Margaret read a comment about something happening in Nebraska with parents dropping off their kids at hospitals based on some new safe haven law. We were going to write something about it, but all I could come up with is how do I get Harold to Nebraska. Margaret, however, had a great idea. Can we extend that law to include dropping off politicians? In truth we hear that the law will be changed to specify infants only. It’s sad really because we are talking about children, but we really don’t know enough about the subject to have an educated opinion… not that we ever really let that stop us. Instead we decided to tackle something easier – universal healthcare.
FROM HELEN:
Has it occurred to anyone else that the Republican party has become the party of money, guns and sex? It seems to be the only things they think about. Who is having sex with who? How much are my taxes? Keep your hands off my guns. I really think they would explode if a gay couple used their tax refund to purchase an AKA assault rifle. They wouldn’t know whether to hate the sinner or compliment the sin. All the problems we have in the world and this is what we are wasting our time worrying about. Squeaky wheel folks… squeaky wheel gets the oil.
Imagine what the Religious Right Wing of the Republican party could have done if they had used their supposed Christian morality to squeak about helping the poor. They could have swept the election if someone had said something like: As Christians we think Christ would want us to tend to the suffering of the poor so universal health care is important to us. And money is no object. We will gladly share some of our riches to help the least among us.
My God but what a unified electorate that would have been.
But no. Instead they hitched their star to Joe the Plumber who was worried not about sharing the money he had, but rather about sharing the money that he might one day have. I mean those Republicans are so greedy they are hoarding the wealth they haven’t even amassed yet. Twins I tell you. There is no telling them apart from Jesus. It’s like looking in a mirror. Of course the mirror is at a carnival fun house but mirror none the less.
It is just so interesting to me that the voters who most value religious freedom seem to be the most willing to embrace religious values, while the voters who claim to be the most religious are clearly the least. Don’t get me wrong. There are lots well-intentioned, good hearted Christians out there. We just don’t seem to be squeaking loud enough. We’ve known for years that we have a health care problem. Bill used Hilary Clinton to try and address it back in 1992. Do you realize that was 16 years ago? Republicans squeaked that it was Government-run healthcare and it would bankrupt our county. So millions of families continued to live without adequate healthcare while the government swept the whole mess under the rug. Suddenly banks and auto industries are having trouble and money seems to be growing on trees. Says a great deal about our priorities.
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Waiting until a child is so sick that the emergency room is the only option or worse yet, using the emergency room because you can’t get in to see a doctor is a recipe for disaster. I know many of you will say it is not that easy. It is more complicated than that. Well crap on that. I say it is that easy. Years ago we decided to go to the moon. We made it a priority and to the moon we went. Around that same time I remember my children watching a space show on TV.. Star Wars or Star Trek or something like that. I remember the characters held little boxes in their hand and talked to one another from wherever they happened to be. Recently I have noticed a lot of people walking around with little boxes in their hand talking to everyone everywhere. My son tells me those little boxes are called I Phones. My point is that if we dream it we can do it. If we make it a priority smart people can work out all the problems and come up with a solution. So why wouldn’t we want to make sure that no one in this great country of ours ever has to choose between food on the table or medicine for a child?
Priorities people. Priorities.
FROM MARGARET:
Helen, dear, I often wonder if you yell “Damn Republicans!” in your sleep at night. Remind me to ask your Harold next time I see him. I do hope, for the sake of your blood pressure, that the next few years of our new administration will bring much joy and peace to your many political battles. Battles that have been well fought on your part, I might add.
I’m so glad that you have decided to set your sights on the healthcare issue. It is important. It is. But could somebody please explain to me why the pharmaceutical companies feel it to be so necessary to advertise on television as much as they do? I just believe there are certain things that should be kept private between you and your doctor. And Lord knows I have lost count of the number of times my Howard has sat there and watched a drug commercial then announced to the world that he has whatever ailment that was just described. This, of course, leads to a phone call to schedule yet another appointment with the doctor. This is my world, dear, welcome to it.
