An Ol' Broad's Ramblings
Archive for 30 April 2012
Obama’s Record
“Above all, I must not play at God.”
Doctors back demands to deny NHS treatment for smokers and the obese
More than half of doctors across the UK have backed controversial measures to withhold treatment to smokers and the obese.
According to a new survey around 54 per cent of those who took part said the NHS should have the right to deny non-emergency treatments to those who fail to lose weight or kick their smoking habits.
Members of the networking website doctors.net.uk were asked ‘Should the NHS be allowed to refuse non-emergency treatments to patients unless they lose weight or stop smoking?’
And although the poll was optional 593 of the 1,096 doctors who participated answered yes.
Uh huh. I see. Well, let’s look a little closer, shall we? The original Hippocratic Oath was quite lengthy, so I won’t copy and paste it here. It’s the oldest binding oath in history. Note the word….BINDING! Obviously, a lot of things have changed since ancient Greece, and the oath which I thought ALL doctors too upon getting their license was still valid.
The modern version (which, yes, I AM copying and pasting):
I swear to fulfill, to the best of my ability and judgment, this covenant:
I will respect the hard-won scientific gains of those physicians in whose steps I walk, and gladly share such knowledge as is mine with those who are to follow.
I will apply, for the benefit of the sick, all measures which are required, avoiding those twin traps of overtreatment and therapeutic nihilism.
I will remember that there is art to medicine as well as science, and that warmth, sympathy, and understanding may outweigh the surgeon’s knife or the chemist’s drug.
I will not be ashamed to say “I know not,” nor will I fail to call in my colleagues when the skills of another are needed for a patient’s recovery.
I will respect the privacy of my patients, for their problems are not disclosed to me that the world may know. Most especially must I tread with care in matters of life and death. If it is given me to save a life, all thanks. But it may also be within my power to take a life; this awesome responsibility must be faced with great humbleness and awareness of my own frailty. Above all, I must not play at God.
I will remember that I do not treat a fever chart, a cancerous growth, but a sick human being, whose illness may affect the person’s family and economic stability. My responsibility includes these related problems, if I am to care adequately for the sick.
I will prevent disease whenever I can, for prevention is preferable to cure.
I will remember that I remain a member of society, with special obligations to all my fellow human beings, those sound of mind and body as well as the infirm.
If I do not violate this oath, may I enjoy life and art, respected while I live and remembered with affection thereafter. May I always act so as to preserve the finest traditions of my calling and may I long experience the joy of healing those who seek my help.
Did I miss something? Isn’t this oath just as binding as the ancient oath of Hippocrates? So, since doctors now feel they can withhold treatment of the obese and smokers, what’s next? Being overweight just might not be a matter of eating too much, but rather a genetic issue, or caused by some medical problem. There are medications which pack on the pounds no matter what you eat, or don’t eat. I should know…I’ve taken some of those meds. 
Smoking? Well, if the WHO hadn’t scrubbed their report back in the 90s about how second hand smoke was NOT as dangerous as what the ‘activist nannies’ would like you to believe, then I’d be able to link to it. (Really wish they had ‘screen shot’ back then. sigh… Or I had had the presence of mind to print it out!) Breathing today is hazardous to your health, so who’s to say that a smoker is any less worthy of treatment than a non smoker?
So, what’s next? Will they refuse treatment to gays? I mean, that is an unhealthy lifestyle. How about pregnant women? Pregnancy can also be dangerous. How about those who play sports, or drive cars, or those with allergies? Perhaps they’ll refuse to treat Muslim women because they live in a culture that can be quite hazardous to their health! How about the elderly? I mean, after all, they are going to die anyway, right? Why treat them for a broken bone, or pneumonia?
I have a much better idea. Get rid of socialized medicine, and strip those 593 so called physicians of their licenses!
“Above all, I must not play at God.”
Yep! He’s Feeling A LOT Better!
After the scare Spud gave us, I’m thrilled to see his mouth is as big as his mother’s. I’m also glad that he and said mouth are 700 miles away. Heh.
He is LOUD! 
His mom LOVED her ‘johnny jumper’, or whatever they call ‘em now. 
She’d stretch her legs out, twist the cords as tight as she could, or until she couldn’t reach the floor anymore, and let loose! Spun around, cackling the whole time. Then, when she stopped, she’d do it all over again. Hmmm… That might explain a great deal.
Heaven helps us…he’s starting to look like Jr! sigh… 
All attitudinal!
My question: Why does he look stoned? Brat’s response: Because he’s a baby. *cocking eyebrow* Yeah…there’s a logical answer. How ’bout we just blame her photography skills. 
Or lack, there of?
Government Isn’t the Solution! Government IS The Problem!
America’s Budget Crisis in Pictures
The Foundry
It’s pretty clear to most Americans that Washington is broken and spending money well beyond the country’s means. In fact, Sunday marked three years since the U.S. Senate last passed a budget. Getting the fiscal house in order clearly isn’t their top priority. But just how bad is the country’s spending and debt crisis? Heritage has the answer in its newly released 2012 Edition of the Federal Budget in Pictures.
Whether you’re interested in learning how fast federal spending is growing, how big the tax burden is, what debt will look like in the future, and how soon entitlement spending will implode, Heritage has the answer in easy-to-understand charts. Here’s a taste of just some of the information Federal Budget in Pictures offers:
Each American’s Share of Publicly Held Debt Is Skyrocketing
As Washington continues to spend dramatically more than it can afford, every American will be on the hook for increasing levels of debt. Without reining in spending, the amount of debt per citizen will skyrocket. In 1970, each American’s share of publicly held debt was $6,435. Today, it’s $36,267. Where will it be in 2036? Click here to see the astounding facts for yourself.
J.D. Is Being Too Polite
Whatever Happened To Liberals?
by J. D. Longstreet
It has been awhile since I last saw and spoke with a liberal. (I feel eyebrows lifting!)
I mean, let’s look critically at whom liberals are, and compare them to the folks who claim to be liberals today.
About a hundred years ago here in America liberalism was ” … a political theory founded on the natural goodness of humans and the autonomy of the individual and favoring civil and political liberties, government by law with the consent of the governed, and protection from arbitrary authority.”
LINK
Read that again. Does that sound like modern day liberals? Does it even come close to describing the folks in the US government claiming to be liberals? Not hardly!
Let’s look a bit farther.
