Now is the time at SDA when we juxtapose!
Lorrie Goldstein, Toronto Sun – “Nutbars are ruining health care”
Does it meet the test of critical thinking and intellectual honesty to allege Barack Obama and the Democrats want to kill grandmothers and disabled children by creating government-run “death panels”?
Further, if Obama and the Democrats were insane enough to attempt this, would they telegraph it from page 424 to 434 of their 1,017-page health care reform bill under the heading: “Advance Care Planning Consultation”?
Finally, does having their government murder helpless loved ones sound like a vote-getter with the American people? C’mon.
Jim Towey, WSJ – “The Death Book for Veterans “
Last year, bureaucrats at the VA’s National Center for Ethics in Health Care advocated a 52-page end-of-life planning document, “Your Life, Your Choices.” It was first published in 1997 and later promoted as the VA’s preferred living will throughout its vast network of hospitals and nursing homes. After the Bush White House took a look at how this document was treating complex health and moral issues, the VA suspended its use. Unfortunately, under President Obama, the VA has now resuscitated “Your Life, Your Choices.”
Who is the primary author of this workbook? Dr. Robert Pearlman, chief of ethics evaluation for the center, a man who in 1996 advocated for physician-assisted suicide in Vacco v. Quill before the U.S. Supreme Court and is known for his support of health-care rationing.
“Your Life, Your Choices” presents end-of-life choices in a way aimed at steering users toward predetermined conclusions, much like a political “push poll.” For example, a worksheet on page 21 lists various scenarios and asks users to then decide whether their own life would be “not worth living.”
And talk about rapid reaction. In the wake of the attention drawn to “Your Life, Your Choices”, a disclaimer appeared this morning on the front page of the PDF version available on the net.
I don’t much enjoy taking a whack at Lorrie over his op-ed, as I admire 95% of what he writes, but in this case I get the sense that he might benefit from reviewing commentary by well-known nutbar Charles Krauthammer and right wingers like Nat Hentoff.
@ Indiana Homez:
So what are you saying, that I should not be discussing end of life care or living wills with my patients because I might high pressure sales tactic them? And that I shouldn’t be paid for that discussion?
All people should have these discussions with their doctor so they get the care they WANT. A responsible physician does this.
Have you not read anything I have said?
The issue is the State control of who lives or dies. Living wills are not the issue, nor the problem and Krauthammer is wrong in that regard.
Re: Blame Crash @ 10:14
Perhaps the correct term should be
‘non-consensual assisted suicide’
ulianov trolled: “Why bother with “death panels?” It’s better to make private health services so unaffordable that the patient just decides that he’s better of killing himself.”
Yeah, those capitalist b@st@rds profiting from sickness! There oughta be a law!
Hey, why not ban private care altogether uli? Wouldn’t that be great? No more evil profit motive, no more greedy doctors jacking up their prices and extorting money from the sick.
Then we could make the wait times for the “free” public care long enough that the friggin’ useless old people die before their turn comes and save us all a buncha money! Awesome!
Call Obama uli, you’ve got a winner there.
Sorry Lang, that’s not my point at all.
I tried to express that I trust individual doctors, plumbers and all other types of people; and if they wrong me I then go elsewhere because I have a choice(preaching to the choir right). What I don’t trust is collectives or groups of people, those that find themselves in a conflict of interest. I’m not against end of life counseling, I actually think it’s important; but, it should be at the doctor and or patients behest. Counseling is counseling, I don’t think it’s necessary to differentiate what is said behind closed doors. If you read my comments closely I never advocated not paying doctors or anyone for services rendered. I will never stop complaining about services not rendered by Canadian Healthcare to those that have prepaid for it though. I have had counseling from a social worker and billed my insurance, they didn’t ask if it was marriage, personal or other before they paid the bill. I may be naive, but considering patient privacy, an hour is an hour whether it’s end of life counseling or dietary counseling. If it’s billable, it’s billable; but I’m not in the industry so I digress.
I often do not express my views very concisely and create more confusion when I open my mouth. I’ve been called a “socialist” a “liberal” and other goodies because I’ve confused the issue. My bad, I’m working on it.
Kate, may I ask why you figure Krauthammer for a nutbar? I’ve only read him intermittently but have always found him to be well reasoned. He’s certainly a conservative, so…. I don’t get it. But maybe I’m missing something?
Brad…(Kate…if I may..)
If you read the quote from Lorrie Goldstein he was referring to ‘those nutbars’ that are condemning Obamacare.
I think Kate was taking a jab at Lorrie’s inference.She has a knack for jabbing.
It is Lorrie calling Krauthammer a nutbar.
set you free, your relationship with the doctor is irrelevant when the state determines you’re too old to warrant treatment. Get it now?
In the US, the health czar is Lucifer’s understudy, Zeke Emmanuel (brother of socialist goon Rahm), and who is on record stating that medical treatment should be rationed from the elderly or mentally diminished so as to redirect it amount to younger patients who have more to “contribute” to society. At the risk of invoking Godwin’s law, the Nazis would be proud of that.
If that isn’t the government stepping between you and your doctor, what is?
mhb23re
at gmail d0t calm
Reminds me a great song/vid from about 15 yaers ago, by Steve Taylor called “Lifeboat”
“throw over gramma ‘cuz she’s getting old”
Couldn’t find the vid…but the words are here:
http://www.renc.igs.net/~adt/qrstuv/songs/fritz/track08.html
whoops. totally missed that. thanks bluetech.