How about you?  Do you plan to go see “Sicko” when it comes to a theater near you?  I hope you do…as I certainly plan to…not that most of us don’t already know the state of the health care system in this country is absolutely abysmal and has been for far too long.  Read items like THIS and THIS (among far too many others like them) and one has to wonder how we stooped so low.  When did medicine become a “for profit” organization?  What happened to the Hippocratic Oath and “First do NO harm”?  If you happen to disagree with a more equal system, “socialised” medicine, how do you reconcile that disagreement with the 9 million kids who do not have access to health care…and what would be your suggestion?  I doubt there is another on offer…except for “I’ve got mine and so I don’t care”. 

One argument often heard is “Why should we pay for everyone else’s medical care” (with regards to a system similar to either Canada or the UK).  Why not?  We pay for it, anyway, as noted here…

“Marian Wright Edelman, of the Children’s Defense Fund, called the problem a “national disgrace.”  The crisis “not only costs lives of children and stress for families, but it also costs taxpayers money,” she added.

Here’s how it costs taxpayers money:

When Carol Martin’s son, Simon, had an infected toe, she could not afford to take him to the doctor. She cut a hole in his shoe and hoped it would get better. But it got worse.  After five months fighting red tape, she got public insurance for her son, but by then his foot required expensive surgery — a bill taxpayers swallowed.

“I’m not looking for a handout,” said Martin. “I just need assistance. Health care. That’s all.”

When uninsured children do get medical care, that care is often inferior. One study from Families USA said an uninsured child is twice as likely to die when hospitalized, when compared to an insured child.”

What would it take for any one of us to change our minds on this travesty?  I can tell you…our own child or children to die from an abcessed tooth, cancer or other serious illness simply because we, you, I lacked health insurance through no fault of our own and no-one gave a damn.

I don’t care…because it doesn’t matter…what the personal opinions are of Michael Moore.  Go see the movie…(June 29th. release date…if it comes here).  

  

While politics is business as usual, the “war” in Iraq continues unabated and problems with Iran loom on the horizon, other discussion points of the day.

Anna Nicole Smith. A young woman, who seemed to have been a lost soul most of her life, should be let go to rest in peace. The media blitz on her passing, her past, her looks needs to be put to bed. Instead, press and tv are crawling maggot-like over her body and every detail of her life when the only matter of importance is the welfare of her five-months old baby girl. Even then, do we need to intrude on this? I guess so, nobody seems to mind the media excess.

The astronaut. Hah! In a jealous state of mind she allegedly sets out to torment, torture, if not murder another woman. Supposed incriminating evidence is found in her possession, she is charged with attempted murder and…gets to go home to Texas? Not only…but also…throws the first ball at a baseball game and the media fetes her for this? I suppose…haven’t heard anyone complain.

But the Dixie Chicks. Boycotted, cursed, accused of treasonous behavior yet, because they are lauded at the Grammy’s, folk are outraged? They didn’t break the law, no scandal (other than that perceived a few years ago) behind their names, stand behind their belief and, well…might as well put them to the stocks and batter with stones. What is it about what they said…and believed…and stand by…makes them worse than ghoulish behavior toward a young woman, dead before her time. Or a revered astronaut out to hurt, maim or kill some other woman over a guy, living free for the moment in some demented celebrity.

The Dixie Chicks were honest then, remain honest now. You may not like what they said…and it doesn’t really matter that where they said it makes the difference. Why would it? The country in which Natalie Mains made her statement was also dragged into and through the hypocrisy she had no desire with which to be associated. Doesn’t matter that they are entertainers…they are also human, entitled to speak freely and believe how they believe. You can enjoy their music, their harmonies…or not. They are entitled to their political beliefs which, at a guess, I’d say they espouse both privately and publicly…pretty much as any of us do here or as any caller to our local morning or afternoon programming. And the difference is…..???