Anyone Going To See "Sicko"?

You are free to die if you get sick and the insurance company denies you or if you are too poor to afford insurance.
Id rather rely on our government than have to beg my insurance behemoth too please take care of me after Ive paid $500 month premiums all of my life.
They scrimp on claims just so they can pay their board members a zillion dollars and have their corporate jets and luxury skybox seats .Just by eliminating the middleman insurance industry there is enough savings to pay for all uninsured Americans healthcare.
The fact is ,almost all Americans would be much better off with universal health care.
They may not vote for it because of distracting wedge issues .

 

Sure... I would rather our government bleed 100's of billion of dollars in a war in Iraq than spend that money on it's own citizens improving quality of life.

It's easy to say pull up your britches, when you can afford a pair.

 

I don't know how young and poor you are now, but I don't need a rocket scientist to tell me how stupid you are. I guess to you, the perfect citizen would hate all mankind, support stealing elections and shredding our constitution, screw the Geneva Convention, practice torture presuming all are guilty and innocent is just a word of the past. kill hundreds of thousands of innocent Iraqis, using our military as target practice, letting a rogue administration spy on us, losing our rights under the Constitution and the list goes on. Anti-American people that think like you have made us the most hated country on the earth, when we used to be the most loved. It's your right to be selfish and despicable, consider yourself superior, hate the poor and those than have fallen on hard times and stereotype all others. Fortunately you are in the minority and we shall overcome. Just wait and see.

 

wow, i'm stunned. i'm stunned at how ignorant that statement is.

again i refer you back to my husband. hard working, respected mechanic. honest guy. highly trained, thoroughly certified, highly invested in his career, 25 grand worth of tools bought and paid for (more than i paid to go to a 4 year college), 10 years experience on his belt, best mind on any team he was on.

we went from having a nice comfortable life with a nice savings account and doing quite well to barely being able to pay the rent and moving to the downtown district (not a place one wants to be) in just a few months. with health insurance, we still got over 10 grand in hospital bills plus lost income. he didn't f$%^ up anything, thankyouverymuch.

you can still get f$%^ed over through no fault of your own. which is what happened to us. this happens a LOT. it's not because we're pothead idiots who sit around the tv all day doing nothing. your stereotypes piss me off immensely. and yes, i take it personal because i LIVE THIS EVERY DAY.

i will reiterate so everyone gets the point: no fault of our own. responsible citizens. screwed over.

and in case you're wondering, we are taking care of ourselves. we paid off most of the hospital bills, we've only got about $1200 left before we're back to caught up on that. we just paid his first semester tuition for him to go back to school to learn a new career that he can physically do. so don't go accusing us of being whiny little liberals who want a handout. i'm just saying that we're very lucky that we didn't have to claim bankruptcy, lots of people give up everything. this is not the way to run the system. not for the health insurance companies to pull a profit like they do. not for them to pay bonuses for denying claims. no no no.

 

I would wager that the real man would be the one to provide for others in need instead of only caring about his own hide. I believe most tribal societies that were intact before European contact acted in much the same way. Altruism breeds altruism and greed breeds greed. That is why totalitarian capitalism will not last long.

While listening to a talk by John Bellamy Foster Ph.D. at a CSU Chico conference (yes, I am educated as well yet still "liberal") I jotted down some thoughts that occured to me so I wouldn't forget their importance. I will quote myself here:

"I think that at some time in the future we will look back at our fierce dedication to the capitalistic ideology and make many of the same critisisms we have lavished on socialism and other forms of governance or social organization (communism). Maybe a sustainable form of governance will utilize aspects of socialism and capitalism with a greater understanding and respect for living systems and a greater sense of compassion and prosperity will emerge. Just as totalitarian agriculture is an abysmal failure in a biological sense, so is free market capitalism with its underlying greed, corruption and nonsensical bookkeeping methods. A true investment in human development must be in accord with the laws of nature or else it will not be sustainable and could scarcely by called "human development". A strong economy is worthless if it does not raise the living standards and happiness of all people, I place emphasis on all people because our country currently has the highest GDP and is considered to be the richest nation in the world yet in terms of societal health we lag behind many poorer nations. We even dare to critisize those countries methods of governance and social organization. Have we truely become this arrogant and self-destructive? Time will tell the story and I for one will work every day to see the tale end in wonder and admiration rather than trajedy and collapse."

While written in haste and not reworded as of yet I felt it more important to leave it as is because it is a direct reflection of how I felt at that moment. Please forgive grammar or basic english errors.

 

Good thinking, F8L. Keep it up.

I think part of the problem with our economic models is our misconceptions. We see large fierce predators being dominant, and mistakenly think we have to be like them. Survival of the fittest really has nothing to do with being the biggest and most powerful. It's very much a cooperative thing, as evolution favours the species that find the best 'fit' with others.

I think full cost pricing is the way to include life - or nature, or the environment, call it what you will - into the capitalistic equation.

 

Yeah, about as nice as a heart attack.

 

You know I agree with you on most things so your acceptance of my lil tirade is to be be expected. Thank you my friend.

One of my favorite quotes:

In the coming decades the survival of humanity will depend on our ecological literacy. Our ability to understand the basic principles of ecology and to live accordingly. This means that ecoliteracy must become a critical skill for politicians, business leaders and professionals in all spheres and should be the most important part of education at all levels from primary and secondary schools to colleges, universities and the continuing education and training of professionals. In our programs children from kindergarten to highschool learn the fundamental facts of life. For example, that one species waste is another species food. That matter cycles continually through the web of life. That the energy driving these ecological cycles of life flows from the sun. That diversity assures resilience and that life from it's begining, more than 3 billion years ago, did not take over the planet by combat but by networking. ~ Fritjof Capra Ph.D. (physicist and systems theorist) speaking on the education students recieve at select schools in the Berkeley and Marin Country regions.