One more thing then I’m done. I enjoy watching golf on television. Call me silly, but I do. What I don’t enjoy are the eight or nine Viagra commercials I have to endure to watch my golf. Honestly, if our society focused on other issues as much as they do on erectile dysfunction we could actually accomplish something. Staying focused. I think that is the answer. Surely there is a pill for that.
I know, Helen, I know. I’ve gone “off message” as they say. Does that make me a maverick, dear? That’s it. I’m done.
Thanks again everyone. Your dropping by makes our day. I mean it. Really.
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/2008/12/19/2008-12-19_bristol_palins_babygrandmother_sherry_jo.html
oh hunnie, don’t wet your polyesters… this one is a pisser!
By: lesli on December 19, 2008
at 2:37 PM
As an outsider looking in (I’m British), it is astounding how the US has failed to provide universal healthcare for its citizens, and how drug companies can advertise everything and anything on regualr TV.
In the UK, we have the National Health system, which despite frequent moaning, does a marvellous job most of the time.
The only drugs you’ll see advertised on TV are available on the shelves, you certainly don’t badger your doctor to put you on some wonderful new prescription drug that will fix what you’ve done to your body through neglect or accident.
In many ways the US looks like a country that hasn’t progressed socially since the end of WW2. I know socialism is a dirty word for many Americans, I just don’t understand why.
By: Martin Milner on December 18, 2008
at 8:11 AM
Margaret it is the age of the educated consumer, by advertising to everyone they create a market that already is aking for the product before they even get the symtoms! Plus most of those products are aimed at boomers who grew up thinking life is better thru the use of pharamaceuticals!! We just never thought the day would come when we would need bladder control products…lucky us!
grantman
By: grantman on December 11, 2008
at 10:37 AM
I’m a Canadian and I just discovered your blog through a link in the Tyee this am. I’m really happy that you both are choosing to use your voice and skills to get some of your rage out, instead of keeping it inside, raising your blood pressure and feeling ineffectual!
I am a medical student and I recently went to a conference in St. Louis where the guest speaker was jesuit theologian Daniel C. Maguire (author of “Sacred Rights: the case for contraaception and abortion in world religions”). He spoke at length about the great things that could be done in the world if only the powers-that-be (whether government, the church, whomever) could just get their minds off all these ‘pelvic issues’. Your comment, Helen, reminded me of this. I have to hope that we can move the power in the world into focussing on what is truly important- feeding the hungry and healing the sick.
Thanks for your blog and keep up the great commentary!
By: kjerstiye on December 6, 2008
at 11:13 AM
I missed reading you for a couple of weeks! Always a pleasure coming back and finding such interesting and witty commentaries!
Keep up the good work!
By: zainab on December 5, 2008
at 2:46 PM
Christ did indeed admonish us to give alms to the poor, feed the hungry, visit the imprisoned, and so on. I don’t recall Him saying that government should force us to do these things, which is what this column really is about.
By: mpetrie98 on November 29, 2008
at 3:32 PM
I have no problem with gay couples purchasing semi-automatic firearms. They have the same right to self-defense that the rest of us do. And if they use their tax refunds to do it, so much the better. That money was theirs in the first place.
By: mpetrie98 on November 29, 2008
at 3:29 PM
I am so glad I stumbled upon your blog….I am a new fan..thanks helen and magaret
By: creativegoldsmith on November 29, 2008
at 2:13 PM
[...] and Helen: Money Guns and Sex. These two old birds are hysterical, not to mention they know a thing or two about a thing or two [...]
By: The Week in Review: Money Issues #16 - MoneyRemix on November 24, 2008
at 3:39 PM
Margaret and Helen, you are wise beyond your years. Maybe if they stopped advertising drugs so much, the price cold come down and people could actually afford to buy them.
As for health care, yes, they used scare tactics in 1992. Now we’re in a big mess and the auto industry that needs a bailout is due in large part because they have to pay so much in health care for current and retired workers that they can’t stay competitive. Legislation on affordable health care is not an option anymore!
