There are those who wonder how Germany sank to a point under Hitler and the Third Reich that many citizens not only knowingly but willingly closed their eyes to the extermination of Jews and the murder and mistreatment of many other minorities. Under the Nazi regime, through constant lies and propaganda political enemies and disliked minorities were dehumanized to an extent that their murder and torture was deemed morally acceptable by those drinking the Nazi Kool-Aid. Frighteningly, I feel that we are beginning to see a similar process among the Tea Party and GOP base, the vast majority of whom disturbingly claim to be "godly Christians." Twice now during the GOP presidential debates we have witnessed applause at statements that ought to make one cringe. Or at least cringe if one has a shred of decency and gives any credence to the Gospel message. The clip above shows the Tea Party/GOP response to a hypothetical where a 30 year old uninsured individual suffered from a medical catastrophe.
The Washington Post has a column that comments on this chilling episode as well as where the execution of a prisoner - who might have been innocent - came up. It's frightening in that I can see these Tea Party followers/Christianists willingly executing those they dislike, LGBT citizens and non-Christians, of course, topping the list. Here are highlights:
Andrew Sullivan is rightfully shocked and appalled. Here are brief highlights from his reaction:
In my view, it is rapidly becoming morally impossible to remain a Republican if one has any moral decency and is a true Christian as opposed to the greed driven, flag and Bible waving modern day Pharisees of the Christian Right and the ranks of the professional Christian set.
The Washington Post has a column that comments on this chilling episode as well as where the execution of a prisoner - who might have been innocent - came up. It's frightening in that I can see these Tea Party followers/Christianists willingly executing those they dislike, LGBT citizens and non-Christians, of course, topping the list. Here are highlights:
[W]e can now add this debate audience cheering for people dying without health insurance to the last GOP debate audience cheering for executions to our understanding of the current Republican Party.
[T]he GOP keeps spinning farther and farther from the general election median voter every week. And, in many cases, reality — do these folks really believe that the biggest economic problem today is runaway inflation? That Americans are desperate to rid themselves of Social Security? That policies enacted by Barack Obama and the Democrats in 2009 (whatever you think of those policies) caused a recession that began in 2007? That “exceptionalism” is the beginning and end of foreign policy?
Andrew Sullivan is rightfully shocked and appalled. Here are brief highlights from his reaction:
[T]hat cannot excuse the emotional response to the issue in the crowd last night. Maybe a tragedy like the death of a feckless twentysomething is inevitable if we are to restrain healthcare costs. But it is still a tragedy. It is not something a decent person cheers. Similarly the execution of hundreds, while perhaps defensible politically and even morally (although I differ), is nonetheless a brutal, awful business. You don't delight in it. And the same is true of torture. Even if you want to defend its use in limited circumstances, it remains an absolute evil, no humane person would want to do it, and no civilized person would brag of it or dismiss any moral issue with it at all. And yet that is what Dick Cheney and Liz Cheney have repeatedly done. They are positively proud of their torture record. The fish rotted from the head down. Last night, we got a whiff of the smell.
In my view, it is rapidly becoming morally impossible to remain a Republican if one has any moral decency and is a true Christian as opposed to the greed driven, flag and Bible waving modern day Pharisees of the Christian Right and the ranks of the professional Christian set.
7 comments:
I saw this clip and thought that it can easily be taken out of context.
If a person without insurance is in need of medical assistance, then no matter what, that assistance should be available to that person. If that person becomes a ward of the State because they don't have the capacity to work, or worse, die, then the state, and or the hospital picks up the tab. If that person regains function and goes on with life, then they should pay their hospital bill. I know a hospital will be accommodating to making payments over time if you work it out with them.
I live in a state where having auto insurance is mandatory, but health insurance is not, and that needs to change.
If a person has the capacity to earn a living after having survived a traumatic hospital stay, then they should pay. They should have had insurance in the first place, and as long as that is seen as a superficial need, then people are going to go without insurance. If the capacity to pay is not an option for the patient due to death or incapacity, then the hospital picks up the tab and the rest of the patients who can pay (insurance companies) should pick up the tab.
I watched and I don't think the clip has been misconstrued.
What you describe in terms of treatment of the uninsured is what takes place currently and is the prime reason hospital charges are rising so quickly. As the ranks of the uninsured have grown, the costs for the rest of us have soared.
Not factored in this analysis, of course, is the amount of the increased cost due to the failure of our current system to provide preventive treatment. Because of this many of the uninsured end up with catastrophic health problems that result in huge costs - much of which might have been avoided. The sad fact is that we have one of the least cost effective health care delivery systems in the world.
P.S. I used to be legal counsel for a hospital network, so I have seen how the system works behind the scenes. It's not pretty, believe me.
I am happy that you can make the comparisons to Germany, at least one person brave enough to do so.
This could have happened at a KKK rally, but in a debate leading up to a presidential election.
Where the hell is the outrage?
I agree that cost are rising, and not being managed well. I think Ron Paul doesn't, or the GOP for that matter, understand that.
One issue is that I think the GOP thinks most people that aren't on their side, look to be taken care of by the government. They always seem to have an example of a welfare queen, but what is the reality?
If everyone was responsible for themselves and their family, pay for their expenses, and be proactive with health insurance would we be where we are?
The problem is that not everyone can afford health care coverage and more and more employers are dropping heath coverage as a benefit because of the cost (employers have to pay 1/2 of the employee premium, but not for family coverage).
Worse yet - as I learned when one of my daughters had bacterial meningitis back in 1999 - even with good coverage it's easy to exceed policy limits. Back then the non-covered portion wiped out ALL of our savings and it took me 4 more years to pay off the bills. And I was making good money at the time unlike many in today's economy.
The Achilles heel to our system is that it does noting to cover preventive care for those without insurance who then use the ER - an extremely non cost effective method - for treatment. Others yet wait until a simple problem becomes a disaster and then the costs are enormous. Until we change this problem, things will continue to get worse.
How do you then make a justification for universal health care, which I think is needed, but not have it labeled socialism?
In a capitalist society, everyone should pay their own way. In this case the cost exceeds most peoples means to pay, but we as a society pick up the tab anyway in one form or another.
You call it an investment in human capital. Business loses huge amounts due to employee illness and absences. Literally all other advanced industrial nations - and many others that might surprise Americans - have some minimal safety net of health care while the USA has none. Instead, we treat human capital as disposable and in the end make our ultimate costs higher than our competitors.
Post a Comment