Comments on: Names of the Dead

By: mary b

mary b — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 16:37:04 +0000

That was a beautiful post. Thank you.

By: Little Bird

Little Bird — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 11:08:54 +0000

A voice from the other side;
Noble desires expressed here. I appreciate that but I have some questions;
Do you all really believe our government will do this any better than the “evil” insurance companies? Have you ever personally dealt with Medicare, Medicade, the VA, or BIA health care systems? Oh, it’s going to be different this time? I don’t know why anyone would believe that.
Do you really believe that a federal bureaucracy will be any more compassionate than an “evil” health insurance company? Again, I don’t know why anyone would believe that.
Money. I know, even bringing this up as an issue brands me as a heartless capitalist but hear me out. I think we can all agree that there is no such thing as “free health care”. Even a free clinic has costs that are borne by someone. Hopefully there are none of you that actually believe government can provide “free”money. The bottom line that I’m trying to get to is that a government health care system will be paid for by you and me. Not the government, not the “rich”, not the “evil” insurance companies, or any combination thereof. It’s going to be you and me. Now you may be thinking you’re ok with that and that’s great but I have a few more questions for you;
Do you really have any idea what this is likely to cost you personally? Are you really ready to hand the government a blank check? Are you ready to take a pay cut to finance your company’s extra tax burden? Are you ready to lose your job for the same reason? In this fragile economy that’s going to happen to many of us if this goes through. Will your hero Grayson be reading those stories?
Perhaps a more telling question: If you really are willing to help foot the bill I have to wonder, why would you pay the government to do something you could do much more efficiently yourself? Charitable donations are much more efficiently spent than federal dollars. How much are you currently giving in time and or money to this cause? Some of you are probably pretty comfortable with that question and that’s great but I think a good many of you should be squirming just a bit. On average Americans donate about !% of their income to charity which is pretty pathetic. Charity starts at home.
I have health care. No, I’m not completely happy with it. Can government help the situation? Yes, I believe it can. It can look at what it’s doing to screw up the system and get out of the way.

By: Kath the Scrappy

Kath the Scrappy — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 09:05:42 +0000

Changed my mind. I had volunteered to donate to Rep. Alan Grayson’s Money Bomb (seems it is now today). After seeing him in action I decided to DOUBLE my contribution. It is so wonderful to see a Congressman that considers us Americans as ‘human’ and has some simple respect for the people that have been hurt.

I will read that site later, still having some grieving issues family losses, to deal with before checking it out.

By: CG

CG — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 08:22:25 +0000

Nope, it makes no sense that employees buy medical care at work, nor does it make sense that one’s workplace contributes to employees’ health care.

I do not understand any policy maker, politician, business owner, or employee – anywhere, anytime – that thinks universal care is bad.

By: Pat, Washington state

Pat, Washington state — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 07:59:02 +0000

@ hr1: You are right – it doesn’t make sense that employers are paying for their employees’ health care. It works well if you work for a large company, but not if you work for a small one or are self-employed or if you aren’t working because you can’t find a job but don’t qualify for Medicaid or Medicare or something else from the government.

The explanation I heard on NPR for the reason employers got into the health care providing business goes back to World War II. There was a freeze on wage increases and to make that more appealing to people, companies started offering benefits, like health care. It wasn’t prohibited and didn’t break the rules and it stuck. And we are stuck with it now, even though it no longer gives anyone the best option.

AKM, thank you for posting this. I’d not heard of the website. I wasn’t going to listen, as I knew how hard it would be to hear those stories. But I did listen and I’m glad that I did. Personalizing the problem, putting real people’s names and stories in front of those who have the chance to change the health care system that is broken, is the best thing any of us can do. I, like so many others, applaud Rep. Alan Grayson for reading the stories, and you, for sharing this with all of us.

By: Lee323

Lee323 — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 07:18:41 +0000

My niece is schizophrenic. My sister and her husband went nearly bankrupt, even with Medicaid, trying to provide care for my niece. As it is, they will be paying off hospital bills for her until they are dead and in their graves. I’ll enjoy personally directing the hospital bill collectors to the cemetery when that happens.

If you think regular health care in the USA is abysmal, you haven’t plumbed the depths of mental health care in the USA.

The chronically mentally ill in our country are the “walking dead’ and their stories should be heard as well.

By: Lee323

Lee323 — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 07:04:27 +0000

Eloquent and moving post, AKM.

The legislators get bogged down in politics, statistics, lobbyists…..

The right wingnuts get bogged down in ideology, anger, and bias……

Telling the stories of the dead reduces the legislators’ and wingnuts’ concerns to the comparatively petty status they deserve.

Excellent.

By: Enjay in E.MT.

Enjay in E.MT. — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 07:02:56 +0000

My father passed on in February 1986 of colon cancer – he had insurance – so can not be listed on the website for uninsured Americans.

The point I want to make is on the so called (aptly debunked) Death Panel, where Medicare/Medicade would actually pay for a doctor to discuss potential end of life decisions with the patient and family, something not covered now.

About two weeks before my father died – his physician (and long time fishing buddy) came to their house – not to discuss pain meds, or talk “what my father wanted”, not to relive those fish trips or talk about the good times they had — but to try and push my father into more chemo & radiation. To have him spend more of his limited time away from home and family in hospitals a couple hundred miles away.

He was very disappointed with the Dr., but felt more betrayed by his friend.

Everyone that WANTs to discuss their end of life decisions should be granted that right.

All those stories on the website – how very sad. And so many more whose stories aren’t told.

By: Poolman

Poolman — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 05:27:50 +0000

#20 @ Frank, I assume you guys are at South Park. May the Holy Spirit fill the room with His presence and bring healing, comfort and renewed strength to Samson, I pray, to the glory of God who gives breath to all living things.

By: mhrt

mhrt — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 05:15:37 +0000

# 20… Samson is in my thoughts and i will see him surrounded in white light. Good thoughts also to the health care provider. God luck.