Letter about Healthcare...hmmmm

[92bDad]

This was linked to me from a friend...what say you?

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Wall Photos
Pictured is a young physician by the name of Dr. Roger Starner Jones. His short... two-paragraph letter to the White House accurately puts the blame on a "Culture Crisis" instead of a "Health Care Crisis"..

It's worth a quick read:


Dear Mr. President:
During my shift in the Emergency Room last night, I had the pleasure of evaluating a patient whose smile revealed an expensive shiny gold tooth, whose body was adorned with a wide assortment of elaborate and costly tattoos, who wore a very expensive brand of tennis shoes and who chatted on a new cellular telephone equipped with a popular R&B ringtone.


While glancing over her patient chart, I happened to notice that her payer status was listed as "Medicaid"! During my examination of her, the patient informed me that she smokes more than one pack of cigarettes every day, eats only at fast-food take-outs, and somehow still has money to buy pretzels and beer. And, you and our Congress expect me to pay for this woman's health care? I contend that our nation's "health care crisis" is not the result of a shortage of quality hospitals, doctors or nurses. Rather, it is the result of a "crisis of culture" a culture in which it is perfectly acceptable to spend money on luxuries and vices while refusing to take care of one's self or, heaven forbid, purchase health insurance. It is a culture based in the irresponsible credo that "I can do whatever I want to because someone else will always take care of me". Once you fix this "culture crisis" that rewards irresponsibility and dependency, you'll be amazed at how quickly our nation's health care difficulties will disappear.

Respectfully,
ROGER STARNER JONES, MD
If you agree...pass it on.See More
By: Richard Meckstroth

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[chumdawg]

Once you fix this "culture crisis" that rewards irresponsibility and dependency, you'll be amazed at how quickly our nation's health care difficulties will disappear.

Seriously? That's all it would take? Who knew!

[Usually Lurkin]

Originally Posted by chumdawg

Seriously? That's all it would take? Who knew!

yeah. legislating health care will be much easier

[ray_sir_6]

There is soo much broken in the way our government handles welfare and it's other community assistance programs that the only "fix" would be to throw it all out and start over from a RATIONAL viewpoint.

[AngieO41]

Obviously this healthcare thing isn't well received. I don't even think it's a good idea. But understand Obama's motivation behind it. I don't think he wanted it to pass to help those who are lazy, spend money on stupid things, don't feel like working etc. I really think that Obama had it passed to help those who actually need it. Unfortanately, I believe that the lazy, tubs of lards out there outnumber the people who actually have a genuine need for it. But it passed, and it's not like we can do anything about it now.

I don't agree with the passage of this, but I don't view Obama and the Democrats as evil, communistic devils because of it either.


Also, I agree with this guys idea of it being about culture. I have family who are content on living off welfare even though they are perfectly able to work. Most of them are either alcoholics or smoke weed everyday. I'm pretty sure a lot of people on welfare are exactly like that too. It's pretty sad.

[rmacomic]

Originally Posted by chumdawg

Seriously? That's all it would take? Who knew!

It raises the question, what can actually be fixed?

Is it even possible to mend the "culture crisis?"

Historically speaking, it is very rare that any call to "return to values" has a significant impact. The few religious revivals that have had a national impact, did not ignore the current culture of their times. Moral or ethical resurgences seldom happen, and never do they involve a move backwards, instead they have incorporated the current cultural movements into their own dogma. For example: "The Great Awakening" during the early to mid 18th century in the American Colonies did not turn away from the ideas and advances of "The Enlightenment." Instead, it encouraged the ideals of that previous moment, and expanded the progressive ideas into religion, resulting in a return to "traditional" values.

Any move towards a less egocentric society, would still have to account for the technology and advances of our world. Our current society, for one reason or another, has embraced this technology and the according lifestyle. Even those who call for revival must succumb to the demands of our ego driven culture. If one is to make any attempt to reform, one must be able to reach out to those who would heed this call. Radio talk-show hosts, bloggers, television pundits, and anyone else calling for a culture change, must use the tools to reach an audience to have effect. These very tools have helped to create the current "culture crisis." Those calling for less ego-centered action are themselves guilty of the sin they rail against. It is hard to take seriously anyone calling out the flaw of selfishness, when that individual has built themselves a cult of personality.

It is my opinion that we as a species are beyond the point of no return regarding our media driven world. Humankind, worldwide, has taken on a more "me first" persona. This is something, even with a large collective movement toward a moral or value based society, that can not be undone. With the invention of the Internet, the spread of information, and the globalism of modern society, hope of a return to a less selfish world seems forlorn.

All that being said, I see no way to cure our "culture crisis."

Health care laws, on the other hand, can be reformed.