A couple of weeks ago I promised my friend Chris, aka The Red Hog, that I would watch the latest Michael Moore film, Sicko. Now there is very little that Michael Moore and I agree on, yet despite that I truly do enjoy his films. I find most of the information in them questionable, but despite that I find him entertaining. That is, until I saw Sicko.
Let me start by saying that the American Healthcare System is broken. I understand that, and even though I am going to slam some of Moore’s findings in this film, I AM NOT saying that there is nothing wrong with healthcare in America today. There is a lot wrong, but we have a choice. We can sit down and look at the problems logically, and act upon those findings. Or we can overreact to the worst case scenario examples sentimentally put forth in this film, and implement knee-jerk reactions that end up making the system much worse than we started with.
I can tell you right now, there is no way to respond to the lies and allegations – as well as the truths – put forth in this film in a single post. This is going to take two days at least, maybe three. Lets break down some of the things we see in this film.
First we see an elderly couple forced to sell their home and move in with their kids after declaring bankruptcy due to health care related expenses. We are told that Larry and Donna Smith. Larry and Donna actually had health insurance, but they couldn’t keep up with the out of pocket expenses. Donna was a newspaper editor, Larry worked for years as a union machinist. But then Larry had three heart attacks, and Donna got cancer. To add insult to injury, on the day they arrived at their daughters house, her husband, a contractor, was leaving to work in Iraq because work was slow in Denver.
Now lets address a couple of things. Why aren’t we addressing the fact that Larry's employer, A UNION, failed him. I don’t know the facts (Moore doesn’t give them to us), but I know most insurances cap the amount of out-of-pocket expenses you would be forced to pay. Mine does, apparently Larry’s did not. Why did the union provide Larry with substandard insurance.
And we are told that Larry had a heart attack, then another, then another. Did Larry follow his doctors advice after the first heart attack, or did he continue to live a non-healthy lifestyle that lead to his second attack, and then his third. Now I don’t want to pick on Larry, but how many people in this country have health care issues precisely because of the poor choices they make. Hey, I include myself in that group. I’m a diabetic, and while that disease controls my diet, I do not follow that diet 100% of the time.
And isn’t it sad that Larry and Donna’s son-in-law had to go to Iraq to find work. It’s a shame that a gun was put to his head forcing him to take that job….. what’s that, there was no gun put to his head. Look, it’s winter in Denver. Is it a surprise that there is a slowdown in construction jobs in Denver in the winter? Where is the happiness that Dad is still able to provide for his family? Look, having to take temporary work in Iraq is not an ideal situation by any stretch of the imagination, but I would gladly do that before not being able to provide for my family.
Later, after an American is caught breaking the law by trying to pass herself off as a Canadian, Moore responds thusly: “Yes what Adrian was doing was illegal, but we’re Americans, we go into other countries when we need to. It’s tricky, but it’s allowed.” Allowed Mr. Moore? By whom? It should be noted at this time that my liberal friends claim A) we should provide medical care for those in this country illegally, and B) We should have a health care system like they have in Canada. And yet in Canada, they do not allow coverage to those their illegally. Hmm…..
In order to put to rest all those claims that Canada’s health care system is not up to par with America’s, Moore’s start witnesses are: his Canadian relatives, Bob and Estelle. Don’t get me wrong, Bob and Estelle seem like very nice people, but if Moore chooses to address a very legitimate concern – that Canada’s state-run healthcare is subpar to U.S. healthcare – I’m sure he could find a more convincing expert than Bob and Estelle. Then again, maybe he couldn’t. Oh well, if you can’t fight them with substance, dazzle them with sentimentality.
Which brings us to one of my favorite arguments in the whole movie, that Hillary Clinton was not successful in implementing her national Healthcare Plan because she is “Sassy, smart and sexy” and “some men (cut to shot of Newt Gingrich) couldn’t handle it.” There it is folks, the bottom line: We do not have nationalized healthcare because Hillary Clinton is just too darn sexy.”
