We elected President Obama by a large majority and now is the time to get behind him and listen and learn. Sarah Palin and others are trying to muddle up the message and intent of his health care program to cover any American who needs it. I spent the last two years with my mother as she went thru 7 cancer surgeries that finally took half of her left leg. She was 78 when they began and she died on her 80 th birthday. During that time, the hospital asked her if she was interested in filling out a living will and she and I talked about it. It was her wish that she not have any more surgery and that she didn't want to be kept alive by artificial methods. She requested that she be given pain medications and be kept comfortable and be allowed to die in peace. Also, she named me as her surrogate knowing that I would respect her wishes and see to things after she was dead. She paid for her own cremation years before and told me who to contact and they would take care of everything. I elected to keep her ashes but she was not concerned about them as she would not be there.
When a person is considered to be brain dead (and in my humble opinion Sarah Palin is almost there) then it is time to pull the plugs and prepare the body for burial or cremation and for the living to move on. The body may still be there but the spirit or soul if you will, has already left and there is no need to keep paying hospital bills or keeping vigil, and I believe that if asked the deceased would have said as much. That is what living wills are all about, pure and simple. Also I strongly believe in organ donations as well if and when it is possible. Because I have AIDS that isn't possible but if it were I would do so.
Disrupting town meetings where people can actually get GOOD information or just altering the truth and scaring the living shit out of people is uncalled for. PLEASE, GET THE FACTS AND DECIDE FOR YOURSELF. A living will is NOT a death sentence but it will let your family and friends know what YOU want and when you want it.
Mike
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3 comments:
Mikey, I'm afraid I have to disagree with you; at least in part.
I totally agree that humans have the right to decide their own fate. If faced with an incurable illness that causes excessive pain, one should have the right to make the decision to end one's own life.
However, this health care plan that Obama is trying to shove down our throats will cause far more problems than it will solve.
Okay, he gets his bill passed and every employer in the country HAS to provide health care for its employees. Okay, so what about Mom and Pop? They have a small grocery, they employ three or four people, and they have two choices, purchase health care for all their employees, ( and we all know the insurance companies are going to raise the hell out of their premiums) or pay hefty fines for non-compliance.
What is the alternative for Mom and Pop? Lay off their employees and try to work the business themselves, or shut down completely, because the fines or the health care will suck off all their profits.
All the bill has done at this point is to create even more unemployment.
So, what's the answer? I don't know, but honestly, if it was feasible for this country to have a national health care plan that Americans could actually afford, don't you think they'd have had one by now?
I don't think people are as concerned about our right to die as they are about our right to survive and feed our families WITHOUT higher taxes, or fines. With this bill, I'm afraid we're going to get both. We just don't have the money to make this thing work! And if we don't have it, where do you suppose it will come from? TAXES!
Again, this bill and these townhall meetings are kind of disguising the whole point, and that point is forcing health care on people.
I know many people who subsist on minimum wage. If these people are forced to pay for health care that is offered by their employer, what will they need to let slide in order to do so? The lights, the water, the car insurance ( that has already been forced on us)shoes for their children? What exactly? Food to feed their kids? Perhaps they make just enough money to disqualify them from getting food stamps, how do they feed their kids, if a third of their weekly salary goes to pay for health care?
This is not gonna work, it just won't.
And consider this: This new "plan" will be taxing our health care premiums. Right now, our insurance is paid with pre-tax dollars. When this bill is shoved down our throats, our health care premiums will come out AFTER tax, so yeah we will be taxed out our asses for this. As my Momma used to say, "Mark my words"
Mikie! Thank you for saying pretty much what I've been thinking for quite some time now!
Linda -the fears you cite in your comments are showing the inaccuracy of what you have read or been told about the Health Care Reforms. From what I have read, it is my understanding that this is going to be done on a graded scale of costs -to both the employers as well as those participating (i.e. employees, the general public.) I too would worry about the cost that would come down on those existing on minimum wage as in those straits, people have nothing left to shave in their expenses vs income area.
But the overall fact is that we need something to help those who have no health care insurance, who are not eligible for any employer-type plans, who would also be denied to to previously existing conditions, etc. I know not all states require people to carry at least liability insurance on their automobiles, but many do -Penna. being one -and somehow, people do manage to pay for that. I'm not saying it is easy but it is a necessity.
There are just so many scare mongering things being bantied about concerning this legislation and so much other propaganda being put forth too by the insurance industry as well, but the need for insurance to enable everyone in this country to receive health care makes this reform way overdue.
And back to you Mikie -I start off reading this as a serious piece and in the second paragraph you had me cracking up with your comment about the wonderful Ms. Palin. Too funny. But a really good post and much needed one at that!
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