A letter to the president.

[alph]

I’m sure this letter has been posted here before.  I just came across it last night.  My wife works for the local hospital and we have said this same thing for the last 5 years!!  Thank god someone with a degree is now saying it!!

Pictured is a young physician by the name of Dr. Roger Starner Jones. His short... two-paragraph letter to the White House accurately puts the blame on a "Culture Crisis" instead of a "Health Care Crisis"..

It's worth a quick read:



Dear Mr. President:
During my shift in the Emergency Room last night, I had the pleasure of evaluating a patient whose smile revealed an expensive shiny gold tooth, whose body was adorned with a wide assortment of elaborate and costly tattoos, who wore a very expensive brand of tennis shoes and who chatted on a new cellular telephone equipped with a popular R&B ringtone.


While glancing over her patient chart, I happened to notice that her payer status was listed as "Medicaid"! During my examination of her, the patient informed me that she smokes more than one pack of cigarettes every day, eats only at fast-food take-outs, and somehow still has money to buy pretzels and beer. And, you and our Congress expect me to pay for this woman's health care? I contend that our nation's "health care crisis" is not the result of a shortage of quality hospitals, doctors or nurses. Rather, it is the result of a "crisis of culture" a culture in which it is perfectly acceptable to spend money on luxuries and vices while refusing to take care of one's self or, heaven forbid, purchase health insurance. It is a culture based in the irresponsible credo that "I can do whatever I want to because someone else will always take care of me". Once you fix this "culture crisis" that rewards irresponsibility and dependency, you'll be amazed at how quickly our nation's health care difficulties will disappear.

Respectfully,
ROGER STARNER JONES, MD
If you agree...pass it on.See More
By: Richard Meckstroth

[Sludge]

 

[Oldswimr]

Apparerntly there was a follow up letter to the original. See the snopes link.

http://www.snopes.com/politics/soapbox/starner.asp

[Sludge]

That letter really doesn't address the primary question.  Folks who can afford gold teeth as a fashon statement, new cutting edge technology in their personal electronic devices, can afford vices as expensive as cigarettes which cost a couple thousand dollars per year to most smokers...  If you can afford a $5.00 per day habit and all the luxury items to support your lifestyle, then you can do as I and buy your own health insurance.  Ive seen em here locally with a $3000 set of rims on an escalade and all the cool gadgets, shoes, jewelry and clothes  They are still on food stamps and Medicaid.  I have no sympathy for them.  

However, I have a guy who works for me whose wife has had heart valve problems for years, he has sold everything he owns, lives cheap, shops at goodwill and is a hard working man trying to make ends meet.    Does he smoke?  Well, he once did but it got to be too EXPENSIVE and they just didnt have the money so he QUIT!  He drives a servicable vehicle with no bling, wears normal clothes.  I have sympathy for him, he is an honest man whose family is in need. They deserve help, and I give of my own free will to help him more in addition to his pay and the taxes I pay.  

Not all conservatives are heartless greedy bastards.  We simply believe that a person has to show some responsibility and first try to help themselves.  That means making sacrifices in your lifestyle before you live off of the charity of others.

The writer of that response makes it hateful to question another human beings choices and lifestyle when considering whether they should get free health care.  OF COURSE a choice of need is made.  If you live like Paris Hilton, you can afford health insurance.  No one else should have to pay it for you.  

[KerryNolan]

It's interesting how often the right wing seems to pander to the social stereotypes that will further their agenda, of course it was a gold toothed, blinged out hip hop cigarette smoker. That gets way more people riled up than, say, a fat assed butter eating, beer swilling, overweight white guy doesn't it?
Just as many people are draining the medical resources of this nation by eating butter and cookies  as there are "blinged out, gold toothed, hip hoppers" (lazy black people, I suspect is the message here).
It's typical right wing imagery that panders to the basest fears of middle america, and it's race baiting.
Kerry

[alph]

I’ve read both articles and in either is color, or race mentioned, so, because you think that the doctor is talking about black people, you make him sound like one.  I live in an area where there are very few minorities.  For the longest time you never saw anyone of color in this area. 