By: Catherine on November 23, 2008
at 8:22 PM
Just the other day I was talking to my husband about the Christian far right’s hypocrisy. I consider myself a Christian and to me that means loving, (or at least respecting), my fellow humans, showing compassion and trying to help the poor, and respecting and protecting the Earth that God gave us, including it’s natural resources and other living creatures.
But what do Republicans want? “Drill Baby Drill!!” Ruin the oceans and wildlife areas with oil rigs and unsightly pipelines! Kill helpless animals from low flying aircraft to help the population of another animal grow, so that rednecks in bright orange vests can kill them! Drive huge vehicles that emit disgusting gases and turn our air brown!
Caring about others and about our enviroment is for p*ssies, according to the Republitards. If that’s the case then I’m proud to be a p*ssy who cares about the world we are leaving the next generation… and I don’t even have or want kids!
By: RubyTopaz on November 23, 2008
at 4:48 PM
I remember when going to the doctor meant just calling him up and going. I remember when we thought HMO’s were the cat’s meow. And then we discovered that insurance companies could refuse to cover my dad because he had a pre-existing heart condition, or make his deductibles outrageously high. Now, healthcare has gotten so expensive, a friend of mine who is self-employed must pay $900 per month for healthcare for his family!
By: Psychedelikat on November 23, 2008
at 1:36 AM
Regarding those TV ads for medication for diseases or syndromes—I don’t want to “ask my doctor or health care professional”. I want them to be smarter than me. I assume they have a license and many years of training and experience. I want them to already know stuff without having to wait for me to ask it.
I am not in the medical field but I have a license, college training and 23 years of experience, I expect my clients to need my expertise. I’m not waiting for them to ask me something. If I know something pertinent I have a legal and moral responsibility to offer that knowledge.
By: auburn on November 22, 2008
at 5:20 PM
Obama should be reading your blog Ladies…
By: GiGi on November 22, 2008
at 8:01 AM
Obama should be reading your blog Ladies…
By: GiGi on November 22, 2008
at 7:59 AM
Thanks so much for tackling health care!!!! I love you guys! It’s not just European countries that have universal health care, it’s also Taiwan and Japan, to name a couple.
The USA spends 16 percent of its GDP on health care. In Germany, Switzerland, Japan, Taiwan, France, England, etc., they pay 6 percent or less for very good outcomes and no one EVER going bankrupt due to medical bills.
We CANNOT be competitive internationally in business when we pay such a huge price for medical care.
If we were paying that much AND we had great outcomes, we might be able to tolerate it — but we don’t have great outcomes: 47 million people have NO health insurance, our infant mortality rate is one of the lowest in the modern world.
We can do better than that.
Yes we can.
By: Mel on November 22, 2008
at 3:42 AM
Insurance: A fellow I know, was hit with a bat multiple times in the face as he left a restaurant. He was taken to the hospital and put in ICU. The did an operation to rebuild his face. He now has screws and metals in his face. HIS INSURANCE COMPANY WILL ONLY PAY FOR 2 DAYS HOSPITAL STAY AFTER THE OPERATION!
It sure would be nice if insurance companies had compassion for the insured. They are in it to make a profit only. I just needed to vent after hearing this. By the way, it is true.
By: JuneauJoe on November 21, 2008
at 10:10 PM
Re the Riani (11/21 3:24 am post) about generic meds:
Generics are not manufactured and made available until the patent on the “name brand” has expired. Used to be 20 years (with first few years not generating money due to clinical trials).
Anyone hear much about the brand Prozac anymore? No? Probably because Eli Lilly has come up with a *new* anti-depression drug since then (with a new patent life)… get the idea?
By: Maven on November 21, 2008
at 9:59 PM
I have not read your blog in a couple of days, was just swamped with work. Took off today and reading your blog was first thing on my agenda after a lazy morning in bed. You two are such gems! I really appreciated the time you take to ponder issues and give them to us in your essays in such easy and palatable manner.
