Republican policies killing the aged, sick, and disabled...

[Flying_Pig]

Reading a recent AARP article (excerpts and link below), I was stunned to learn just how many people are truly physically suffering through Republican inspired tax and budget cuts.

The elderly, the sick, and the disabled, are being denied the help they need to purchase life-saving/giving medications. Many, are having to choose between food, and medicine. Some, simply can't afford their medicines at all, and are skipping their doses, leading to critical health problems, and even early death. The demise of state programs to assist these people, is endemic.

Budget cuts brought on by a bad economy (thanks Mr. Bush!), and reductions in federal aid to the states (the money for which, has been "re-directed" into tax cuts for the wealthy, and war), have decimated critical programs for these people. I know, because I am one of them.

The Republican zeal to cut taxes, and their efforts to empty our Treasury in order to shrink the revenues necessary to let our government function, is having a profound effect on America's commitment to those less fortunate. These Republican efforts, are destroying our government much more effectively than a dozen "Osamas" ever could. Their plans are insidious, and evil. To learn more about their effect on our nation, please read the following article:

<snip>
A widow recently sold her wedding ring to pay for medicine. Another sometimes begs for prescription drugs left by friends who've died. Another on occasion uses pills prescribed for her dog.

These examples—and many more—of what people actually do to get medications provide a timely reality check for lawmakers in Congress as they wrangle over a Medicare prescription drug benefit: This is how older and disabled Americans are struggling while they wait.

Right now a congressional committee, hampered by deep ideological disagreements, is trying to produce a final drug benefit out of two very different bills passed in the Senate and the House in June.

But while the political infighting and nickel-and-diming continue in Washington, millions of people across the country remain in need, sometimes desperately so.

<snip>
Much more: http://www.aarp.org/bulletin/prescription/Articles/a200...

[soupkitchen]

1. The Dead Don't Vote (Except in New Jersey)

[bryant69]

2. I thought that was Chicago?

But then again I might be confused.

Bryant
Check it out --> http://politicalcomment.blogspot.com

[rock]

4. The live do, they're just not counted

[havocmom]

3. The Corportists can't utilize the aged,sick and disabled.

Unless a person can be stamped into cog shape and slipped productively into the machinery of run amok capitalism, that person has no value to the pigs running the farm. Should a formerly productive cog get ill or injured, they no longer have value and are not worth expending capital on.

The new world order. Corporations have human rights and people don't.

[camero]

14. I agree, it's deliberate

What we need is a catch phrase describing the genocide of the disabled, which is what this is.

[Brucey]

5. On top of that,

160,000 people die each year from Global Warming... and guess who contributes most to that?

[brook]

6. All of the health care...

system needs to be revamped.As a senior, working a low wage, p/t job w/o benefits, I have only Medicare part A. A recent 4 or 5 hour visit to the emergency room was a real eye opener.

The bills I have gotten are all from *corporations*. So far, the tally is over $7000! Granted that most was billed to Medicare - but that's outrageous! As the doctor said when I was discharged: "You came in, you self diagnosed and you were right." So it wasn't a big deal to give me a couple of IV's and a shot or two of morphine. They did do a Cat Scan to confirm the diagnosis. But there was no ER drama - just me, one doctor, one nurse, one radiology tech. The rest of the staff seemed to be playing cards in the staff room.

My point is that corporate medicine has got to either go or be hauled back into the realm of reality. Someone's getting very rich. (Bill Frist ring any bells?)

I have requested itemized bills. I intend to bring this to the attention of my Congressperson and Senator -and to stay engaged in lobbying for a reasonable national health plan. I hope others will also.

[Flying_Pig]

7. I agree. I also had an emergency room visit....

Last year. It happened on a weekend. I could not make contact with my regular doctor for advice, and because I was in so much pain, I went to emergency. What happened, is that there was a piece of bone fragment, left from a tooth extraction a few years before, that had worked its way into my jawbone. Much pain and swelling. The docs at the emergency room, x-rayed, gave me a scrip for pain meds and anti-biotics, and off I went. Two days later, I went to see a dentist, and he dug out the fragment.

The real problem came, when I got the bill from the hospital. It totaled almost $500.00! A Medicare claim was filed, but refused because it was related to dental work, which is not covered by Medicare. I appealed the decision, as the problem was not "dental work" as such, but a bone fragment on my jawbone. My appeal was turned down, and I had to pay the whole thing. As I survive entirely on meager SSA disability benefits, this meant some skipped meals, and other things, in order to pay the bill, ...but the corporation that owns the hospital got their pound of flesh, ....and profit!!

[rasputin1952]

22. I know this is little consolation...

but I am fighting like hell for you and everyone else that needs help.

Don't get me wrong, I don't have insurance either, and just got laid off last Thursday, so I am in no great shape either. But I figure it this way.....It gives me more time to fight the good fight, and keep the pressure on; at least until some work shows up.

Hang in there my friend...we will win!

[Flying_Pig]

8. I am giving this a little kick...

in the hopes people will read the article, and then contact their congresspeople to demand action. People need our help, ...now.

[XanaDUer]

9. Kick.

n/t

[ninkasi]

10. Another example

of "compassionate conservatism". They don't seem to grasp the real meaning of compassionate, though, unless they mean to the corporations and the rich.

