAWSUIT, and then, when the insurance company conceeded and gave in to actually having to "spend," money to save someone's life - it was
TOO LATE AND SHE %^##$%^#@ DIED! Yeah - um - isn't that the "
evil," of "
socialized," medicine that the Republicans such as Glenn Beck are professing against? You know, the ones where the government gets to decide what treatments you have or makes you stand in lines until you die? WE are NOT a socialized medicine country and yet we have
ALL of the same problems as SOCIALIZED MEDICINE.
If Socialized medicine was SO BAD, in countries where you get to ELECT your leaders (and America's not the only one people), they STILL don't leave that system. Why not? If it's SO BROKEN, why are we the
ONLY country not to use it?
from Wikipedia on Socialized Medicine:
"Most industrialized countries, and many developing countries, operate some form of publicly-funded health care with universal coverage as the goal. According to the Institute of Medicine and others, the United States is the only wealthy, industrialized nation that does not provide universal health care."
[Note - please be aware that the above does NOT ALSO consider that the issues I raise in this article about the welfare system, and the medical coverage in the Military - considered to be some of the best available - fall within the LIMITED spectrum definition of Socialized Medicine in respect to the way that the radio talk show hosts use the term]
Look - I'm not advocating for it - not at all. What I don't like is when people like Glenn Beck go on the radio and talk about how "stupid," some kid was for not getting Cobra, stating that it's a government mandate that businesses offer to you and HE IS WRONG. He obviously hasn't done his homework, which he proclaims so "ADAMANTLY," that he does. You CAN be refused Cobra - including for reasons of termination vs. self-terminition. You CAN be refused Cobra if you're disabled and have a pre-existing condition. Okay - so - I'm gonna let you ALL in on a little secret -
I'm disabled. I don't have health insurance. Why? Don't I qualify? Sure I do! Even with a pre-existing condition and HUGE bills, I would qualify. You see, for $215 per month, I could pay for a program that requires only a $15 copay per doctor's visit and a 50% copay on my meds. So, every month, my $150 in prescriptions (that's the minimum - it's much larger but I won't tell you how much), would only cost me $75!! Every three months, seeing my doc would only cost me $15, not the usual $180! Yes, $180 for a 15 minute visit to renew my prescription. I have an extremely RARE disorder that does require a specialist I'm afraid. NO - I AM NOT ON WELFARE or State paid assistance. I pay out of pocket. But, let's do the math: I can pay $210 per month (averaging out meds and doc visits), to get EVERYTHING I NEED without health insurance, knowing that if I'm injured, I'm screwed, OR I can pay $295 per month (same avg), knowing that if I'm injured, because of my disability, I would only be covered up to 50%. Let's see, spend an additional $85 per month for that "safety net," that covers 50% of my needs, OR, try to use that $85 to help cover the $400 per month I'm going in the hole because of the entirety of my health needs? Hmm... tough choice... it REALLY, REALLY is. But, I can't afford the middle man ON TOP of the middle man. You see... my doc doesn't really get $180 for the visit - he gets probably half of that. Half of the $90 left over is taken by the clinic while the other half goes to pay into the CURRENTLY EXISTING socialized medicine program we have, for those without insurance who are covered by the government. I don't take advantage of the system even though I qualify, I don't ask for a hand out and am trying hard, on my own, disabled, to make it, and yet I currently have to pay for those who are without health insurance.
Is our current health care system broke? You bet it is. Maybe you forgot about the docs who complained with the health care system reforms in the 90's when the health insurance providers switched to a "get 'em in and get 'em out" method (of which HealthNet became infamous for), and the docs would only make money for shorter visits, less bedside manners and LESS tests. It's been in place for so long - because the GOVERNMENT supported it, that maybe you forgot how it changed bedside manners. When people like Glenn Beck argue against "socializing," services because it infringes on their money - they ONLY support Obama's position. He stands against GREED.
"Sorry - I don't want socialized medicine because I WANT MY MONEY - SCREW everyone else."
THAT IS NOT THE REPUBLICAN PARTY'S STAND on the issue. THAT IS GLENN BECK'S, and Sean Hannity's and Rush Limbaugh and they are making Republicans look greedy, selfish AND STUPID!
[Note to Glenn, Sean and Rush - I apologize in ADVANCE if that is NOT the message you intended - but maybe you need to STEP BACK and listen to your words - ie - Glenn - you wrote the book "Common Sense," of which I own five copies, four to still give away on top of the 3 I already have - but it should be COMMON sense to you to realize that this is EXACTLY what you are saying - IN CONTEXT - whether you mean to or not!]
Republicans, by the party-term and definition, are NOT greedy. We are NOT selfish - and I wish these guys would shut up - put up - or get off the air. In the infamous words of an infamous man, Lee Iacoca (sorry if I mispelled that), Lead, follow or get out of the way.