Yes, there is a lot of nonsense out there. It makes no sense not to fund prevention. If vaccines were used to eradicate most childhood illnesses, imagine what preventative care could do to prevent many other illnesses where lengthy hospital stays with all the costs they entail are required. Somehow I fail to understand why that message is not getting through to our representatives. Sometimes, although I do not think I am a conspiracy theorist, I feel that the phamaceutical lobby might be at play here. Why prevent if you can spend tons of money later on expensive drugs to treat full-blown illnesses? It would come to their detriment.
If laughter is the best medecine, your blog provides plenty of it. You might just be adding many years to many people’s lives with this blog. Thanks!
By: Easier on November 21, 2008
at 1:16 PM
To piggy back on what was said about a fat tax I’ve always thought that if we have a “sin tax” on things like alcohol and cigarettes why not a fat tax on Twinkies, fast food etc? I don’t need these foods but when I choose to eat them I’d be willing to pay the extra. That tax can go to covering health care costs.
I know that the question of poorer folks being fatter came up and was partially answered. Here is more:
1. Have you shopped for healthy food lately? It’s expensive. But I can get a fast food burger for $1, and white bread, and other processed foods with lots of sugar and no complex carbs cheap and in quantity.
2. I’m glad you can afford a gym membership. Others can not. Good apartment complexes have little gyms, housing projects do not. I went to the gym a lot when I was only working one job…now I work three to make ends meet. When will I go to the gym?
3. McCain offered a tax credit for Health Care. I could be wrong but that would mean I wouldn’t see that money until April. I’m sick now. How will I afford my care with the promise of pay now, get reimbursed later if I can’t afford to pay now?
4. Why does health care pay for a man to get an erection but not to regulate a woman’s cycle? Not every man on Viagra wants babies, not everyone on birth control is doing so to prevent pregnancy; some are trying to avoid bleeding all day every day for months at a time because their menstrual cycle doesn’t know when to quit. Try telling that to protesters around Planned Parenthood. So, his penis can get nice and big and he can have all the sex his heart desires, but a vagina isn’t worth as much as a penis…sweet.
5. As to who “deserves” healthcare…oh my.
“We are all endowed with certain inalienable rights. Among these rights are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” – Declaration of Independence
“We the people, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, ensure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and promote the blessings of liberty for us and our posterity” – Preamble to the US Constitution
“Whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world,
Whereas disregard and contempt for human rights have resulted in barbarous acts which have outraged the conscience of mankind, and the advent of a world in which human beings shall enjoy freedom of speech and belief and freedom from fear and want has been proclaimed as the highest aspiration of the common people…..
All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.
Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status
Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control.”
-Universal Declaration of Human Rights
How dare we try and say who is deserving of rights. We judge and judge and judge. Lets hope no one ever turns that judgment on us one day when “we” become “them”
Ok, off my soap box. Next?
By: Katie on November 21, 2008
at 10:00 AM
“I really think they would explode if a gay couple used their tax refund to purchase an AKA assault rifle. They wouldn’t know whether to hate the sinner or compliment the sin.”
“Instead they hitched their star to Joe the Plumber who was worried not about sharing the money he had, but rather about sharing the money that he might one day have. I mean those Republicans are so greedy they are hoarding the wealth they haven’t even amassed yet. ”
ROTFLMAO!!! You are killing me with these brilliant quotes!
By: Kelley on November 21, 2008
at 8:52 AM
You know, ladies, I’ve often wondered how such a ‘Christian’ country, & such a ‘Evangelical Christian’ backed party can be so downright mean & selfish & still get such backing.
Do too many Americans think only of themselves, or not think at all? Cos that doesn’t sound very Christian to me either.
We, in the UK, had the Political will to build a National Health Service ‘free at the point of need’ back in the days when we had very little money & major infrastructure-rebuilding projects after six years of WWII.
