View From The Porch: Confession of a heartless weasel.

Thursday, October 25, 2007

Confession of a heartless weasel.

Regarding the whole Children's Health Care flap: Where is it written that just because you're short and cute, I owe you money? Puppies are short and cute, too, but I'm not obligated to pay my neighbor's vet bills.

28 comments:

NotClauswitz said...: Guilt-tripping the Nanny State...; 12:11 PM, October 25, 2007
breda said...: I'm short!! Money for me?; 12:15 PM, October 25, 2007
BobG said...: But remember, It Takes A Village™.; 12:27 PM, October 25, 2007
Unknown said...: I'd be ashamed if I had the chutzpah to bring two kids into this world without having the means to pay for their food and doctor bills.

Anyone who gets pregnant while on welfare or other government assistance deserves to go to jail...right after the forcible sterilization.; 1:19 PM, October 25, 2007
Tam said...: They ask "Why don't you have kids, Tam?" and I answer "Because I know I'm not responsible enough," and they look at me like I've sprouted a second head...

If it weren't for all the simpletons, the human race would be alright.; 1:47 PM, October 25, 2007
Anonymous said...: It's in the constitution. Just ask your favorite lefty.

-SayUncle; 1:48 PM, October 25, 2007
The Duck said...: Only a few have honor, most just want to suckle off the goverment, from birth to death.
They think the goverment is there to take care of them, & one day they may get a surprise when the goverment does take care of them.; 1:49 PM, October 25, 2007
Anonymous said...: It's written in the lib/soc law book, right after the "No one is allowed to own guns except our friends, the enforcers."
emdfl; 2:53 PM, October 25, 2007
theirritablearchitect said...: "I'd be ashamed if I had the chutzpah to bring two kids into this world without having the means to pay for their food and doctor bills."

Marko, can you maybe tattoo this onto the forehead of every dolt you manage to come across who thinks otherwise?

Oh, and thanks for saying what should be painfully obvious to everyone who draws breath in this world. You are a credit to humanity.; 3:07 PM, October 25, 2007
Weer'd Beard said...: You Forget! Some kids are REALLY fucking ugly!

Arrrrrr; 3:13 PM, October 25, 2007
NotClauswitz said...: It's unfair to those of us who don't have kids, we need a subsidy too and an extra tax-break.; 3:33 PM, October 25, 2007
Rob K said...: 99% of what they're paying for, those kids would be better off without too.; 4:16 PM, October 25, 2007
Anonymous said...: Tam,
Please define "short". I'm not sure my puppy fits that definition since he's having trouble fitting under my desk or the table. Which is annoying him greatly I might add.

Does that mean he's not worthy of someone else picking up the vet bills??

Seriously though, one reason that I waited 20 years to get a pup is because I wasn't settled enough to provide the requisite care and support, and that goes double for kids.; 4:31 PM, October 25, 2007
Brian J. said...: I'm not obligated to pay my neighbor's vet bills.

We're not at the bottom of the slippery slope yet. Once animals get the right to vote, cast by their "guardians," watch out.; 5:44 PM, October 25, 2007
Fits said...: Yet another treason for the tall and ugly to seek redress.; 7:07 PM, October 25, 2007
Roberta X said...: Awwwww....

Gah! Spare me the cuteness. Some collgiate maroon dumped her newborn in a trash room today an' all I can think is, Some of us would give an awful lot for half a chance at the miracle you threw in the trash, fool.

An' I have to get taxed to pay for healthcare for the likes of her, not to mention the next one she'll have and raise by alternately ignoring and beating?

Claire Wolfe had the right idea: go live on a mountain and gradually fade away.....; 7:51 PM, October 25, 2007
frostedlexicharm said...: Longtime reader but I rarely leave comments...

My son is a strain on your tax dollars. He was born without intestines. My husband at times has worked 3 jobs simultaneously in an attempt to lessen the burden on others but the truth of the matter is, there's no way in hell a normal family can afford a double transplant and the subsequent multiple hospitalizations and medications.

Hubby and I are both 'middle-class' college-educated people and we don't have flashy cars or cable or what-have-you. We still have trouble making ends meet.

When it's your kid, and he's obviously fighting hard to survive, and the organs become available...are you going to be the one to say, "No, I can't afford this, go ahead and let him die"? I couldn't.

I do thank God every day for all the people who privately donated to a special fund for my munchkin so we could *try* to pay for some of this ourselves without having to resort to using gov't assistance. But, we were only able to raise ten thousand ... we calculated a few years back and if we'd paid out of pocket for all this, it'd be over 6 million.