Look, I’ll give you the fact that Hillary Clinton is Smart. Sassy? Well…. I don’t see it. Sexy? Are you kidding me? No, seriously, are you kidding? Moore doesn’t even mention the fact that most feel that Hillary Rodham Clinton's health-care task force failed due to the secrecy that shrouded it. The task force held it’s meetings in private, despite the fact that Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) requires every panel that includes non-government employees (and as First Lady, Hillary was a non-government employee) to have open meetings. Moore fails to mention the fact that these meetings included a sprawling crowd of more than 500 people, including a pile of nongovernment employees from liberal foundations and even big insurance companies.
No big deal? Consider that U.S. District Court Judge Royce C. Lamberth ruled that Hillary and her health care “Mentor” Ira Magaziner had “intended to deceive the court” when they asserted in sworn statements that only federal government officials were members of the task force. Judge Lamberth called their conduct “reprehensible” and wrote “The executive branch of the government, working in tandem, was dishonest with this court, and the government must now face the consequences of this court.” Those consequences included a $285,000 fine for misconduct.
But those actions were inconsequential, and they had nothing to do with dooming Hillarycare. The fact is, the lady is just too damn sexy.
More on Sicko tomorrow…….
Let me start by saying that the American Healthcare System is broken. I understand that, and even though I am going to slam some of Moore’s findings in this film, I AM NOT saying that there is nothing wrong with healthcare in America today. There is a lot wrong, but we have a choice. We can sit down and look at the problems logically, and act upon those findings. Or we can overreact to the worst case scenario examples sentimentally put forth in this film, and implement knee-jerk reactions that end up making the system much worse than we started with.
I can tell you right now, there is no way to respond to the lies and allegations – as well as the truths – put forth in this film in a single post. This is going to take two days at least, maybe three. Lets break down some of the things we see in this film.
First we see an elderly couple forced to sell their home and move in with their kids after declaring bankruptcy due to health care related expenses. We are told that Larry and Donna Smith. Larry and Donna actually had health insurance, but they couldn’t keep up with the out of pocket expenses. Donna was a newspaper editor, Larry worked for years as a union machinist. But then Larry had three heart attacks, and Donna got cancer. To add insult to injury, on the day they arrived at their daughters house, her husband, a contractor, was leaving to work in Iraq because work was slow in Denver.
Now lets address a couple of things. Why aren’t we addressing the fact that Larry's employer, A UNION, failed him. I don’t know the facts (Moore doesn’t give them to us), but I know most insurances cap the amount of out-of-pocket expenses you would be forced to pay. Mine does, apparently Larry’s did not. Why did the union provide Larry with substandard insurance.
And we are told that Larry had a heart attack, then another, then another. Did Larry follow his doctors advice after the first heart attack, or did he continue to live a non-healthy lifestyle that lead to his second attack, and then his third. Now I don’t want to pick on Larry, but how many people in this country have health care issues precisely because of the poor choices they make. Hey, I include myself in that group. I’m a diabetic, and while that disease controls my diet, I do not follow that diet 100% of the time.
And isn’t it sad that Larry and Donna’s son-in-law had to go to Iraq to find work. It’s a shame that a gun was put to his head forcing him to take that job….. what’s that, there was no gun put to his head. Look, it’s winter in Denver. Is it a surprise that there is a slowdown in construction jobs in Denver in the winter? Where is the happiness that Dad is still able to provide for his family? Look, having to take temporary work in Iraq is not an ideal situation by any stretch of the imagination, but I would gladly do that before not being able to provide for my family.
Later, after an American is caught breaking the law by trying to pass herself off as a Canadian, Moore responds thusly: “Yes what Adrian was doing was illegal, but we’re Americans, we go into other countries when we need to. It’s tricky, but it’s allowed.” Allowed Mr. Moore? By whom? It should be noted at this time that my liberal friends claim A) we should provide medical care for those in this country illegally, and B) We should have a health care system like they have in Canada. And yet in Canada, they do not allow coverage to those their illegally. Hmm…..
