A Most Terrible Profit: the story of my father's ongoing journey through modern healthcare

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Tuesday April 10, 2012 · 5:09 PM PDT

2012/04/10 · 17:09

On some level, all our services, all the resources and functions of our society, are optional. Many we've had for so long we simply accept them, others are contentious points of debate, others are pie in the sky dreams for some, and dread nightmare for others.

None the less, everything is to some degree, a choice. A police force is not mandatory, nor is the fire department, nor the armed forces... each of these at one point or another, was created to solve a problem.

People often differed on what problem they were solving, but they agreed on the solve. For example, does the law exist to safeguard liberties, or mandate compliance with accepted norms? Do we build prisons to punish or to reform, or just to separate the dangerous people from the regular folk, or maybe some combination of the three?

Even after a solve is chosen, it's scope can change - should the police protect everyone, or just taxpayers? Should illegal immigrants be protected by the laws of the land, or is their presence here a more terrible crime than whatever was done to them? If you can't pay the fees for the fire department, should they save your house anyway?

Then there's healthcare.

jmkiru

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Wednesday September 01, 2010 · 9:48 PM PDT

2010/09/01 · 21:48

This has been percolating in my brain for a little while now. I received an e-mail from barackobama.com about the 50 million dollars they needed to raise for their Get Out The Vote effort this fall, and my brain twisted rather uncomfortably thinking about it - I've since been trying to find the words to why. Today, while reading deaniac83's diary about Glen Greenwald, this all started coming to the surface. If you haven't read that diary, I'd encourage anyone to do so, mostly because it so singularly defines what I find so, so... let's call it 'off-putting' in the modern discourse of the democratic party. Not the opinions it expresses (which I'm all for expressing, especially when I disagree), but rather the parts calling someone else to task for daring to express theirs.

jmkiru

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Wednesday January 27, 2010 · 9:19 PM PST

2010/01/27 · 21:19

with the announcement of his intentions to end that most absurd practice we call 'don't ask, don't tell', Obama has set a right and truly noble goal for his administration. This is the kind of progress that once done cannot be undone - not as entitlements such as medicare, or social security, but rather as corrections for a practice who's time has long since past; for beliefs we need only admit we no longer hold and watch as they are done away.
This decision will no doubt be subjected to the usual demented honking from the reactionary right, which seems only too eager to delight in telling us how small we are, and how little we can do.
I am not a soldier, I have never been a soldier, and I say plainly my opinions to follow are the single most uninformed I hold, with little to no practical experience to back them up. Having said that...

jmkiru

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Tuesday September 02, 2008 · 9:09 PM PDT

2008/09/02 · 21:09

Listening to Newt talk (ugh... God above let me never need type those words again) he seemed so very, very impressed with Palin's resume, and her (paraphrased) "Real, executive experience."
He cited her time as governor, as mayor, as the leader of the Alaskan National Guard. He then dared the commentator to name anything Obama did that was half as impressive.
Let's forget the obvious slight, and move onto the more important question:

jmkiru

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Tuesday November 06, 2007 · 12:46 PM PST

2007/11/06 · 12:46

I'd like to thank Dianne Feinstein and Chuck Schumer for demonstrating shrewd political tactics and just awsome leadership in voting yea on Judge Mukasey. As Senator Feinstein stated, this is the best we're going to get from this administration, and as anyone can tell you that means we should just give in and do what the administrations wants. I mean, it's not like we have a choice in the matter - we're being offered a chinese menu where we get to choose one from column 'bad' and two more from column 'worse'. That we might exercise some freewill and choose not to order is unthinkable; don't you know we have to choose? Why, think of what the administration might do if we didn't give them everything they wanted!
Er, what?

jmkiru

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Saturday August 04, 2007 · 9:01 PM PDT

2007/08/04 · 21:01

I wanted this to sound far more reasoned and rational than this, but I'm afraid I don't have it in me. I wanted to sit down and write a level examination of the role and responsibility of elected officials (cause let's be honest, it looks like several of our officials could use one) but this is too much; all of us, as a people, are facing yet another democratic cave to the administration. Last time it was the lives of our soldiers in Iraq, this time they're selling out our civil liberties. While I don't imagine the two are exactly equal, I had hoped the bitter taste of the first would've left our leaders less likely to sell us out yet again, rather than make the act that much easier.

So here it is; a lesson for those who have forgotten, on the rights and responsibilities of our elected officials, and just what they owe to their people.

jmkiru

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Tuesday August 01, 2006 · 2:36 PM PDT

2006/08/01 · 14:36

Yesterday, slashdot linked to another article questioning the security of the Diebold voting machines. Checking the forums (here, not at slashdot), I found the debate over the article quickly switching gears to a debate over Bev Harris. The biggest posts, the longest threads, all of them debating someone who by all accounts had little or nothing to do with this particular article.

This seems a pretty good demonstration of exactly what's going on when I read the papers, watch the news, read a news website / blog, or what-have-you; all the meat of the story is focused on the people debating, and not the debate itself. When all is said and done, does anyone really learn anything from this? Or, to loosely quote America: the Book, 'did Bush convince the people? Who cares, how about asking if what he said is true or not?' Read More

What Makes a Senator

jmkiru

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Monday July 31, 2006 · 5:43 PM PDT

2006/07/31 · 17:43

Recently, what with the challenge Ned Lamont is posing Senator Leiberman for the primary nomination, I've heard several reasons for why people continue to support old Holy Joe. Some are fairly reasoned, some are not, and some are plain rediculous. What strikes me is how many people argue his seniority or name recognition as a reason to keep him in office, saying power is a reason to keep him in place.
I find this idea puzzling; allow me to paraphrase an old story to explain why. Read More

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A Most Terrible Profit: the story of my father's ongoing journey through modern healthcare

This will likely get me into trouble...

repealing don't ask, don't tell

Newt Opened the Door

whatever you do, don't stand up

For The Representatives Who Don't Seem To Get It

Don't judge the message by the messenger

What Makes a Senator