Argue against socialized medicine without appropriate checks and balances if you will. Argue against socialized medicine that deprives those who wish to pay for their own without penalties if you will. Those things make sense. But, do NOT argue against it because now you have to pay. A caller destroyed Sean Hannity two days ago and in my opinion ONLY (and it IS ONLY my opinion folks - please listen to his show and draw your own conclusions.. I trust you to do this), humiliated him and made him sound like a fool (which is sad, because he's not a fool), when Hannity when off on a tirade about Obama and ENTIRELY circumvented an answer because he had none. Do Republicans believe in the Defense of this country? YES. And, who pays for it? EVERYONE. IT IS SOCIALIZED. Do we believe in good education? YES. And, who pays for it - the parents of the children in school - or EVERYONE? You know the answer. Of course, both of those systems need reform, checks and balances and spending caps. But, that would be the same for medical coverage. We ALREADY have socialized health care under the "guise," known as "welfare," governed by the most idiotic and worthless agency in the WORLD - Department of Human Services. DO WE FORGET where the government buys its medication from to offer the prescriptions to the American people at cheap prices? CANADA, Europe and other foreign countries - NOT AMERICAN pharmaceuticals!!! DANGIT people - DON'T be stupid! Don't be lead like sheep. WHY does Canada get better prescription prices? SOCIALIZED MEDICINE! So - what have we learned?
Blindly jumping into socialized medicine - bad - the proof is in the pudding - as it were.
Blindly standing against it - JUST as bad.
We ARE AMERICA. We are a nation that believes in helping the less fortunate. Ellis Island/The Statue of Liberty:
"Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!".
Did you forget that, too? Did you forget that we came to this Country under that VERY pretense? Did you forget the hospitality that was shown to us that we threw to the winds? Did you forget the meaning of care? I'm not a supporter of the Democrat party's philosophies. I DON'T support welfare - and if you've read my posts on here - you'd know that. I DO support a hand up. I DO support helping out. I DON'T support the government telling us where we'll give or spend our money - but I WON'T support the argument that: "It's MY money - so nah, nah," because I'm not childish, selfish or weak. If you are a Republican, and you care AT ALL about your party - you will write to Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity and Rush Limbaugh, you will write to your State and Federal Representatives and you will say: STOP with the "rich" people bashing. Stop with the selfish "money" hoarding. That is NOT American. That is NOT what this Country is about. Consider a Health Care reform that better manages socialization issues and fair coverage for all people so that those with more money who wish to pay for more services - can do so WITHOUT added taxes or penalties - those without - can at LEAST get the basics with a program that is designed to HELP them recover financially and afford it on their own. But, we ALL share in school. We ALL share in postal and governmental and other issues - because we know these systems DO require a collaborative effort. And then, tell the officials, and those who represent our party on radio and television - SHUT UP. Quit acting like big, stupid, moronic babies without a clue. START doing what you promised - to report the truth. To act WITHOUT bickering over party sides and cover the issues that matter in an INTELLIGENT way. BE INFORMED. (Yes, the little Timmy Teetleburgermeyerwhaterverism was a funny story, well told and I enjoyed it - but ONLY insomuch as the story stood alone on the foolishness of "sob," stories, while the REALITY is that there are HORROR stories in the THOUSANDS happening daily that ARE very serious and CAN'T be ignored!)
Yes, straight forward socialized medicine instituted overnight would lead to massive problems, especially with under-estimated cost projections and
other issues. Maybe we need more volunteers in medicine. Maybe if the government's going to spend money - it shouldn't be on socialized health care, but more free clinics for those who qualify or whose insurance companies have betrayed them. Maybe we need an FDA that is
NOT corrupted and bought out by the pharmaceuticals (you can read more about this in my previous posts), but supports a WIDER variety of health services - including treating DENTAL health care with the same level of concern as regular, medical health care!!
Sorry that Glenn Beck bore the brunt of my complaint today, but it was too much and he just happened to be the straw that broke this old camel's back. I will say this: if the current health care reform bill passes - I pray for all of us - because the bickering and fighting will become even more moronic and baby-like and we'll see fighting and mudslinging that usually only children... or politicians... see. We will have massive problems financially and medically and we will see a decline in services just from the medical community that goes on strike and people WILL suffer. I pray for us all. But, remember this: the authorities YOU think YOU need to keep you safe from yourselves, I don't agree with, but I help pay for their services, too. The foreign military YOU think YOU need to keep us from overnight war fighting in foreign countries right now, dying and killing, I don't agree with, but I help pay for. The attorney general's the government FORCES us to pay for to PROTECT them from US, I DEFINATELY don't agree with, but we all help pay for. A reform is needed - YES. The one in play - NO. So - to that extent - the forces fighting this bill must AMASS in numbers and stand against it. But, DON'T do it blindly. DON'T do it because it will hurt your pocket book. Freedom costs - MIND, BODY, HEART, SOUL - BLOOD, SWEAT & TEARS. There is a price for freedom - and we must ALL be willing, as a collective, to pay for it. But, WE the people should be commanding what happens with it - NOT Uncle Sam - and THAT is the ONLY true argument to make.