Posted on 08/21/2009 6:24:08 AM PDT by Tolsti2
Having read through some 600 comments about universal health care, I now realize I took the wrong approach in my previous blog entry. I discussed the Obama health plan in political, literal, logical terms. Most of my readers replied in the same vein. The comments, as always, have been helpful, informative and for the most part civil. My mistake was writing from the pragmatic side. I should have followed my heart and gone with a more emotional approach. I believe universal health care is, quite simply, right.
(Excerpt) Read more at blogs.suntimes.com ...
shocking I tell ya
I love how he quotes Matthew on there too..
That silly and ignorant bastard needs to go on and reunite with Gene Siskel, that’s all I got to say about it.
Of course, we constrain the supply of doctors and nurse and allow for the ambulance chasers in Congress to uphold staggering liability insurance that drives the few doctors that we have into retirement.
Government screws everything up. Ebert is a fool that believes our traitors in Congress.
Stick to writing about your little picture shows Roger.
A fella that works for a Chicago newspaper that follows hollywood movies for a living turns out to be a commie?
I always wondered why someone like Ebert needs to tell me what movies I like and what movies I don’t like. Screw the “critics” - I’ll decide for myself. My judgment is as good as theirs.
The shame is that he’s actually pretty good to read for anything non-political. It’s painful when he goes off on the commie twaddle.
Personal health is, and always been, a personal responsibility. That is, you make a contract (verbal in most cases, but which may or may not be supported by a written and signed agreement) with the practitioner of the particular branch of treatment you are in need of. You defer judgment on the severity of your affliction to the wisdom of the physician, and act on that judgment, jointly, to either alleviate the problem, or consider next steps to be taken.
This is, of course, assuming the person whose health is under scrutiny, has the capability and dedication to consider the importance of one’s own health. If it is not important to you, or someone who is supposedly the guardian of your affairs and fortune, then it does not matter what the state of your health is. You suffer, perhaps to die.
The government, through its insertion into this agreement between the physican and the patient, had declared itself the guardian ad litem, and the patient is now a ward of the state. As such, there is an adversarial condition set up between the medicine practiced, and the care received. The ward involved no longer has a say in what treatment, if any, is to be rendered.
Women have won the permission of the courts to do what they want with their own bodies, in one special instance. This doctrine by extension is applicable to every other person subject to legal review.
Am I the only one who sees this cognitive dissonance?
Um, Roger. No offense, but I don’t even find your movie reviews all that helpful, so why would I care about what you have to say about health care?
“Ebert: If you don’t want the government to do what it does, nobody is forcing you to live here. Find a government more to your liking.”
He actually said this.. Isn’t that funny? Don’t leftist countries usually say ‘Love it AND stay!’?
Love it or leave it sure gets en vogue when socialists are in charge. Otherwise, it’s silly rightwing talking points when a conservative does it. And typically you saw much more ‘I’m gonna leave if Bush wins’ from the left than any conservatives saying that now.
First off, this guy doesn’t realize that I’m told that the gov’t health plan will intervene if your lifestyle is unhealthy. Mr Ebert is morbidly obese for one thing and probably is experiencing the complications of that. He’s gay having several times greater risk for AIDS etc.
In fact, he’s proably had difficulty getting health insurance.
“I believe universal health care is, quite simply, right.”
And like all leftist elitists, I consider it my birthright to impose my beliefs on the members of the “underclasses”—the American serfs—whether they happen to agree with me or not, as they are simply not bright enough to know what is best for them.
Roger Ebert has been under medical care for many years, fighting a very aggressive case of cancer,and receiving top of the line proceedures.
Under BarryKare I wonder if he would still be alive.
Battle with thyroid cancer
Ebert (right) at the Conference on World Affairs in September 2002, shortly after his cancer diagnosis in early 2002, Ebert was diagnosed with papillary thyroid cancer. In February of that year, surgeons at Northwestern Memorial Hospital were able to successfully remove the cancer with clean margins. He later underwent surgery in 2003 for cancer in his salivary gland, and in December of that year, underwent a four-week follow-up course of radiation to his salivary glands, which altered his voice slightly. As he battled the illness, Ebert continued to be a dedicated critic of film, not missing a single opening while undergoing treatment.
