Friday, August 28, 2009

Health Care vs. Death Care

It seems that every discussion I hear, or read, on the subject of "HEALTH CARE" seems to degenerate into a discussion of "DEATH CARE", with suggestions on how we can obtain "end of life counseling", draw up the "when to terminate" papers, etc.

Sorry, folks, I've been financially supporting this pyramid scheme called the Federal Goverment my entire life, and if you think I'll be "eased out" gracefully now, think again. Boomers never did anything gracefully and we're not about to start now.

With an aging population in this country, and Boomers (such as me) in their late 50s, 60s and 70s, it's clear that some people are very worried about the major impact that WE WILL have on the health care system as a whole (not to mention Social Security, etc.) I'm sorry if we are about to become a "strain" on the system, but excuse me if I won't "get out of the way" in the interest of financial viability.

It sounds remarkably like a "reduction of liabilities" strategy in trying to save a failing business. The fact is, though, in this case the LIABILITIES are PEOPLE and, as one of those people, all of this talk is unsettling.

While I'm not arguing that brain-dead individuals be put on machines to keep oxygen in their blood, I AM arguing that "quality of life" cannot necessarily be pre-determined and it certainly cannot be determined by another.

I'm HERE, I'm AGING and I'll be damned if I'll forfeit so much as a day of my life in the interest of the "system" or the "needs of the many". We were in the streets 40+ years ago and, if need be, we'll be back out there, albeit on walkers and wheelchairs - and this time it will be personal.

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