RE: Bill Maher comments

Bill Maher recently said what I think a lot of other Americans think in private but do not want to say publicly. America is filled with idiots! How else can you explain seniors who enjoy Medicare (a government run entitlement program) being anti health reform because, get this, THEY ARE OPPOSED TO A GOVERNMENT RUN HEALTH PROGRAM! I will go further and say something that I believe to be true and most people may not want to hear. Have you ever hated someone with such passion that even when they were right and you knew they were right, you opposed them to the bitter end? That, I believe, is what is going on right now. I am almost ashamed to say that I am from the south. When over 90% of the country thinks President Obama is a US born citizen except for the south and the south only (where less than 50% think he's a US citizen), that says only one thing. There is a hateful, racist component at play here. Plain and simple. So, whenever the republicans start spouting off at the mouth about "death panels" and "socialized medicine", it really doesn't matter how ridiculous and untruthful the rhetoric is. What matters is that you give those who already hate Obama because he is black a reason to "hoot and holler" and brandish their weapons at presidential events. These people are not interested in the truth and certainly not interested in promoting an agenda that works for and helps ALL Americans. The only interest they have is in opposing Obama and bringing about his demise (now this next statement is very important), BECAUSE, AND ONLY BECAUSE HE IS A BLACK MAN. Racism is alive and well in the 21st century! It is just as much a reality today as it was prior to the civil rights movement. What MLK was able to do was create an environment where it is socially unacceptable in most places to be outwardly racist. But the heart of man is not so easily changed! MLK and many other great civil rights leaders were successful in pushing outward racism into closeted racism. Yet, it is racism all the same! The right wing fanatics are right about one thing. Our country is headed for trouble, but not because of a socialist agenda or increased governemnt in our lives. No, it's because of the hatred, intolerance and downright stupidity of a large section in this country. And it is usually the ones who are shouting the loudest about freedoms being lost that are actually the architects of America's downfall!

My letter to major newspaper editors

Dear Editor,

I am writing to request the opportunity of an average citizen to write an editorial to be published in your paper. I promise to use factual evidence, sound logic, and solid reasoning in my scathing of big pharmaceutical and insurance industries. If some newspapers can grant the likes of Sarah Palin the opportunity to write an editorial, surely you could allow someone to write who (although an average Joe (not six pack)) actually has something substantive and intellectually stimulating to say. I read somewhere today that big business is holding the "go negative" card while still sitting at the table. My opinion piece would address how business has successfully demonized government to the extent that most Americans can only focus on government as the "entity" we need to carefully observe. All the while, medical insurance companies and the pharmaceutical industry "rape" us incessantly. Let's not forget who Billy Tauzin is and was during the Bush administrations push to get pharmaceutical coverage for seniors. He was a republican congressman who shepherded through the legislation that has since made billions for Pharma. Now, where is he? He was rewarded for that performance with the job of President and CEO of PHRMA, the most powerful trade group for pharmaceutical companies. So, when I read articles that have the drug and insurance lobbyists saying they will go negative if health reform is not done "right," then I have to ask the question as a smart citizen, what is the right way to do health care legislation? Well, it all depends on who is asking the question and who is defining what is right. Having it done the right way according to big business means having it done in such a way that maximally benefits us (big business) and maximally screws you (you and I, you know the average Joe and Joellyn in this country). So, let's really put all the cards on the table! The "right" is dumbing down the majority of Americans with talk of "death panels" and "big government takeovers" to such an extent that average Americans don't truly see who is oppressing, and pilfering, and maiming, and raping us! We (collective America) have been blindfolded and tricked into believing that big government is the one doing all the groping when we drop the soap in the shower. I say hell no! No more to the manipulation, the lies, the deceit, and the intellectual snobbishness coming from BIG BUSINESS. I'll just give one quick example. The Federal Reserve. No more federal than Federal Express, crafted and passed by the congressman cronies of JP Morgan Chase and Rockefeller while the rest of Congress was away on recess. And no, I'm not a libertarian. Just a person that is capable enough to do his homework and seek the real truth. Thank you.

What is the problem with the political RIGHT?

What has the conservative right added to the health reform debate? This is where we can start the debate and I implore as many as possible to add to this debate. It is sure to be heated, but indeed needs to be had. So, that is my first question. I have not heard of or seen one single alternative plan to what the president and democrats have put forth. Given that there is bipartisanship agreement that the current health care system is unsustainable, why has the right turned again to being the "party of NO" instead of adding something of value and substance to the debate? As a physician, I can speak fairly well on this topic. We rank 27th in the world, but spend twice as much per person for health related expnses than any of the other industrialized nations. We have evolved into a country of excess and in this particular debate we truly feel that "more" is better. Not only is that assumption patently false, but it is dangerous as well. The more time people spend in hospitals and more interventions and procedures they undergo, the higher the risk of something bad happening, including death.

Now, what about the pharmaceutical and insurance industries? For those who believe that this reform will lead to rationing of care, with long waiting lists, let's look at the basic business principle of the health insurance industry. Don't they ration care? How else can you rake in billions of dollars in profits unless you take in more money than you pay out? Therefore, it makes very good business sense to DENY coverage for preexisting conditions and for procedures. So, if they are not cherry picking what coverage you get, what procedures they allow you to have, and which doctors you can see, then who is? Can anyone answer that question for me? And the seniors who are all up in arms over a government run takeover of the health care system, maybe we need to unenroll them from the Medicare they receive. What do you think Medicare is? Well, it turns out that its a government run medical system for seniors. So, those seniors that are so adamantly opposed to "government health care", I implore you to come OFF the Medicare rolls so that others who do not have insurance and need it can enroll. No one wants "government run health care," yet I don't see too many people running around willing to give up their government run insurance program. Why is that?

And let's talk for a minute about these "death panels." I would respectfully ask Sarah "Get your gun" Palin to either stick to subjects she has knowledge of (which may not be any at all) or do some background review and study on the topic before you spout off ignorant and ideological rhetoric which shows nothing but your inability to grasp the basic principles of the discussion being had. This debate over "end of life" care is not new. It is something that doctors and providers have grappled with for years and continue to do so. I know from my own experience that all parties involved benefit when "end of life" issues have been discussed surrounding a loved one. This is not about denying care, it is about getting the wishes of the patient and their families while they are healthy and lucid so that when the person does become critically ill, either there wishes are respected or they have designated a health care power of attorney to make decisions for them. This is where the early discussions help out so tremendously. If a plan is made then it can be carried out with ease and comfort. If no plan is in place, I have personally seen on many, many occasions where the family is fragmented and no concensus develops. Feuds erupt and family discourse can last a lifetime. So, why not have these discussions. A fact that no one can deny is that we will ALL die some day. And lastly, the end of life decisions are the patients. They can certainly opt to have everything medically possible done to keep them alive. So, this conspiracy theory that the government is out to kill you is preposterous at best. And the politicians don't believe it themselves. They are simply using it as a tool of fear to defeat any progress that we as a country are trying to move forward. The likes of Sarah Palin and the other conservative right wing hacks are disgraceful and down right comical. I''m ashamed that people like them even have a large bully pulpit and get the media coverage in the US. I think it is a disgrace to the US and does more harm and lowers our standing in the international community where more serious minded pols are doing what's best for their citizens. We are quickly losing stature as a country and placing ourselves in the position to be the laughing stock of the world, a country to be lampooned rather than to be admired.