He underwent further surgery on June 16, 2006, just two days before his 64th birthday, to remove cancer near his right jaw, which included removing a section of jaw bone.[54]
On July 1, Ebert was hospitalized in serious condition after his carotid artery burst near the surgery site and he “came within a breath of death”.[55] He later learned that the burst was likely a side effect of his treatment, which involved neutron beam radiation. He was subsequently kept bedridden to prevent further damage to the scarred vessels in his neck while he slowly recovered from multiple surgeries and the rigorous treatment. At one point, his status was so precarious that Ebert had a tracheostomy done on his neck to reduce the effort of breathing while he recovered.[54]
Ebert had pre-taped enough TV programs with his co-host Richard Roeper to keep him on the air for a few weeks; however, his extended convalescence necessitated a series of “guest critics” to co-host with Roeper: Jay Leno (a good friend to both Ebert and Roeper), Kevin Smith, John Ridley, Toni Senecal, Christy Lemire, Michael Phillips, Aisha Tyler, Fred Willard, Anne Thompson, A.O. Scott, Mario Van Peebles, George Pennacchio, Brad Silberling, and John Mellencamp. Michael Phillips later became Ebert’s replacement for the remainder of Roeper’s time on “At the Movies,” until mid-2008, when Roeper did not extend his contract with ABC.
An update from Ebert on October 11, 2006 confirmed his bleeding problems had been resolved. He was undergoing rehabilitation at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago due to lost muscle mass, and later underwent further rehabilitation at the Pritikin Center in Florida.”[56]
In an interview with WLS-TV in Chicago, he said, “I was told photos of me in this condition would attract the gossip papers so what?” When asked by the Sun-Times in an April 23 article about his decision to return to the limelight, Ebert remarked, “We spend too much time hiding illness.”[58] Fans at his website have remarked his public appearances have been inspirational to cancer victims and survivors around the country.[59]
Ebert will need reconstructive surgery on his jaw, a relatively dangerous procedure in light of the damage to the vessels already seen when his artery burst during earlier treatment.
After reading the Canadians’ nasty views of our system, including riducule for our silly gun laws and the hope that we will address those next, as well as the overall feeling that the REST of the world does not think socialism is a bad word....my feeling is that the first thing we do is make a law that says NO person can come to this country from a socialized country and get medical treatment. If they are here on vacation and fall ill, then emergency treatment is okay. OTHERWISE...no having your cake and eating it too. After all, once we become like they are, we will not be able to act as their safety valve, as the one person who praised socialized care casually said that her mother had flown to the U.S. to get her knee surgery faster. Well to hell with THAT. The only thing making their system tolerable is that our system picks up the slack, does the cutting edge research, etc. They naively do not see that their own system will be stressed if we become like them.
And we should pay attention to the leftist musings of a flick critic because?
Rog likely has less than 5 years of life left. Blunt but true. THIS WON’T AFFECT HIM ONE BIT.
STFU, Rog.
I can't earn $1million+ and tell my "neighbor" (who only earns $750,000 a year) that he should man up and pay for his kids' insurance instead of fitting the family with bluetooths, ipods, I-phones, mobile-wifi, incar DVD players, cable, T1 internet, netflix, cigarette packs, etc. etc.
Priotitize.
The members of the Obama administration are known tax cheats. You are a CHUMP, Rog.
WTF? Other countries get to insist that the US taxpayer be beholden to a Socialized medical system?
STFU. I pay my taxes and want MY freedoms.
I don’t believe he’s gay. In fact he’s married.
Rog, you say that now. Somehow, I’m doubtful you will be that sanguine if the new regime decides you’re ready to go before you do.
It's not that everyone around the world (even in Socialist nations) is a Socialist.
It's that the Damned Socialist Party won't let anyone NOT live under Socialism.
Hey Rog, medication DOESN'T fix those with mental problems. It makes it easier for them to cope but it is not a CURE. It only treats the symptoms. If someone is criminally insane, a socipath or psychopath, they should be institutionalized or locked up at home.
