Posted on 08/19/2009 12:41:43 PM PDT by Recovering_Democrat
President Barack Obama, trying to regain control of the health-care debate, will likely shift his pitch in September, White House and Democratic officials said, as he faces pressure from supporters to talk more about the moral imperative to provide health insurance to all Americans.
The rethinking comes amid a struggle by the White House to clarify its view on a public insurance plan, which liberals see as a critical part of a health overhaul.
Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said Sunday that a public plan isn't the "essential element" of a health bill, prompting sharp words from liberal groups.
(Excerpt) Read more at thefoxnation.com ...
So, President Obama is going to make “an emotional and moral appeal?” I’m sure it will include many anecdotes about the struggles of various people trying to get insurance, or pay their medical bills. Isn’t it long past time to stop using sad stories to sell abhorrent policies? Because you know what? If your aim is to eliminate all the sad stories, you will never be done “reforming.”
Just to keep in the spirit of things, I have a health care “sad story,” but it’s one I don’t think he can use.
A little over five years ago, my son was diagnosed with brain cancer. He underwent a ten hour, microscope-guided brain surgery. He received six weeks of total brain and spine radiation, followed by 10 months of very intensive chemotherapy. After all of that, his cancer returned. He underwent another surgery, more radiation, a form of chemotherapy that could only be described as savage, and a bone marrow transplant. That did not work either. So he began another, somewhat more experimental therapy that his body simply could not tolerate. We traveled to other cities and states, got him into another clinical trial, and even tried many other, unconventional therapies.
During his five year battle, my son received at least 50 MRI scans, countless physical exams, many gallons of blood transfusions, at least three extended stays in ICU, a couple of near-death experiences, at least seven minor surgeries, and daily handfuls of prescription drugs for many, many months.
Also during this time, I changed jobs twice, and insurance companies four times. We paid our full, annual “out-of-pocket maximum” at least six times in five years. Not everything was covered fully, and we had to pay for a lot of of things in cash, despite being fully insured. I also took several months of unpaid leave from work. The total cost of his care was many hundreds of thousands of dollars, with tens of thousands of that out-of-pocket.
And I would gladly pay it all, and more, again. I would gladly sell everything I own, declare bankruptcy, and spend the rest of my days in debtor’s prison if it meant curing my son’s terrible illness.
But that was never, as it turns out, one of our options. You see, although treatments have become more successful over the years, the sad truth is that there is still no cure for cancer. Despite the best doctors and the best care in the world; despite many treatments and tests our young president might well have deemed “unnecessary,” my son died earlier this year.
In retrospect, I suppose you could say that all of his treatments were “unnecessary.” After all, none of them worked.
Only we don’t live our lives in retrospect; we don’t decide what is necessary, or even what is best, based solely on some oddsmaker’s calculation of the chance of success. As Americans, we expect to make our own free choices on how to spend our money, and how to live our lives. And some choose to honor the sanctity of life, rather than some ephemeral, materialistic notion of the “quality of life.”
My son chose to live his life fighting until the end, never giving up simply because the odds against him were too great, or the treatments too debilitating. Just because he lost his battle does not mean it wasn’t worth fighting - but that is exactly the sort of calculation that Obama seeks to mandate – not to preserve “dignity,” but solely to save money.
To save money.
I am pretty sure Mr. Obama will not use my sad story in one of his speeches. There is not much in my story to sell his idea of “reform.” His reform wouldn’t have helped my son. His reform won’t cure cancer. But that is not why I reject his plan. I don’t expect the President of the United States to cure cancer (although I suspect many of his supporters believe that he could.)
I reject his plan, and the philosophy behind it, because it does not celebrate freedom, does not encourage innovation, does not honor the individual judgment of medical professionals or their patients, and, in the end, because of its singular dedication to saving material resources, is profoundly anti-human.
You may say his plan would have “saved” me some of the money I paid out over the years, and I have no doubt that is true.
But that’s savings I can do without. There are worse things than being broke.
The principal problem in reflecting 0bama’s rhetoric and beliefs back onto him is that there is no image seen.
Get the garlic.
“work in partnership”...
But, but, 0bama said on the religious leaders’ telecon this afternoon that “we are...partners with God in life and death.”
Should this not indicate divine blessings to the US government in general and 0bama in particular in decisions regarding life and death? Sort of divine rights of The 0ne?
Well said, both legally and morally.
God wants Partners???? I am stunned... I'm surprised a lightening bolt didn't come down and melt him!!
