Redistribution of Wealth
For Pedro and Jack
Once upon a time there was a big, beautiful cat, orange and tigerish in appearance, and, in fact, answering to the name "Tigs." He patrolled a friendly neighborhood in middle-class suburbia, and he was admired and petted by all.
One day, Tigs was in a horrible accident, and lay mostly lifeless along a jogging trail near the street.
Only three neighbors happened down the trail that night. The first hated that Tigs was injured; he and his children were very fond of the animal. But Tigs was not his cat, and he didn't even know the owner, so he continued on his way.
The second neighbor was very upset over the injuries, and told Tigs to "hang in there" while he ran off to organize a fundraiser for the vet bill.
The third and last neighbor who happened by that night was also very upset over Tigs's condition. He could tell that he had been suffering for a while, and given the late hour, the neighbor wasn't even sure an emergency operation would save him. Hating what he had to do, he ran a tender hand over Tig's head before grasping firmly, breaking the neck.
Now. Quick! Which neighbor was a Republican, which was a Democrat, and which was a Libertarian?
Obviously, this post is a spin off of my last. Tigs's story is not intended to compare a girl to a dying cat, but rather to ponder the varying human response to suffering. And hopefully, it may have even highlighted how utterly ridiculous it is to surmise someone's political affiliation based upon that response.
This is because human personalities are more varied than the party for which they vote. We all have independent personalities, and we WILL respond to suffering differently.
Personally, I think it is an outrage that ANYONE involved, doctor, hospital, mom, dad, charity, government, neighbor, pastor, friend, ANYONE, would stand by patiently while a little girl's face slowly explodes.
I know that the money has been collected at this point, so only the principle is left to argue. And yes, Pedro, I did pick on the doctors a bit, but only because I didn't take the time to pick on everyone else, though I was definitely mad at the lot. And I see now that the quote could have as easily referred to the hospital board. Regardless, my prob is with the "have to wait" portion of the quote, and I am more than happy to direct my venom to the hospital board, or whoever else is responsible for the necessity to wait.
The docs may have been misrepresented in this case. But Pedro, not all docs are like you. Every industry has its self-serving bastards. (Mine certainly does.) And while I've defended doctors against the price-setting nonsense that has the Canadian doctors running to our borders for decent pay, I know that the very capitalistic mindset which I adore, at times, houses selfish bastards.... and again, that's in every industry.
Of course I appreciate that some docs donate their time, both domestically and abroad! I appreciate that hotels have offered shelter to those displaced by the storms. And on a personal level, I have waived real estate commissions to those having to move due to hardship.
And of course I've read Atlas Shrugged!, though I didn't like it as much as Fountainhead. Question Pedro: if all of the "thinkers" run off to some Eden in the mountains of Colorado, who the fuck is going to throw the brakes on the runaway socialist train?
Point: The larger the role that you and I accept to personally mend tragedy within our own country, the smaller the role that is left for our ever-growing government to deduct involuntary charity from our paycheck.
Regarding the girl? So what if I'm fiscally tight? Does that mean I'm heartless? I'll be frank. I can't stand it. I can not stand suffering of any sort. I will not watch movies in which any degree of torture takes place.
I don't care if my pastor thinks I should watch Passion of the Christ! Ain't gonna happen. But I'll be honest, I'd rather have an evening of gruesome torture than years of a bomb growing under my face. That is the most fucked up thing I've seen in a great while, and I can think of about a thousand ways I'd rather die.
No, I don't think anyone should get a free ride, but I do believe that as long as free rides are being given away, I nominate this child to receive my tax monies. And yeah, with or without Medicaid, I think the surgery should have been performed, the bill settled later. I have delinquents in my biz 12 months outstanding, and I haven't gone after their first born yet.
As far as getting that bill paid, no prob. Mom goes into the biggest and most televised church in Florida, they raise a special collection, and surgery and college are both paid for in one lump sum. (All the child has to do is smile for the camera after the surgery.)
