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I love talking and arguing my points by using analogies. So allow me to offer another one. How many of us see someone struggling to open a door with an armful of packages or groceries and say, "Screw you, you chose to carry that many packages. Open the door yourself"? I'd like to think that we're not like that to our fellow humans. The issue is that it takes little effort to hold a door for someone, so we often do it. I realize that there are those who don't, but for argument's sake, let's pretend everyone here would. Do we change our Samaritan beliefs simply because money is involved? What is that causes someone who would gladly hold the door open for someone who needs help suddenly have a "I got mine" attitude when it comes to healthcare? Am I reading this completely wrong? Can someone help me understand?
On another personal anecdote, my father worked for a large utility company in California for over 30 years. He started as a blue collar worker and ended up in one of the top positions in the company. When deregulation hit and Enron got involved, my dad began to see the writing on the wall and opted for retirement. He had worked there long enough to receive full benefits. My parents used the money they had saved to buy some land and build a very nice home to enjoy their retirement years. A few years ago, an executive decision was made at his company to eliminate the health care coverage from his retirement plan. No discussion, no alternatives, they just eliminated it as a cost-saving device. You all know where this is going, right? Last year he nearly died after a build up of plaque in his intestines caused sepsis. He underwent major surgery from which he is still recovering. Since then, he has been trying to figure out how to not lose the house he built with his own hands at the age of 60 because he can't afford to pay his medical bills.
I don't find the system that results in something like this happening preferable at all.
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"I can normally tell how intelligent a man is by how stupid he thinks I am" - Cormac McCarthy, All The Pretty Horses
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