IOW ... Health Care is a god given “right”.
Yup. We’s partners.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2319862/posts
Oh, and the rabbis got to listen to “Deutschland uber Alles” while on hold, too. See the link in the above mentioned thread.
You need to make that testimony an entire thread for its own wisdom.
God bless you Phat. I don’t know if you’re a praying FREEPer or not—but I will pray for you and I will thank God for your words. They have been an encouragement to me today.
Is there any charity you’d recommend? I will look into giving a small donation for anything in the name of your son—or just to “Phat Head at FR” if you like. I have chills.
And I hope you repeat your story where it can get more coverage. True lovers of freedom like you, who have lived the life and fought the fight are what we need in the struggle against statism.
He’s lobbying ‘religious leaders’ to get their support for health care. So much for ‘separation for church and state’, huh? Meanwhile.....people face jail time for saying ‘grace’ at a school ‘function’.
Thank you for your kind words, RD. Yes, we pray often, and his faith gave our son great peace and strength in his illness. He also had quite an extensive prayer thread here on FR, which gave him great encouragement.
When he died, we asked people who wished to do so to make a donation in his name (Austin King WIlliams) to:
The Andre Sobel River of Life Foundation
8899 Beverly Boulevard, Suite 111
Los Angeles, CA 90048
(310) 276-7111
http://andreriveroflife.org/
We always saw people who had to leave their kids alone in the hospital because they could not afford the time off of work. This foundation helps those people be with their kids, and from our experience, that is one of the best things we can do for them. There are many foundations funding research, this one just seems to help in a little more personal and immediate way, you know? Anyway, I know we all have a lot of causes and charities we support, but this is a very good one, for now or later.
I should say also that, although we had insurance and income, the first thing we were asked was “do you need help paying for this?” Not “get out if you don’t have insurance.” Our hospital was full of people who did not have insurance or great means, and also full of people and resources to help them. I really think more people need to understand that the opposite of “reform” is not people dying in the street. That doesn’t happen now.
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“A funny thing about us Communists, we have NO sense of humor”
...says a Communist Vietnamese Re-Education (SLAVE LABOR) Camp Commandant to his once Free South Vietnamese prisoner. Who the humorless Commandant then proceeds to beat to a pulp with a large club. *
*Horrific scene from the sterling Vietnaamse American Motion Picture Production about the suffering caused by the Fall of Saigon titled:
“JOURNEY from the FALL”
http://www.JourneyFromTheFall.com
When picking up his car he and his 2 Grandparents had shipped to the Mainland from Hawaii in the mid-1990’s a ..humorless.. OBAMA refused to even participate in the “ALOHA” Spirit of the moment.
http://www.Matson.com
Only when I pressed him twice to say the word “ALOHA” like all the reset of us were doing did he finally and begrudgingly say this happy word. With a chin up frown on his face. I then wondered out loud what would happen to the rest of us if he ever became President of the United States?
Shades of:
Pictures of a vietnamese Re-Edcuation Camp
http://www.Freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1308949/posts
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Ping, good post
I’m sure your Band of Brothers in Vietnam never thought you would see the day when evil resided in the White House and in the US Congress.
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Please see Posts 112 & 114
And then pass them on to America’s Real Rev. JESSE Lee PETERSON.
AR
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I went ahead and posted as a vanity:
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EVIL is as EVIL does..?
Not too long after after a humorless OBAMA came in to pick up his car he had shipped in from Hawaii to the Mainland in the mid-1990’s...
2 other humorless men did too.
These 2 were so obviously angry about their having to wait in line like everybody else did to be processed out that I made sure
I personally updated them on the process every 5 minutes before they finally left.
http://www.Matson.com
After they left I breathed a big sigh of relief. Saying out loud that if anyone was angry enough to go out to their car’s trunk to bring in shotguns to shoot up the place, if they had them, it was these 2.
A couple of weeks later the entire world saw them in Live Helicopter TV coverage of their massive AK-47 firefights with LAPD officers ...during the infamous North Hollywood Bank Shootout.
EVIL is a EVIL does..?
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Liberal pastors & faith commentators...... now that's an oxymoron. Or maybe they're just morons. In any case, they are false teachers, whited sepulchers, full of dead men's bones, leading people astray. They will roast in hell for their unbelief & duplicity in sowing confusion and masquerading lies as being the truth. They are of their father, the Devil, who is the father of lies.
Fantastic tagline!
Aha! So that’s why he recently met with The Rapist: Lip biting lessons.
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