its been a while
the state of the world today is depressing. since my last post, Terry Schiavo has died, the Pope has died, and any chance of any reform in the outlook of the government has also died.
first, Ms Schiavo. let there be no mistake, her case is tragic from any point of view. I do not disrespect or judge her family members for thier opinions and efforts, or the various judges who were compelled to issue an opinion in her case. I do have a strong distaste for the Congress of the United States, and one party in particular for the grandstanding that took place. to use this tragic scenario to make points and solidify ones power base is inexcusably evil. that being said, I believe that the medical community did this woman a grave disservice by allowing her to starve to death. this was nothing more than an issue of convenience. it is probably true that this lady had recovered as much as she ever would, and that her prospects were gloomy, at best, but the truth is that the definitions of brain death and "persistant vegetative state" were stretched to accomodate the convenience of her caregivers. I am afraid that this case might well be the infamous tipping point, and that from this point forward, the quality and amount of care that one gets will depend on the ability to pay for it. don't think for a minute that if Ms. Schiavo had been in a private facility, without public funding being used, that she would have been placed in this situation.
Pope John Paul II has left us. I am not Catholic, but am a Christian and I feel the loss keenly. The man was a saint in the classic sense of the word, and history may propel him to that status in a canonical sense as well. or not. it makes no difference, the world is a bit less well off without his voice. it remains to be seen whether his successor will be able to fill his shoes.
my darker moments, (they range from more dark to less dark), I see the whole disintegration of society as perceived by my
expectations as an evolutionary process, and as such, our government and leaders are what they are because nothing else would fit. it does not suit anyones interest to villify them as they are unchangeable, it only suits us to try to change the conditions that produce leaders. unfortunately, I have not a clue on how to do that, and neither, it seems, do many folks. the late pope was probably an exception. he showed us, (me anyway), that adherance to dogma and a philosophy, tho the details may be contradictory to our sensibilities, is not an end in itself, it is merely the establishment of a condition that produces or catalyzes change. I possess a strong anti-authoritarian streak, yet I always considered John Paul as someone I could work with.
Finally, the country is going to pot, even more so than the last time I noted it, (about 20 minutes ago). The party in power seems to be aiming to establish themselves as the permanent power. I don't know if they believe all that business about morality and the culture, but they are using it for all that it is worth. I believe that the country, and our government is too big, that decisions need to be made locally and with a strong eye to minimal involvement in the lives of individuals. this may require the dismantling of the federal government and all that it stands for, (and that is a lot). has to be done, if not, it will have to be fought and destroyed.
on a slightly more optimistic note, I have solved the Social Security problem. let it go. truth is, benefits will decline, (they will anyway), add a bit of means testing and limit its scope, and let the individual worry about the ramifications. a change in the tax code would help, but that is unlikely, as the primary constituents of government, (business), benefit too much from the largesse of those resources that they burn through like so much cordwood, (individuals).
there. i don't feel any better, but at least I got this off my chest.
first, Ms Schiavo. let there be no mistake, her case is tragic from any point of view. I do not disrespect or judge her family members for thier opinions and efforts, or the various judges who were compelled to issue an opinion in her case. I do have a strong distaste for the Congress of the United States, and one party in particular for the grandstanding that took place. to use this tragic scenario to make points and solidify ones power base is inexcusably evil. that being said, I believe that the medical community did this woman a grave disservice by allowing her to starve to death. this was nothing more than an issue of convenience. it is probably true that this lady had recovered as much as she ever would, and that her prospects were gloomy, at best, but the truth is that the definitions of brain death and "persistant vegetative state" were stretched to accomodate the convenience of her caregivers. I am afraid that this case might well be the infamous tipping point, and that from this point forward, the quality and amount of care that one gets will depend on the ability to pay for it. don't think for a minute that if Ms. Schiavo had been in a private facility, without public funding being used, that she would have been placed in this situation.
Pope John Paul II has left us. I am not Catholic, but am a Christian and I feel the loss keenly. The man was a saint in the classic sense of the word, and history may propel him to that status in a canonical sense as well. or not. it makes no difference, the world is a bit less well off without his voice. it remains to be seen whether his successor will be able to fill his shoes.
my darker moments, (they range from more dark to less dark), I see the whole disintegration of society as perceived by my
expectations as an evolutionary process, and as such, our government and leaders are what they are because nothing else would fit. it does not suit anyones interest to villify them as they are unchangeable, it only suits us to try to change the conditions that produce leaders. unfortunately, I have not a clue on how to do that, and neither, it seems, do many folks. the late pope was probably an exception. he showed us, (me anyway), that adherance to dogma and a philosophy, tho the details may be contradictory to our sensibilities, is not an end in itself, it is merely the establishment of a condition that produces or catalyzes change. I possess a strong anti-authoritarian streak, yet I always considered John Paul as someone I could work with.
Finally, the country is going to pot, even more so than the last time I noted it, (about 20 minutes ago). The party in power seems to be aiming to establish themselves as the permanent power. I don't know if they believe all that business about morality and the culture, but they are using it for all that it is worth. I believe that the country, and our government is too big, that decisions need to be made locally and with a strong eye to minimal involvement in the lives of individuals. this may require the dismantling of the federal government and all that it stands for, (and that is a lot). has to be done, if not, it will have to be fought and destroyed.
on a slightly more optimistic note, I have solved the Social Security problem. let it go. truth is, benefits will decline, (they will anyway), add a bit of means testing and limit its scope, and let the individual worry about the ramifications. a change in the tax code would help, but that is unlikely, as the primary constituents of government, (business), benefit too much from the largesse of those resources that they burn through like so much cordwood, (individuals).
there. i don't feel any better, but at least I got this off my chest.
posted by eccentric recluse at 1:22 PM
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