These rampage killers seem often to be on pills of some sort. We are told that they were "functional" but clearly they malfunctioned.
If they could only leave the home on the watch of a legal guardian, they would be unable to buy guns, etc.
But it's easier to inconvenience the entire nation rather than those who brought someone into this world.
Again, yes. The word socialism, however, has lost its usefulness in this debate. It has been tainted, perhaps forever, by the malevolent Sen. Joseph McCarthy, who succeeded somehow in linking it with the godless Commies. America is the only nation in the free world in which "socialism" is generally thought of in negative terms. The only nation in which that word, in and of itself, is thought to bring the discussion to a close.
America is the last best hope of this world. So goes America, so goes the world. The socialists know this and lick their chops.
Yeah but you sure whored it up according to Russ Meyer.
LIE.
He was the screenwriter on a 20th Century Fox hit film, "Beyond the Valley of the Dolls" as well as several other Russ Meyer films. He's authored a number of books. Those are paid "by the hour" or salary work. Those are sold product and if he didn't get a cut then he needs a better agent.
Actually POTUS opposed protecting the life of children who survive abortion attempts and are born alive. He didn't want to challenge the doctors' skills and the mothers' decisions. Those kids died gasping for air (unaided) in closets for 8 hours or more.
Roger Ebert closes by quoting the Bible. Has this socialist rat ever been biblical in his life? He worked on softcore and hardcore films (there are penetration shots in Beneath the Valley of the Ultravixens), Summer Lovers is among his top 10 guilty pleasures.
But beyond the whoring and porn association, has he EVER been an advocate for Christ?
NOW he wants to bring it up as he is in his autumn years and Obama’s medical plan (a reworking of Hillary Clinton and Ted Kennedy’s medical plans) is up for a vote?
Like they do in Canada.....
From the comments:
“As a Christian, I find it hard to reconcile these hard-line views of ‘every man for himself’ when Jesus was the ultimate socialist.”
Render unto Caesar what belongs to Caesar.
There is NO charity in forced taxation.
The “separation of church and state” people are again trying to pull one over on those who cling to religion. The God Gap is very real, the Left does not embrace the messages of Jesus Christ. They are only quoting (or misquoting) Him for political gain.
And there is someone else who cited the Declaration of independence but ignored the notion of LIBERTY.
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/liberty
Liberty
-freedom from arbitrary or despotic government or control.
-freedom from control, interference, obligation, restriction, hampering conditions, etc.; power or right of doing, thinking, speaking, etc., according to choice.
-freedom from captivity, confinement, or physical restraint:
Neither the debt-ridden government, the targeted rich, the drowning middle-class or the lobotomized poor will be able to donate a penny to charities because no government entity, private organization or individual taxpayer will have the discretionary money to give away anymore.
Leni
Old Rog is saying that knee replacement really is semi-ELECTIVE surgery. You don’t REALLY need a new hip. ESPECIALLY if you are just gonna die anyway.
Beyond that, the administration is working to take away tax deductions for charitable donations.
Your dollars won’t go as far.
Which gets more people dependent on government options.
Are you sure about that? I’m from Chicago and it seems to me that it was kind of understood going back to when he was teamed with Siskel.
He whored around a bit when he was working on X rated films with Roger Ebert.
Russ brags that he hooked him up with some woman who gave him head in his swimming pool and then brags that he even cooked Roger breakfast while Rog was banging the girl in Russ’ bed.
He also introduced Roger to a black escort whom he cast in Beneath the Valley of the Ultravixens. Roger reportedly looked over her profile and said “I’ll have everything except the s**t and the pi**.”
I’ve seen nothing to suggest that Roger is gay. Just a hardcore liberal.
Under universal health care and its atrocious five year survival rates, Roger would have been planted years ago.
Well, he scored a few points today. Still he’s a flaming liberal.
The Devil can quote from the Bible as well.
And the people who lavished praise on his tripe have the IQ of a stick.
Let's see if Hollywood is ready to put it's money where it's mouth is.
Oh man, imagine if he was a citizen of Canada or the UK and just tried to get that kind of treatment, that kind of quality care, for all those ailments in one of those countries.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.