"Culture Crisis" instead of a "Health Care Crisis"

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I saw this on Facebook and am going to post it here.  This is not an ad or a site to buy anything so I am not violating the "don't post a link" rule (I hope).   



Richard Meckstroth's Photos - Wall Photos

Pictured is a young physician by the name of Dr. Roger Starner Jones. His short two-paragraph letter to the White House accurately puts the blame on a "Culture Crisis" instead of a "Health Care Crisis"..

It's worth a quick read:

Dear Mr. President:

During my shift in the Emergency Room last night, I had the pleasure of evaluating a patient whose smile revealed an expensive shiny gold tooth, whose body was adorned with a wide assortment of elaborate and costly tattoos, who wore a very expensive brand of tennis shoes and who chatted on a new cellular telephone equipped with a popular R&B ringtone.

While glancing over her patient chart, I happened to notice that her payer status was listed as "Medicaid"! During my examination of her, the patient informed me that she smokes more than one pack of cigarettes every day, eats only at fast-food take-outs, and somehow still has money to buy pretzels and beer. And, you and our Congress expect me to pay for this woman's health care? I contend that our nation's "health care crisis" is not the result of a shortage of quality hospitals, doctors or nurses. Rather, it is the result of a "crisis of culture" a culture in which it is perfectly acceptable to spend money on luxuries and vices while refusing to take care of one's self or, heaven forbid, purchase health insurance.

It is a culture based in the irresponsible credo that "I can do whatever I want to because someone else will always take care of me". Once you fix this "culture crisis" that rewards irresponsibility and dependency, you'll be amazed at how quickly our nation's health care difficulties will disappear.

Respectfully,
ROGER STARNER JONES, MD
If you agree...pass it on (and/or post your comments)

If you want to see this on Facebook, click below:
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=545879&id=1838498283&fbid=1279737653723&ref=mf

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This was a real eye-opener for me.  How could this happen?  But more importantly, why should this continue?

[JessieKateRose]

Stuff like that happens with food stamps and whatever too. I don't understand how they can't filter out the people who need help rom the people who don't.

My best friend's dad got into a car accident and broke his spine, and the doctor said he couldn't go back to work for a year and a half. When he tried to get social security or whatever they denied him. He's by no means rich, he lives in the trailer park with two kids he takes care of, and he still got denied.

I mean come on.

[jcribb16]

I hope we see more people, like this dr., who expose this type of thing going on all the time and all around us.  And many of the ones doing this will outright say that they don't need to worry, they will be taken care of. Ridiculous.....

[lvstephanie]

I've always said we have the wealthiest "poor" in the world... I knew someone on public assistance that had enough money for 2 TVs, a modern cell phone, booze money for a case of beer EACH DAY, smoked a pack of cig's every other day, played the pull tabs a few times a month. Yet like I said, was on public assistance, went to the local food shelf for food (since she traded her food stamps for cash to buy booze), and couldn't hold a job for more than a few weeks without giving up.

Then you see how the poor live in Africa, India, or even Mexico and you can truly understand the plight that some live with.

I know there are some that have an actual need for some assistance; another friend (actually the first was more just an acquaintance as I don't think I could be a friend to someone so selfish), needed unemployment for a while because she got laid off. But she took any jobs she could find and only remained on public assistance as long as she needed to.

People complain that the rich are selfish and don't pay their fair share. I'm sure the guy on Facebook would qualify as being one of those "rich" (being a doctor in the ER to boot). But is he so selfish when he doesn't want to see his tax money going to help pay someone else's vices and irresponsible lifestyle? Isn't paying close to 40% of his income a fair enough share of the financial burden our country faces? I'd argue that the selfish people are those users that abuse the system, essentially stealing other's hard earned money for their own vices, and using the government as their hold-up weapon.

[BizELady]

Wow.

Everyone is not like this.  But I know some who are and have no intention of ever getting off Public Assistance.  Doc is right - there needs to be a change in the mentality of some people.