Brushfire of Freedom
The Irritable Pundit
I have to have surgery soon. It's my shoulder. It's a mess. Just holding my shoulder in a twisted position for the half hour MRI left it aching to the point I didn't want to raise my arm above my waist. I had to ignore it and take my family to an exercise facility I and my girls go to regularly. It was kind of a special event there, and I couldn't miss it. My oldest asked me how to do a particular move with her arm (Wushu, lots of circular motions, long story) and I showed her in spite of the shoulder. It is something we do together and love, besides I've put up with the bum shoulder for some time after all. I'm almost used to it. Almost. I've put up with the shoulder because of the expense to correct it and the economy in general. You have to take care of the family's needs first. Also I needed to see things settle down at work before I risked being out for an extended recovery.
Thanks for the great economy Obama. I think of you every time my teeth grit.
Am I complaining? Nope. That is the sort of thing a responsible person does. You consider your family, and finances (and source of funding), before doing anything drastic. It has always been that way. Our parents and grandparents did the same thing. Where do you think that whole "He hates to go to the doctor" thing came from? You remember your grandmother saying it about your grandfather don't you? More likely you walked into a passionate conversation between your parents that ended with your mom saying, "I don't know why he's got to be so hard headed, he just hates to see the doctor." Your dad would answer "I'm fine, don't make a fuss," then look at you and say "I don't need to go to the doctor."
It was Kabuki theater at its finest.
Your dad was sick. Yes, yes he was, don't kid yourself. He was hurting, but he didn't want to strain the family's finances. Your mother of course knew he was sick and the real reason he wouldn't go. She had to balance the fact that she knew he was sick and worried about him, while carefully walking around the real issue. And of course, she didn't want to hurt his pride as a breadwinner so she went along with it, even giving cover to his excuses. Trust me, with the exception of the yearly prostrate exam, your father did not have psychologic aversion to men in white coats. The truth is, you needed books, and shoes, and lunch money, and, and, and... if it got bad enough to where a doctor HAD to be called, well then, "We'd see". Your mother understood, because she knew he was right, even as she hated it.
My dad tore up his back at work when I was a young boy. I remember the look on my dad's face when he had to get out of his chair. If he didn't know I was watching I could see pain in his eyes. If he saw me, he'd just smile and wink.
"Run along Jr, get ready for bed".
"Yes sir!".
And off I'd happily go. Headed to sleep soundly, sure of my father's invincibility. My dad was a machine after all. It wasn't until I was much older with kids of my own that I understood what I was seeing. The machine was breaking, but I never knew it at the time.
That is just what people did in those days.
Healthcare is not free, it never will be. It will cost money to put this shoulder back together, and it should. The doctors, the tests, the skilled hands of a surgeon -- none of these grow on trees. Insurance was just a pool of people's finances to cover risk. You pay now when you don't need it, to cover you when you did. The new plan changes that forever. This is now just an entitlement fund, where the working pay for everyone else. It is the healthcare equivalent of that young lady who said (around inauguration), "Obama is gonna pay for my mortgage!"
Actually, I am. The only money Obama has is mine. I would say "you are welcome", but it is being taken from me by force, so I'm not feeling particularly charitable about it.
Is health care too expensive? Sure. Lawsuit happy lawyers, sweetheart deals, and political corruption have made it so. Pretty much the trifecta of Democratic party politics. As the votes are counted and bribes paid, please remember it will never be "free" with or without these changes. Hard working people like you and I will pay for it, one way or the other. We will do it using the examples that our fathers gave us. We will go without where we can, as long as we can, and we will never let our children know.
Halfway through yesterday's evening activities, I stopped and walked over to my wife. The shoulder had dislocated again for a brief second. The bone slamming into a nerve ganglion, it hurt from my toes to my teeth. I said something about "not needing to go over this stuff". Mrs. Irritable Pundit smiled at me, but I'm pretty sure she knew better. My girls never had a clue of course, and they never will.
After we made it home, I went to the medicine cabinet, reached out with my good arm and grabbed the Tylenol again.
"Daddy! Did you see me do the twirl before we left?"
"Yup! Great job! Run along now, and get ready for bed sweetheart."
And off she skips to her room.
She sleeps soundly.
Contact The Irritable Pundit Brushfire Home
Copyright 2010. The published content is the sole property of the author. Any copy, use, or redistribution of any portion of the material without the written consent of the owner is a violation of international copyright laws.