So, I apologize if I sounded the slightest bit lacking in capitalistic appreciation, but as you guys know from my foster mom days, I will always have a soft spot for children, and so that post was born out of pure exasperation at the sheer adult idiocy factor. And I don't know how many adults accounted for this tragic delay, but I know that there are some fates worse than death. And I have a new one to add to the list.
(BTW: I would like to thank those who defended me as I took my weekend leave... And a disclaimer regarding the title for those who may have missed the subtle side of me: I hate that fucking phrase!)
This is becoming rather convoluted. If I were a Libertarian, or a Democrat, I would just say snuff her. Much easier. This little freak is making me uncomfortable. And we know I hate that.
Wait. Can we make any money off her at the Fair? I'm in.
Ping noted.
I'm in the midst of a crisis at the moment, so I cannot make a coherent, relevent comment immediately. See the posts on my father's illness for the details, or email me.
Everything you say is true. A-holes and money grubbers everywhere.
My point has less to do with capitalism than it has to do with economic reality. I don't LIKE hospitals and medical systems being run for a bottom line. I just don't know of a better way to do it in today's political system.
Understand that a generation ago, when health insurance itself was something new, most folks got taken care of. Doctors and hospitals felt responsible for it, and rightly so. But, we also weren't being sued cause someone didn't like the outcome, and hospitals weren't ten-times more expensive to build than any other structure in the world. Each MD didn't need a staff of 4-5 people just to get the bills paid. Finally, physicians had standing in a community, they weren't seen as someone you went to just to compare what you read on the Internet with your symptoms...and then to tell them how you FELT you should be treated. There was a social compact of sorts.
I totally agree with you regarding suffering as well. I can't watch that same crap as you. More importantly for this discussion, I don't even know what I get paid for things...I try to take care of people, as do the vast majority of my collegues.
Atlas Shrugged is just an example of what happens when you decide that someone elses sweat and toil is just so valuable that you must TAKE it. When that occurs smart, educated people WILL take off for the hills figuratively: IE Canadian doctors.
Finally, there are thousands of cases much like that little girl out there... Just cause she is horrible to look at and made it to the newspapers makes everyone bend over backwards to fix her, great. What about all the others? There aren't enough church socials in the world to pay for all of it. So we do what we can, and we struggle and we fight and advocate for our patients. But, be clear, we don't do it because someone FORCES it upon us, it is done because it is the right thing to do.
My pleasure, Key. I always look forward to new posts on your blog.
Program on the emergence of civilization.
"14 species of large animals capable of domesitcation in the history of mankind.
13 from Europe, Asia and northern Africa.
None from the sub-Saharan African continent. "
Favor.
And disfavor.
They point out Africans’ failed attempts to domesticate the elephant and zebra, the latter being an animal they illustrate that had utmost importance for it's applicability in transformation from a hunting/gathering to agrarian-based civilization.
The roots of racism are not of this earth.
Austrailia, aboriginals:::No domesticable animals.
The North American continent had none. Now 99% of that population is gone.
AIDS in Africa.
Organizational Heirarchy
Heirarchical order, from top to bottom:
1. MUCK - perhaps have experienced multiple universal contractions (have seen multiple big bangs), creator of the artificial intelligence humans ignorantly refer to as "god"
2. Perhaps some mid-level alien management
3. Evil/disfavored aliens - runs day-to-day operations here and perhaps elsewhere
Terrestrial management:
4. Chinese/egyptians - this may be separated into the eastern and western worlds
5. Romans - they answer to the egyptians
6. Mafia - the real-world 20th century interface that constantly turns over generationally so as to reinforce the widely-held notion of mortality
7. Jews, corporation, women, politician - Evidence exisits to suggest mafia management over all these groups.
Movies foreshadowing catastrophy
1985 James Bond View to a Kill 1989 San Francisco Loma Prieta earthquake.
Many Muslims are being used like the Germans and Japanese of WWII::being used to hurt others and envoke condemnation upon their people.
They can affect the weather and Hurricane Katrina was accomplished for many reasons and involves many interests, as anything this historical is::
1. Take heat off Sheenhan/Iraq, protecting profitable war machine/private war contracts
2. Gentrification. New Orleans median home price of $84k is among the lowest in major American cities, certainly among desirable cities.