 

I must be stupid, because I don't want to rely on the government to provide me with healthcare. I must be stupid because I don't want to pay for every illegal immigrants healthcare...

and yes, I support the Presidents decision to attack Iraq. I must be stupid to want to secure Americas future. Silly me.


galaxee... I'm sorry your husband was hurt/sick. but this is the worlds smallest violin playing just for you.... life is hard. Don't expect me, or anyone else to bail you out when you couldn't handle your own business. You claim to have been "doing quite well".. Obviously not. If you couldn't handle a few months of no income and a typical hospital bill, you were NOT "doing quite well". You don't even own a home, you rent... not into investments, eh?

Maybe you should stop studying the effects of "cannabinoids" on yourself..

 

Questionable stupidity aside, desynch, those are very mean and inconsiderate things to say.

 

I wrote a half-page reply but decided against it. Desynch is not going to change his opinion despite how rediculous we find him. I wonder if he sees the irony of his post. Support the nation yet don't help it's citizens when in need. Good thinking!

 

did i once say that i expected anything from anyone? no, i didn't. i explicitly stated that we are taking care of our own problems. don't be an donkey.

well, considering i've got about $150k worth of education, i'd say i've got investments. nevermind that i have given up a whole lot of income potential to be here. and our total expenses added up to about half a year's income. who the hell has a half a year's income laying around in savings?

no sense in owning a home when i'm graduating next year and we're moving away, especially given the current housing market.

go ahead and antagonize me all you like, buddy. you look about as mature as a 13 your old boy on that one. good job

 

The elite do hun. You know how this works. You work your way up this monetary path and when you get to the top you are not supposed to look back and extend a hand to those still on the path. You are supposed to perch yourself on a rock and watch the others struggling and redicule their small gains or even their falls or at minimum act indifferent. If you are not where I am then you must be lazy or stupid and there is no way I'm going to spend my money to help you. It's the American way.

You know we all think highly of you Galaxee, so don't let it bug you the least bit.

 

Me.

Most of my friends.

and my friends that would need a helping hand, I'd definitely give it to them. I care about the people I love and know, not some bum on the street, not some poor liberal, not some illegal immigrant.

and your sig says you study the developmental effects of cannabinoids. Which is pot.. dope.. weed.. You study weed. How very lucrative. Talk about being mature... Let me spend over $150,000 on an education so I can study grass... lol

You don't get rich by letting a lot of liberals redistribute your own wealth through their sick socialistic programs.

 

congratulations. you are better than us. way to go.

and responsible citizens with a bout of bad luck are in the same barrel as the illegals and the bums. awesome. thanks for that.

omg!

THANK YOU, captain obvious, for pointing that out to me. gee. i never would have figured that out without your ever so succinct explanation. how shall i ever make it on my own?

1. and about 95% of that was YOUR money thanks to the NIH fellowship
2. your reaction again mimics that of a prepubescent boy
3. if you don't know what you're talking about, i suggest you make it less obvious
4. nevermind that this is a pet project for my phd in pharmacology, a vehicle for me to learn concepts and principes... and that i will be able to use this knowledge for, you know, other things along the way.

the goal never was to be rich. i grew up pretty underprivileged, and i aspire to live in a safe home and some day not wonder where the grocery money's gonna come from, thanks.


---
sorry, Tony.

 

No apologies necessary, galaxee, at least in my opinion. You have every right to defend yourself against such insensitive accusations.

 

Where do you draw the line between common sense and Socialism? I would assume you pay local taxes, and the place you live has at least a fire department and police services. The idea is that everybody chips in, and anybody can get help when they need it. Sounds kinda 'socialistic' to me. Do you think these services should be restricted to the people who can afford it on a pay-per-call basis?

 

Did I say I was better? I don't think so. I said I don't care to rely on the government for my own healthcare. Simply stated, I'd rather be able to take care of myself, than have someone else take care of me.

Nope. You left out the "poor liberal" part. A responsible citizen that can't afford for their own healthcare and wants the rest of us more well-off people to support them.. they fall under the "poor liberal" category.

Marijuana consumption impairs your ability to learn. I didn't imply you couldn't figure it out on your own, I was simply making a statement. You study dope. Congratulations. Perhaps you could have comprehended the point I was making if you weren't "studying" so much marijuana.

I'm glad you qualified for an NIH grant. I've got no problem with my taxes helping people become better educated and more economically viable. It's having to pay for peoples health insurance that didn't take any of the opportunities (grants, loans, etc) given to them to allow them to pay for their own insurance! As I said before, we need insurance reform, not socialized medicine.

Prepubescent boy? I fail to see how my reaction towards the liberals socialistic agendas qualifies me as a "prepubescent boy". Regardless, you are entitled to your opinion, no matter how wrong it is.

We each have different goals in life. I hope you achieve your goals, and I hope you become well off enough that you no longer have to suffer so extremely when a loved one or family member becomes injured or ill.

Redistributing the wealth in order to pay for every persons healthcare in this country, including illegal immigrants, lazy bums, and people that would rather leech off the system than work - is lacking common sense.

 

You need to study the system better. The reality of it is, the system is broken. It is not that it is a bad idea, it is simply improperly implemented in this country.

I hope you realize that your life is heavily subsidized by the government and you are in no way shape or form self-reliant. That is unless you choose to move out of society and live in a mud hut you built yourself and you live 100% off the land. Self-reliance is an illusion.