In the movie, "Saving Private Ryan" there is a scene where Tom Hanks and his squad finally come across the man they have been searching through enemy country for, Private James Ryan. They have been sent to bring Private Ryan home because he is the only surviving son in his family; the rest of his brothers have been killed. Nobody really wants to go on this mission; they think it is a wild-goose chase for no good reason that will only end up getting them all killed. But they go.
When they finally find Private Ryan, he does not want to go back home with them. At that point Tom Hanks gets fed up and tells him that "two members of the rescue squad were killed searching for you, asshole!" And then he says something else: "Earn it!"
"Earn it!" Don't just take it for granted. "Earn it!" While I agree somewhat with that sentiment I also find it somewhat disturbing.
From time to time we have people come to my work who have benefited in some way from the research we do. Last week was an eleven-year-old boy and his mother who came to talk about heart disease. Before he was even born ultrasound discolosed a problem with his heart. He was only a few hours old when he was rushed into surgery and the problem turned out to be even more complicated than first thought. Since then he has undergone several other surgeries and will probably have more as he grows older. A lot of time and effort has been devoted to saving the life of this young man. Has he "earned it?" I would say so. If he doesn't do anything else in his life the work he is doing right now to raise funds and awareness about pediatric heart disease is definitely worth it.
But--here's the thing. It goes without saying almost that this kid is white. Now, what if his mother had been poor, black, unmarried, on welfare--what would be the response then? Would she be offered the same choices this mother was? Would she be told about the doctors at the University of Michigan who have experience treating newborns with this particular problem? Would Medicaid even pay for such procedures? "Earn it!" What chance does a kid born in such circumstances have to "earn it?" I think you know the answers to that. We just don't hear about the kids who die or are allowed to die. But, it's not racist. It's not personal. It's just--economics. His mother just had the bad luck to not have as good resources as the white kid's mother.
I know from personal experience what kind of health care you are likely to get if you are unemployed, broke and without insurance. It was a very scary experience and someday I will write about it. Let's just say I was 22 and did not know if I was going to have to spend the rest of my life strapped to a gurney like the guy in "The Sessions", which is why I took such an acute interest in this movie. Because it could have been me. One minute the doctors were very concerned about the possibility of my dying and the next minute I was out on the street.
I read not long ago about a woman in Oregon or Washington--one of the states that has legalized assisted suicide--who was told by her insurance company that they would pay for her assisted suicide but NOT for her cancer treatments. I don't know how the case came out but I don't doubt for a moment that this is true, based on my own experience. And I think we are going to hear about more and more stories like this.
The reason is demographics and tax loads and that is why I keep repeating that it is not a good idea to depend on government help if you can possibly avoid it. I realize many people cannot, and I feel for them. I will say that if you are in a situation where you cannot work, where you must rely on disability, welfare, whatever you want to call it, that you need to be aware of what those who are working are saying about people like you. You cannot afford to ignore the resentment that is building towards what Mitch Romney called the entitled. Yes, it brought him down in his campaign--BUT he only said what a lot of people are thinking and saying. "Earn it!" Well, what if you can't? Hmm?
We can't all work but we can all give back to our communities in many ways. And--we need to be politically informed and vote. Our very lives may depend on it. I have always said, "Whoever controls your money, controls your life." And so much of our lives are in the hands of others, even those of us who do work. I don't know what will happen with Obamacare--my guess is eventually the Supreme Court will find it unconstitutional just like they did many of FDR's policies during the Depression--but regardless, we need to be aware of the currents around us.
When they finally find Private Ryan, he does not want to go back home with them. At that point Tom Hanks gets fed up and tells him that "two members of the rescue squad were killed searching for you, asshole!" And then he says something else: "Earn it!"
"Earn it!" Don't just take it for granted. "Earn it!" While I agree somewhat with that sentiment I also find it somewhat disturbing.
From time to time we have people come to my work who have benefited in some way from the research we do. Last week was an eleven-year-old boy and his mother who came to talk about heart disease. Before he was even born ultrasound discolosed a problem with his heart. He was only a few hours old when he was rushed into surgery and the problem turned out to be even more complicated than first thought. Since then he has undergone several other surgeries and will probably have more as he grows older. A lot of time and effort has been devoted to saving the life of this young man. Has he "earned it?" I would say so. If he doesn't do anything else in his life the work he is doing right now to raise funds and awareness about pediatric heart disease is definitely worth it.
But--here's the thing. It goes without saying almost that this kid is white. Now, what if his mother had been poor, black, unmarried, on welfare--what would be the response then? Would she be offered the same choices this mother was? Would she be told about the doctors at the University of Michigan who have experience treating newborns with this particular problem? Would Medicaid even pay for such procedures? "Earn it!" What chance does a kid born in such circumstances have to "earn it?" I think you know the answers to that. We just don't hear about the kids who die or are allowed to die. But, it's not racist. It's not personal. It's just--economics. His mother just had the bad luck to not have as good resources as the white kid's mother.
I know from personal experience what kind of health care you are likely to get if you are unemployed, broke and without insurance. It was a very scary experience and someday I will write about it. Let's just say I was 22 and did not know if I was going to have to spend the rest of my life strapped to a gurney like the guy in "The Sessions", which is why I took such an acute interest in this movie. Because it could have been me. One minute the doctors were very concerned about the possibility of my dying and the next minute I was out on the street.
I read not long ago about a woman in Oregon or Washington--one of the states that has legalized assisted suicide--who was told by her insurance company that they would pay for her assisted suicide but NOT for her cancer treatments. I don't know how the case came out but I don't doubt for a moment that this is true, based on my own experience. And I think we are going to hear about more and more stories like this.
The reason is demographics and tax loads and that is why I keep repeating that it is not a good idea to depend on government help if you can possibly avoid it. I realize many people cannot, and I feel for them. I will say that if you are in a situation where you cannot work, where you must rely on disability, welfare, whatever you want to call it, that you need to be aware of what those who are working are saying about people like you. You cannot afford to ignore the resentment that is building towards what Mitch Romney called the entitled. Yes, it brought him down in his campaign--BUT he only said what a lot of people are thinking and saying. "Earn it!" Well, what if you can't? Hmm?
We can't all work but we can all give back to our communities in many ways. And--we need to be politically informed and vote. Our very lives may depend on it. I have always said, "Whoever controls your money, controls your life." And so much of our lives are in the hands of others, even those of us who do work. I don't know what will happen with Obamacare--my guess is eventually the Supreme Court will find it unconstitutional just like they did many of FDR's policies during the Depression--but regardless, we need to be aware of the currents around us.