I have personally experienced racism and how people judge you by your color, and looks, even down to your last name.  My parents made the mistake of moving to a small Wisconsin community when I was 8 years old back in ‘75.  Both my parents were from Italy, and both spoke with accents, so, being that we were from Chicago, that made us mafia members and we were in hiding. 

In the doctors letter he only mentioned that the patient was on Medicaid, and that they had some poor spending habits, such as getting tattoos, and wasting their money on cigarettes and cell phones over buying their own health insurance.  I don’t know very many colored people that get tattoos, mainly because YOU CAN’T SEE THEM!!  So that would have to be a white person don’t you think??  I see scum bag white people everyday around here, people that smoke a pack a day, and complain that “ONCE IT HITS $5 A PACK I’M QUITTING!!”  These same people complain they don’t have any money, while they’re leaving the CASIO!!! 

My wife and I have lived a responsible life.  We have never paid a late fee to any credit card company, never once missed a single mortgage payment, and we buy our own insurance.  What ticks us off is why should we have to pay for other people not living a responsible life, when are we going to stop rewarding poor lifestyle decisions!!  If you can’t read the warnings on the cigarette package that says “you may develop lung cancer from smoking…..” IT’S NOT MY FAULT!!!  DON’T TAX ME FOR YOUR STUPIDITY!!”

[Valkahuna]

It's interesting how often the right wing seems to pander to the social stereotypes that will further their agenda, of course it was a gold toothed, blinged out hip hop cigarette smoker. That gets way more people riled up than, say, a fat assed butter eating, beer swilling, overweight white guy doesn't it?
Just as many people are draining the medical resources of this nation by eating butter and cookies  as there are "blinged out, gold toothed, hip hoppers" (lazy black people, I suspect is the message here).
It's typical right wing imagery that panders to the basest fears of middle america, and it's race baiting.
Kerry

Hey KerryNolan,

Bit of a racist assumption on your part isn't it? ???

[big turkey]

No Kerry was reacting to the fact that the person being depicted was a Black Person.

He was banging on white fat boys like myself who eat butter and cookies and don't care

who knows it.

Saying race really does not play into this situation.

The real problem is the system, cut off the freebies at the emergency room and make them

set up a payment plan, such as hand over the keys to your ride or give me that cell phone

till you pay your bill,

Kinda like Pawn Shop at the Hospital.

 I will Fix that gun shot wound and give me your ride so I can pay my bills for being your Doctor.

A little of it may cost me a luxury if I pursue a risky lifestyle and some of the things that

end up being fixed for free in the emergency room will go away.

They used to call that being responsible for your own actions.

AL

[KerryNolan]

It's interesting how often the right wing seems to pander to the social stereotypes that will further their agenda, of course it was a gold toothed, blinged out hip hop cigarette smoker. That gets way more people riled up than, say, a fat assed butter eating, beer swilling, overweight white guy doesn't it?
Just as many people are draining the medical resources of this nation by eating butter and cookies  as there are "blinged out, gold toothed, hip hoppers" (lazy black people, I suspect is the message here).
It's typical right wing imagery that panders to the basest fears of middle america, and it's race baiting.
Kerry

No, because if a doctor had said this about a fat assed cookie eater, it wouldn't ever have become newsworthy, nor a rallying cry against nationalized health care.
Kerry



Hey KerryNolan,

Bit of a racist assumption on your part isn't it? ???

[KerryNolan]

I am curious though, how many people would buy a motorcycle who couldn't afford health insurance...Nah...Couldn't ever happen.
Kerry

[Valkahuna]

It's interesting how often the right wing seems to pander to the social stereotypes that will further their agenda, of course it was a gold toothed, blinged out hip hop cigarette smoker. That gets way more people riled up than, say, a fat assed butter eating, beer swilling, overweight white guy doesn't it?
Just as many people are draining the medical resources of this nation by eating butter and cookies  as there are "blinged out, gold toothed, hip hoppers" (lazy black people, I suspect is the message here).
It's typical right wing imagery that panders to the basest fears of middle america, and it's race baiting.
Kerry

No, because if a doctor had said this about a fat assed cookie eater, it wouldn't ever have become newsworthy, nor a rallying cry against nationalized health care.
Kerry



Hey KerryNolan,

Bit of a racist assumption on your part isn't it? ???