[the_real_38]

11. Fuck our fucked-up society ...

.. we have fucked-up priorities - health care is a human right. I don't go in much for cliches, but this got me pissed off:

"People over Profit!"

[Flying_Pig]

12. Wow! Why don't you tell us how you really feel!!

Kidding aside, I feel much the same.

It appears this thread is dying though, buried by news about Ahnold and other goings on. It makes me feel like people don't give a shit if aged, sick, and disabled are dying or not. Oh well, you can't make someone care....

[Karenina]

15. The newborn must be included

in this list of victims. They're ALL-IMPORTANT until they take their first breath...

[Flying_Pig]

17. Sad, but true...

The newborn and children aren't faring any better under Republican policies than the rest of us. This usedto be a country that cared about peple, especially children. Now it seems, the majority just don't give a shit.

[Mandate My Ass]

13. There was a sad story in my local paper

a couple months back. A woman who was raising a severely mentally handicapped son was cut off from the meager benefits she was getting in order to care for him, which was her full-time job. He was a teenager and had violent and aggressive outbreaks and this tiny little woman (there was a pic of them together and the size difference was amazing) couldn't handle him when he got this way. She used to use the money to get an aide to come help her bathe him and other physical tasks which she couldn't handle alone.

She appealed the benefit cut and the county basically told her to take a number and get in line behind the thousands of others who have equally valid equally heartbreaking claims. There's no money for any of them anymore thanks to the tax cuts.

[Flying_Pig]

18. I saw that story, .... and so many others...

n/t

[KT2000]

16. Starve the Beast

is the way Grover Norquist described this. Cut taxes so much that social programs have to be stopped. Then turn the sick, elderly and disabled over to families to take care of, or preferrably die.The really sickening thing about this is that people pay for a lot of medical advances with their taxes. Then, when they need the drug or whatever - they have to come up with the cash for inflated prices.

Bush is a genocidal maniac out of control - that is my mantra until election day.

[Flying_Pig]

19. In that same issue of the AARP Bulletin that I linked to ....

is a piece by Norquist himself. What an evil bastard. He was arguing for more cuts. I hope it is becoming clear to all of the seniors who belong to AARP, that Republicnas are truly the enemy. Perusing AARP magazines and bulletins over the last several months, I can see that AARP knows who the enemy is, and is fighting against them. Hopefully, this will be a major factor in the 04' elections, and beyond.

[madfloridian]

20. Here is a link to the AARP issues page, ways to send faxes.

http://capwiz.com/aarp/issues/alert/?alertid=3629616&ty...

SNIP...."A last-minute addition to the Senate prescription drug bill -- Section 631 -- would amend the Age Discrimination in Employment Act to expressly allow employers to eliminate ALL retiree health benefits (not just prescription drugs) for retirees eligible for Medicare or state health plans. (As many of you know, the EEOC is trying to do the same thing through a new regulation.) If this provision becomes law, there will be nothing to prevent employers from altering, reducing, or even eliminating the health benefits of any retiree over the age of 65...."

This is so sad what they are trying to do. I posted this earlier today, but it dropped very quickly. If a person already has insurance from their previous company with drug benefits (in addition to Medicare), they should not be dropped by that company. These policies are paid for by the person, several hundred a month, and insurance companies should not be permitted to drop them.

[rasputin1952]

21. I hope this doesn't turn into a rant, (I've been doing that lately)...

But this does not surprise me in the least. If I remember my history correctly, the nazi's were fond of getting rid of the poor, the sick, the aged, and the mentally ill. "Untermenschen", is what they used for an excuse.

The groups mentioned above, and many others, did not fit the "mold", so they were easily disposed of. While I won't go so far as to call bush a nazi, (I've done that before, and it started me ranting), this admin has the same ideology. The "with us or against us", mentality of the bully that must have his way, even if it leads to his own destruction. There is nothing that seperates this admin from the worst in all of history, except us. They can't carry out their plans because we call them on their priorities, we fight back. Even though they have control over the House, the Senate, the judiciary and the press; they do not control us, and we are the opposition.

It is a sad state of affairs when the elderly; who left us with a nation that was relatively stable, won WWII, gave us prosperity and taught us to be a part of the great experiment we call American democracy; is left to rot away as if deserted by all that is decent.

These are mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles, and sons and daughters. There is NO excuse for this! These are human beings, no more, no less, than the rest of us. Some of these are survivors of the Great Depression, something that they thought they would never see again, and yet here they are, scared to death once again at the prospect of watching their country spiral into a death throe.


I do not ask much, but I do ask this; Please, and this is sincere, e-mail, fax, write or call your elected officials and put the heat on them. They DO listen, but you must be persistent. I have been to my Rep's "Town Meetings", and I NEVER back down. I speak my piece, and ensure that everyone in that room knows that I am on THEIR side, regardless of political persuasion. I have the distiction of being the only individual escorted out of a meeting, because I asked why the SS and Medicaid funds were being used to cover part of the debt.
I left to the applause of everyone but my Rep and his toadies. I turned heads, I made people listen to reason, and there is change in the air.

Speak the truth, and be persistant...We WILL get our country back!