Dick Cheney | Anyone Else Would Probably Be Dead

Socialized medicine.

Republicans portray it as the worst thing since unsliced bread.  But would Dick Cheney be dead without the benefits of "socialized medicine?"

The California Nurses Association thinks so.  I agree with them.

The nurses ran ads in 10 Iowa newspapers last month under the headline:  "If he were anyone else, he'd probably be dead by now."

Here's what the ad says:

"The patient's history and prognosis were grim: four heart attacks, quadruple bypass surgery, angioplasty, an implanted defibrillator and now an emergency procedure to treat an irregular heartbeat.

"For millions of Americans, this might be a death sentence. For the vice president, it was just another medical treatment. And it cost him very little. Unlike the average American, the president, vice president and members of Congress all enjoy government-financed health care with few restrictions or prohibitive fees. They are never turned away for pre-existing conditions or denied care for what an insurance company labels 'experimental treatments.'

"The rest of us deserve no less."

The vice president apparently doesn't agree.  Or maybe he just didn't like them pointing out one more perk he has that the rest of us don't.  A spokeswoman for the VP was quoted by therawstory.com as saying, "something this outrageous does not warrant a response."  Or maybe she doesn't have a good one.

I don't know what the answer to our health care fiasco is.  But it's time for some honest, in-depth debate on the issue.  What we have now is broken.

I'm on the nurses' side.  But I also buy unsliced bread pretty regularly.

That's my two cents' worth.  What's yours?  -- Jerreigh@contemplayshuns.com

Comments

[Dan Danbom]

When government does things such as raising taxes to build stadiums for private sports franchises, it's stimulating the economy. When it provides health care for elected officials, it is merely doing so to attract good persons to public service. When it gives huge tax breaks to big business, it's helping the average Joe. But when government does things for the poor, it is socialism.