Even after twenty to thirty years of cutbacks due to less generous political philosophies we still have a Health Service which is the envy of the world.
As you say – if you WANT to do it . . .
By: Sharon on November 21, 2008
at 6:26 AM
Fully agree with what Margaret had to say about the medicine advertisements. it just encourages people to run to the doctor all the time, increasing the general level of hipochondria. In many countries, including South Africa, where I’m from, you are not allowed to advertise scheduled (prescription)medicine. Only over the counter medication like low level pain killers and cough syrup and things like that. Doctors have to recommend prescribed medication, AND they have to inform you about the availability of generic medicine, usually of a very high quality, and usually much cheaper. The pharmacist will usually also advise you about similar and generic medicine. Doctors are not allowed to push or prescribe brands, and have to use the generic names in the prescription.
By: Riani on November 21, 2008
at 3:24 AM
Dear Helen and Margaret,
Priorities and staying focused!!! Now, there are words to live by.
Helen, I think Obama’s choice of Tom Daschle, the former Senate Majority Leader from one of the Dakotas, to be Secretary of Health and Human Services is an outstanding one. I imagine he is already on it, digging up Hillary Clinton’s work on Universal Health Care from 16 years ago. Also he has an opportunity to confer with some other countries like Canada and England that have had systems up and running for long enough to get some of the kinks out. Lets hope as last we can get ours going in jig time!
Veering off message like you, Margaret, I want to share some thoughts from my experience. I am old enough to remember exactly where I was and what I was doing when Pearl Harbor was attack. The war clouds had been hanging over our heads for some time as it raged on in Europe. My brother, R.G. and my cousin, Hootie were already in the armed services. I was sick with nephritis and my family was huddled around the radio listening to the news. We all knew that now we were in it too. I was 12 and started to cry. I said; “Oh, R.G. and Hootie will be killed!” They were.
Fast forward to 9/11. One of our sons on the mainland called and woke us up at 3:30AM.
We turned on the TV and with horror watched the smoke coming out of the Twin Towers, then their collapse. My thoughts, who ARE these people who would do such a hideously cruel thing and in heaven’s name, why? We watched the news and read the newspapers. The names ‘Fundamentalist Islamic Terrorists’ kept coming up. But who are they specifically?
My mildly arthritic spine doesn’t do well sitting for long periods at a time. Standing is fine, lying down is better. In the evening, I like to stretch out in bed, prop myself up on pillows and read. The up side is, it is good for my back. A bonus is I don’t have to sit through endless interruptions from pharmaceutical company commercials with their litany of disclaimers for legal purposes to cover their asses in case the drugs don’t work or if the side effects are worse than the disease and “ask your doctor if such-and-so is right for you.”
I read until I can’t keep my eyes open any longer. Or, sometimes, I get into something interesting and it is 1:00AM before I know it. You don’t have to still be in a classroom to learn something. I had to revise PLENTY of misconceptions I have believed most of my life. I checked them out from several different reliable sources. Such as, I always thought Charlemagne was French. Not so. He was born on the border between France and Germany and his native tongue was German.
I started looking up ‘Islam’ and ’Terrorists’, on the inter net, the two sets of encyclopedias we have and current books from the library. Off and on over the past seven years I have plowed my way through the ten VOLUMES of my favorite historians, Will and Ariel Durant, page by page, word for word. I’m half way through the eleventh and final one, the ‘Age of Napoleon.’
Wadda ya wanna know about Mohammed and Islam beyond jihad and the seventy-six virgins per man in paradise? Hey, I can quote selected verses from the English translation of the Koran and the Bible with the best of them if it suits my purpose! I have a couple of doozies especially about the attitude toward women, which of course is dear to my heart.
The upshot is that the big three, not GM, Ford and Chrysler, but Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are all monotheistic religions, that is, believing in one god as opposed to lots of them. (That’s not counting Buddhism and Hinduism.) Same god, different languages. In French, He is called ‘Dieu; in Spanish, Dios; in Italian, Dio; German, Gott; in Arabic, Allah. All three believe in the Ten Commandments as handed down from God to Moses.