I did not look at it as being race oriented at all. I saw it as someone that had money to waste on unimportant things, chosing to spend it unwisely, and relying on someone else to take care of them.  My 87 year old mother, although she does not have tatoos, does have a gold tooth in the front of her mouth. She was born in Germany, and at the time, that is how they did it there. So, that comment would not identify the person as "Black", or anything other than an irresponsible citizen to me.

You on the other hand, felt that those of us that consider ourselves to be conservative, were using this instance because we could pick on someone that was black. Why would you assume that conservatives are more worked up over blacks than whites? That's why I suggested that in a reverse sort of a way you were a "racist". I don't see color, rather I judge the individual by their actions.

Consequently, if it was a "fat assed white cookie eater" as you put it, I would be just as pissed about that person manipulating the system. I'm tired of the liberals "categorizing" me for my opinions rather than permitting me to have them!

[Varmintmist]

You on the other hand, felt that those of us that consider ourselves to be conservative, were using this instance because we could pick on someone that was black. Why would you assume that conservatives are more worked up over blacks than whites?

Because the last fallback when you can't even buy a fact is call the other guy a racist.

I can tell you that as a conservative, when the female that is <40ish whips out her Access card, and the female with her that is her daughter (17-19) whips out her Access card and the young ones spawn who is still wet from the trip out the hole (seriously, had to be on the way home from the hospital) are in the grocery line in front of me late in the evening because I am working OT scraping cash for milk for the kids, when Grandma stops the cashier and daughter and explains the the stuff in the cart goes on the BABY's Access card, which she then whips out of daughters purse, I get pi$$ed and they are white.  I am about as color blind as they come. I don't care if they are burnt orange with polka dots. When they come for the handout in a Caddie, its time to lay down the law about spending other peoples money.

[Sludge]

Because the last fallback when you can't even buy a fact is call the other guy a racist.

Well Said Varmintmist!

In my response I listed above, I guess you think I too am racist.  Actually both the bling wearing Escalade driver and the guy that works for me are both white locals.  We dont have many, but we have some black folks here.  To their credit, almost to a man, they are hard working friendly squared away folks and the VAST MAJORITY of our human leeches here are WHITE.

Color is not a determining factor for being a leech on the ass of society

[G-Man]

Amazing how it's ALWAYS the Liberal, or the guy on the Left, or what ever you want to call him, that immediately cries racism.

When I was doing my residency, Mayor Guilliani instituted workfare.  Every able person who received public assistance would have to go to work.  Usually it invloved hanging out on a nice day and picking up litter in parks and along the roads.  The weeks before this was to begin, clinic appoinments doubled and the "patients" wanted notes as to why they couldn't work.  When Docs refused to write notes for healthy patients, we got threatened and yelled at by the "patients".  We had to have security in all of the clinic hallways.  Oh, and by the way, Medicaide had to cover all of those bogus clinic visits.

The transit authority here in NYC toyed with the idea of having kids pay full or partial fairs when commuting to school because the MTA is going broke.  Of course the local news went wild and for days they were interviewing kids for their opinions.  I watched as one kid ranted and raved that they couldn't afford it, that his mother would have to work overtime, etc. All the while waving his cell phone around, not realizing he looked like an idiot.

Entitlements have gone too far.

[alph]

When I was doing my residency, Mayor Guilliani instituted workfare.  Every able person who received public assistance would have to go to work.  Usually it invloved hanging out on a nice day and picking up litter in parks and along the roads.

in milwaukee wisconsin, back in '79 (I’m pretty sure it was in ’79) there was a real bad snow storm that paralyzed the city.  the mayor (some white woman) said that if all those people that were on welfare would pick up a shovel and start shoveling snow, they'd have the streets cleaned out in no time!!  well, a fat welfare recipient got all offended by that and called the mayor a racist, and that it would be equivalent to slavery!!!  since when is working for something slavery??

man, i could tell you 100's of stories about welfare corruption! (seriously, 100's)  the thing is now with this new medical insurance, that's just one more opportunity to rip off the government.

[G-Man]

with this new medical insurance, that's just one more opportunity to rip off the government.

Absolutely!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And believe you me.......they will figure out exactly how to do it.