Quote Originally Posted by Thorne View Post
I never meant to imply this. I'm sorry if anyone thought I did.


I agree, and this is one area where there perhaps should be changes made. Why should convicted felons be "entitled" to better healthcare than honest working people? Yet if they don't get it their lawyers will have a field day with the justice system.


I understand this as well, and tried to say that, I thought. Working people, whether rich or poor, and even those who want to work but cannot, deserve better treatment than those who are only willing to work long enough to qualify for unemployment benefits and then quit, or those who are willing to live off the welfare system for their whole lives. I've seen these kinds of people. I've had people come into the office where I work, supposedly looking for jobs, and they are dressed in ragged clothes, with unkempt hair, and invariably say, "You're not hiring, are you?" instead of asking if we are. Then they want you to sign their paper for the unemployment office, so they can keep getting their checks.

And again, I know it's not a large percentage of the unemployed, it's not any one race or religion or even gender. But they are there, and they will leach onto any government handout or subsidy until honest taxpayers get so fed up that they want all the handouts and subsidies cut out.
I agree with some of what you here Thorne, but it goes back to my "perfect world" theory. There will always be those that attempt to 'game' the system, but you discuss (And I understand only because talk radio and corporate interests discuss one side as well) only one side of the issue.

The rich, the corporations, the powerful, game the system EVERY day to gain MORE wealth. And they certainly affect a lot more people and destroy lives with their gaming the system. Maddoff, Abramoff, AIG, Enronn, Blagojevich, DeLay, Ted Stevens, The banking industry, the Auto industry, etc etc etc.

And one of the biggest 'gamers' of the system is the Health Care Insurance Industry and with arguments much like yours. And one of the reasons we see such full Emergency rooms is because of the Insurers 'cash cow.' And they limit treatment or play god by choosing who will live and die every day. And how do they make their decision, the bottom line. That I find immoral and disgusting.

I have waited in emrgency rooms for hours of time as well. And in the city of Los ANgeles county hospital. Sure I have seen a few of the drunk but not 'many.' I have mainly seen sick people desperate for care.

And you talk about government handouts. The corporate interests and the rich are the biggest beneficiaries of handouts. And flying in corporate jets to get those handouts.

When I weigh someone getting a $400 check a month for a year or so that they don't deserve and someone getting a $400 Billion dollar check AND a 7 or 8 figure bonus AND laying off thousands of hard-working people after running a company into the ground out of greed and criminal neglect, I KNOW which 'gamers' I would rather support.