The practice of the Islamic faith is summed up in four duties for all Muslims to follow: prayer, alms, fasting during the holy month of Ramadan and pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in a lifetime. Belief in Mohammed as the Prophet makes up the “Five Pillars of Islam”. The adherents are required to acknowledge the precepts of Abraham, Moses and Jesus as prophets. However, where there are contradictions, Mohammed’s divine inspiration takes precedent over all others.
Just as Judaism and Christianity have split into a myriad of sects over the centuries, so has Islam. The principal Islamic sects are Sunni and Shi’a with the one in Saudia Arabia being Wahibi.
All three religions profess faith and hope but somehow they keep forgetting about charity.
Aloha!
Jean
P.S. The Islamic Arabs invented algebra. That’s a strike against them right there!!!
By: Jean on November 21, 2008
at 2:00 AM
So Margaret’s comments on Viagra reminded me of a joke I had once heard:
A son was visiting his father in a nursing home. It started to get late and the father said to the son, “You should probably get going, as it’s time for my hot chocolate and Viagra.”
They exchanged their goodbyes and the son left his father’s room scratching his head. On the way out, he stopped at the nurses station and asked the nurse on duty why his father was receiving hot chocolate.
The nurse responded, “The hot chocolate is to help your father sleep and the Viagra is so he doesn’t roll out of bed.”
By: D on November 21, 2008
at 1:14 AM
By: Fran on November 19, 2008
at 8:14 pm
Fran you hit a big part of it. Healthcare… The problem goes way deeper, I guess it does with most things, run deeper. And it goes to many other posts here…. on follow the money trail.
SHIJIAZHUANG, China If you pop a vitamin C tablet in your mouth, it’s a good bet it came from China. Indeed, many of the world’s vitamins are now made in China. In less than a decade, China has captured 90 percent of the U.S. market for vitamin C, driving almost everyone else out of business.
Chinese pharmaceutical companies also have taken over much of the world market in the production of antibiotics, analgesics, enzymes and primary amino acids.
more…
http://www.excelwithus.com/china_corners_market.htm
Thank you M and H for telling it like so many of us wish we could. You articulate the health care problem very well. Just a few years ago they said we could not afford 8 billion to assure every child was insured, and today the fat cats flew in on their private jets and asked for 25 Billion.
Thank God for your blog and Jon Stewart. Like many here have said.. ya gotta keep laughing.. and that’s what you make us do.
Thanks much… I am glad I stopped by, really I am
By: jody on November 21, 2008
at 12:04 AM
Yes! You are mavericks. In a good way. LOVE your blog.
By: Taueret on November 20, 2008
at 11:53 PM
Kathy and Hal,
I’m sure all the four and five-year-olds are responsible for not working hard enough to earn their medical care. So let’s just let them suffer, because that’s the “Christian” thing to do.
The Lord may help those who help themselves, but He sure forgot to give either of you two a brain.
By: Lane on November 20, 2008
at 11:42 PM
This is just plain stupid. Some people don’t deserve healthcare because they don’t work and they don’t take care of themselves. The Lord helps those who help themselves. You ladies are just dumb bitches.
By: Kathy and Hal on November 20, 2008
at 11:36 PM
As usual you are ‘spot on’ the issues…and linking Viagra to the “hardening” views of the right by some of the authors above is priceless! If I could have one wish right now, it would be that all suffering could be alleviated by a little care, concern, love and affordable (meaning EVERYONE can have access to it) health care. God willing, President-Elect Obama will make it a priority in his first year in office. God willing, we humans will start caring for one another the way Jesus stated so beautifully…”LOVE ONE ANOTHER AS I HAVE LOVED YOU”…if we could do just that, so much of this country’s sickness could be healed.
Keep up the shining work, Ladies!
By: carolanana on November 20, 2008
at 10:52 PM