Michael Moore has been subpoenaed by the Bush Administration, according to this report. Well, I guess they took exception not so much to the movie Sicko as they did to his disregard on the ban on travel to Cuba, where he took three 9/11 emergency workers who, for whatever reason, can't get the health care they need in New York, either through the city or the federal government.
Moore's detractors point out that he has willingly allowed himself to be used as a propaganda tool by Castro's communist government.
Moore's supporters contend that Moore merely pointed out the inherent unfairness of American health care. It's hard to refute their point that if anybody deserves to have government pick up the tabs for their health care-whether it be the city of New York, the state, or the feds-emergency workers of 9/11 deserve that, especially since their health problems are not only significant, but traceable to the events of 9/11.
Bear in mind that in the immediate aftermath of the tragedy, the government declared there was no viable health risks to workers in the area, despite the fact that monstrous quantities of chemicals were released into the atmosphere.
I look at it this way-fuck politics, in this situation. This isn't a left/right, or a Democratic/Republican issue. This is a matter of common decency and humanity-what there is left of that.
These three men were apparently in great ifo not desperate need of medical care which they, for whatever reason, could not afford, and which was not being provided by any numbers of government arms and agencies of the US that should have been obliged to provide this care.
Moore, for all his faults-and they are legion-provided this care. I don't give a flying fucking rat's ass how he did it. It is irrelevant to me whether he took them to an American specialist, a Canadian clinic, a Cuban hospital, or for that matter to a Ugandan witchdoctor.
Regardless of his ultimate intentions, he helped them, and from their perspective, that is a good thing. For their sake alone, I am glad he did.
Moore's detractors point out that he has willingly allowed himself to be used as a propaganda tool by Castro's communist government.
Moore's supporters contend that Moore merely pointed out the inherent unfairness of American health care. It's hard to refute their point that if anybody deserves to have government pick up the tabs for their health care-whether it be the city of New York, the state, or the feds-emergency workers of 9/11 deserve that, especially since their health problems are not only significant, but traceable to the events of 9/11.
Bear in mind that in the immediate aftermath of the tragedy, the government declared there was no viable health risks to workers in the area, despite the fact that monstrous quantities of chemicals were released into the atmosphere.
I look at it this way-fuck politics, in this situation. This isn't a left/right, or a Democratic/Republican issue. This is a matter of common decency and humanity-what there is left of that.
These three men were apparently in great ifo not desperate need of medical care which they, for whatever reason, could not afford, and which was not being provided by any numbers of government arms and agencies of the US that should have been obliged to provide this care.
Moore, for all his faults-and they are legion-provided this care. I don't give a flying fucking rat's ass how he did it. It is irrelevant to me whether he took them to an American specialist, a Canadian clinic, a Cuban hospital, or for that matter to a Ugandan witchdoctor.
Regardless of his ultimate intentions, he helped them, and from their perspective, that is a good thing. For their sake alone, I am glad he did.
2 comments:
US health care system is a mess, but not because it's private. If US adopted a Canadian or French or Cuban system, it would still be a mess. The reason? Lawsuits. In Cuba, if a doctor makes a mistake, it's just too bad. Castro's insurance companies will not pay millions of dollars in damages.
Sonia-that is a big part of it, but that's far from the only reason. A big lot of it is bureaucratic, both on the government end as well as the hospital administrative end. There are also problems with insurance and HBO's, and pharmaceutical interests.
There are a lot of problems, and everybody pays for it. There is already socialized medicine in the US by proxy. Only it is bare bones for the poor and uninsured, of course, but nevertheless, other patients make up the difference, either through direct payment to hospitals or their insurance premiums.
Something has to be done, or the system will collapse just like the bridge in Minneapolis. It's just a matter of time, and it is barely holding up as it is.
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