Dammitall

I agree with what Jewels said about doctors. My parents are both doctors and I think they are among the most ethical and dedicated out there. I have heard them express their frustrations with the limits placed on them by external factors (in most cases, insurance companies), which can prevent them from providing the best quality care to their patients.

Through their accounts and others I have heard about insurance companies selectively covering some procedures over others or altogether refusing coverage for certain and at times medically necessary procedures, and it seems obvious that this is done systematically so the companies can save their own money or make more. At the same time, major drug companies push products that treat acute symptoms but cause other side effects that can conveniently be treated by other products they offer, and it's hard not to feel cynical about that, too.

As for research to cure diseases, the cynic in me also observes that research demands funding, and the sources of funding ultimately determine where the money is spent. The priorities fall depending on whom is pulling the purse strings, whether public or private sources, and patients end up answering to this, not the other way around.

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If one million people replaced a two mile car trip once a week with a bike ride, carbon dioxide emissions would be reduced by 50,000 tons per year. If one out of ten car commuters switched to a bike, carbon dioxide emissions would be reduced by 25.4 million tons per year. [2milechallenge.com]