In order to put to rest all those claims that Canada’s health care system is not up to par with America’s, Moore’s start witnesses are: his Canadian relatives, Bob and Estelle. Don’t get me wrong, Bob and Estelle seem like very nice people, but if Moore chooses to address a very legitimate concern – that Canada’s state-run healthcare is subpar to U.S. healthcare – I’m sure he could find a more convincing expert than Bob and Estelle. Then again, maybe he couldn’t. Oh well, if you can’t fight them with substance, dazzle them with sentimentality.
Which brings us to one of my favorite arguments in the whole movie, that Hillary Clinton was not successful in implementing her national Healthcare Plan because she is “Sassy, smart and sexy” and “some men (cut to shot of Newt Gingrich) couldn’t handle it.” There it is folks, the bottom line: We do not have nationalized healthcare because Hillary Clinton is just too darn sexy.”
Look, I’ll give you the fact that Hillary Clinton is Smart. Sassy? Well…. I don’t see it. Sexy? Are you kidding me? No, seriously, are you kidding? Moore doesn’t even mention the fact that most feel that Hillary Rodham Clinton's health-care task force failed due to the secrecy that shrouded it. The task force held it’s meetings in private, despite the fact that Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) requires every panel that includes non-government employees (and as First Lady, Hillary was a non-government employee) to have open meetings. Moore fails to mention the fact that these meetings included a sprawling crowd of more than 500 people, including a pile of nongovernment employees from liberal foundations and even big insurance companies.
No big deal? Consider that U.S. District Court Judge Royce C. Lamberth ruled that Hillary and her health care “Mentor” Ira Magaziner had “intended to deceive the court” when they asserted in sworn statements that only federal government officials were members of the task force. Judge Lamberth called their conduct “reprehensible” and wrote “The executive branch of the government, working in tandem, was dishonest with this court, and the government must now face the consequences of this court.” Those consequences included a $285,000 fine for misconduct.
But those actions were inconsequential, and they had nothing to do with dooming Hillarycare. The fact is, the lady is just too damn sexy.
More on Sicko tomorrow…….
3 comments:
"Why did the union provide Larry with substandard insurance." I think that was Moore's point Bob. People shouldn't fall through the cracks and have to file bankruptcy and lose their homes because of health problems.
"gladly do that before not being able to provide for my family." I didn't see that scene the way you did. His kids cried when he left, I would expect they would. This man was doing what you said you would do. He was leaving his family to provide for them. I don't get your criticism here.
"Oh well, if you can’t fight them with substance, dazzle them with sentimentality." I think you just want to discredit here. What difference did his representatives make. He simply wanted to debunk the stories of how bad Canadian healthcare is. He did go from person to person in that Canadian waiting room and person after person supported his family members claims.
And My favorite, "Hillary Clinton is Smart. Sassy?" I took that as sarcasm. He later bashed her for abandoning her plan in exchange for contributions from phrama and insurance companies.
I thought the film did a great job of asking the right questions. I don't know many people who would have watched it and unequivocally said, "Mike is right! We need to do everything he says!" But I do think he made a good film that makes you step back and realize that we should step back and forget everything we know about health care, look at what the rest of the world is doing and then go forward. Thats what I got out of the film anyway.
Iowa Bob,
I am sad that you somehow want to blame my husband for his heart troubles. That was a cheap shot at a man who has worked hard all of his life -- an outdoorsman, hunter, fisherman and great American.
May you never know that sort ignorance used to discredit your life.
Good luck and happy holidays to you and your family.
Donna Smith
Dear Anonymous (or is it Donna Smith?):
If you reread my post, you will see that I am not blaming "your husband" for his heart attacks. I merely ASKED "did he continue to live a non-healthy lifestyle that lead to his second attack, and then his third". You see, I had to ask this, because Mr. Moore did not tell us. Sometimes, what is not said is the most important piece of information.
I hope Larry is well, and I hope you are enjoying your timein Denver. I wish you and your family nothing but health and happiness in the coming year.
Have a Merry Christmas and a terrific New Year.
Iowa Bob
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