--lexi (not a fan of 'children's healtcare' but definitely glad there were programs available to help us); 4:00 AM, October 26, 2007
Cybrludite said...: Bobg,

Or as one of the bumper stickers on my Isuzu says, "It takes a Viking to Raze a village"; 8:47 AM, October 26, 2007
The Duck said...: every Great nation, takes care of its poor. The problem here is that so many do decide that they would rather be "poor" than work. So the scale has tipped to those that want, instead of those that need.
The goverment siphons off a lot of the assets before it ever gets to those that really need the help, yet poors it to those that whine the loudest; 9:25 AM, October 26, 2007
Billy Beck said...: "My son is a strain on your tax dollars. He was born without intestines."

Sorry to hear it. I mean that.

I can't afford to care.

This government has priced me completely out of the market.

I mean that, too.; 12:15 PM, October 26, 2007
Anonymous said...: There's so much pressure on now for government-financed health care that I think we need to propose a compromise: Yes, you all can get "free" health care, but it will suck because we'll hold the costs down. If you're getting it free:
- You get the old, inexpensive medicines with expired patents.
- You only get treated with new medical equipment and techniques if they actually save money over the old ways.
- Doctors just run the most obvious tests, rather than running every test that exists just for that 0.01% chance that you've got some really rare condition.
- They can do that because malpractice suits are forbidden.
- Paying patients are seen first. You might die before the free cancer clinic gets around to you...

With government-paid health care, in a long run there isn't going to be a question about whether these things will happen - just about whether we plan for it, or not, and whether people who are contributing to society and getting paid for are allowed to go buy something better, or not. I'd prefer to plan it that way, and thus be able to control the costs by both using cut-rate methods from the beginning, and giving those that can afford better care a reason to use their own money instead of sucking from the public tit.

markm; 12:20 PM, October 26, 2007
Roberta X said...: If "every Great nation takes care of its poor," I'm shopping for a not-so-great nation. Why should we, severally or each, subsidize poverty?

As for children born with congential defects requiring costly treatement, it truly is heartbreaking and would be well beyond that if it was my child. --But I wonder, should a widow in Duluth be having to feed herself and her kids on peanut butter tonight and every night 'cos she was taxed to help fix up someone even worse off than her? Should most of us have to live lives of just-scraping-by to save the worst-off from an early death?

I haven't got a new answer but I'm not at all happy with the answer the State is using now. You've got to wonder: if we weren't all taxed to a fairtheewell, would there be more charity money to kick in to help fund hospitals for the terribly-badly-off?

Dunno. But like that Indian fellow said, ya can't get off the Wheel by prentending it's possible to cure every ill.; 6:49 PM, October 26, 2007
Tam said...: lexi,

I can't say what I'd do; I haven't been in that particular Room 101. I certainly don't envy those who have.; 4:11 AM, October 27, 2007
Anonymous said...: "every Great nation..."

Now I refer you to I Samuel, 8th chapter: the Old Testament's John Galt speech. Go and read it, and see that when Jehovah and Alissa Rosenbaum meet on the street, they may not speak, but they do nod.

Elders of Israel: "Nay; but we will have a king over us; That we also may be like all the nations."
Creator of Universe: "I got your Great nation right here, bitches."; 3:34 PM, October 27, 2007
Anonymous said...: PETS will get the vote?

Maybe we'll get lucky and they'll only count as 3/5 for the purposes of representation.; 3:48 PM, October 27, 2007
Anonymous said...: FYI
I fell over this link to a report on some current experiences under the UK's National Health Care System. No, I have not cross-checked it yet, but between my experience in the Health Care industry I find it plausible.

That being said, I owe a h/t to a blog, but sadly I can not recall which one.

http://www.spectator.co.uk/melaniephillips/284306/the-retreat-from-scutari.thtml; 7:38 PM, October 27, 2007
Anonymous said...: You sound like you are blissfully childfree, Tam!; 11:54 AM, October 29, 2007
Dan brock said...: Blissfully childfree - and a pet-owner/taxpayer as well, Nimrod.
Well insured and in good health I'd also wager.
Every decent society takes care of its least vulnerable members. In what we laughingly call the "civilized world" only our greed based empire looks upon entire classes of people as liabilities. Hitler thinking, that.
Q, Tam: Was that your only value as a little girl...being little and cute?; 2:38 PM, October 29, 2007