Our society gives clues to the system in place. We all have heard the saying "He has more money than god." There is also an episode of the Simpsons where god meets Homer and says "I'm too old and rich for this."
This is the system on earth because this is the system everywhere.
god is evil because of money.
I don't want to suggest the upper eschelons are evil and good is the fringe.
But they have made it abundantly clear that doing business with evil (disfavored) won't help people. They say only good would have the ear, since evil is struggling for survival, and therefore only the favored could help.
The clues are there which companies are favored and which are disfavored, market domination being one clue, but they conceal it very hard because it is so crucial.
I offer an example of historical proportions:::
People point to Walmart and cry "anti-union".
Unions enable disfavored people to live satisfactorly without addressing their disfavor. This way their family's problems are never resolved. Without the union they would have to accept the heirarchy, their own inferiority.
Unions serve to empower.
Walmart is anti-union because they are good. They try to help people address and resolve their problems by creating an enviornment where there are fewer hurdles.
Media ridicule and lawsuits are creations to reinforce people's belief that Walmart is evil in a subsegment of the indistry dominated by the middle and lower classes.
Low-cost disfavored Chinese labor is utilized by corporate america to maximize margins. They all do it. Only WalMart gets fingered because they are the ones who help, and those who seek to create confusion in the marketplace want to eliminate the vast middle class who have a real chance and instead stick with a lower classes who may not work otherwise. So they dirty him up while allowing the others to appear clean.
The middle class is being deceived. They are being misled into the unfavored, and subsequently will have no assistance from their purchases with corporate america.
I believe the coining of the term "Uncle Sam" was a clue alluding to just this::Sam Walton and WalMart is one of few saviors of the peasant class.
Amercia is a country of castoffs, rejects. Italy sent its criminals. Malcontents.
Between the thrones, the klans and kindred, they "decided" who they didn't want and acted, creating discontent and/or starvation.
The u.s. is full of disfavored rejects. It is the reason for the myriad of problems not found in European countries. As far as the Rockafellers and other industrialists of the 19th century go, I suspect these aren't their real names. I suspect they were chosen to go and head this new empire.
Royalty is the right way to organize a society. Dictatorships and monarchies are a reflection of the antient's hierarchical organization.
Positions go to those who have favor with the rulers, as opposed to being elected.
Elections bring a false sense of how the world is. Democracy misleads people.
Which is why the disfavored rejects were sent to the shores of America::To keep them on the wrong path.
Jesus Christ is a religious figure of evil. These seperatist churches formed so they could still capture the rest of the white people, keeping them worshipping the wrong god.
And now they do it to people of color, Latinos and Asians, after centuries of preying upon them.
Since Buddism doesn't recongnize a god, the calls are never heard, and Chinese representation is instead selected by the thrones.
It was set up this way. Perhaps dyanstic thrones had a say, but maybe not.
Budda was the Asian's Jesus Christ::: bad for the people. "They came up at the same time for a reason."
Simpson's foreshadowing::Helloween IV special, Flanders is Satan. "Last one you ever suspect."
"You'll see lots of nuns where you're going:::hell!!!" St. Wigham, Helloween VI, missionary work, destroying cultures.
Over and over, the Simpsons was a source of education and enlightenment, a target of ridicule by the system which wishes to conceal its secrets.
Jews maim the body formed in the image of "god", and inflicted circumsision upon all other white people, as well as the evil that is Jesus Christ.
I think about how Jews (were used to) created homosexuality among Slavics, retribution for the Holocaust.
Then I think of the Catholic Church and its troubles.
What connection is here between Jews and the Catholic church???
If it is their sinister motives that’s behind the evil that is Jesus Christ are they being used at all?
Perhaps it is them who are pulling strings.
Their bondage in Egypt proves their disfavor. The Jew leaders decided to prey on the up-and-coming Europeans to try to fix their problems with the ruling elite, a recurring aspect of their pathology.
I believe Islam is the one true religion, and those misled christians who attack "god's" most favored people will pay for it dearly one day.
HammerHead
