Let Him Die?

I thought this was an interesting moment in the debate tonight, not for what the candidates said, but for the enthusiasm from the GOP crowd for letting a man without insurance die.

A bit of a startling moment happened near the end of Monday night's CNN debate when a hypothetical question was posed to Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas).

What do you tell a guy who is sick, goes into a coma and doesn't have health insurance? Who pays for his coverage? "Are you saying society should just let him die?" Wolf Blitzer asked.

"Yeah!" several members of the crowd yelled out.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/1 ... sons-point

Wow, several members, you need to better than that. Maybe we should just give him a pill.

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Hey.....I just thought it was interesting that even a few people would be so enthusiastic about letting the guy die. I take it you aren't surprised. The candidates didn't actually want to deal with the question.

I even avoided using the actual title "Shocking crowd reaction at GOP Tea Party Debate"....oops, I just used it. My bad.

archer wrote: Hey.....I just thought it was interesting that even a few people would be so enthusiastic about letting the guy die. I take it you aren't surprised. The candidates didn't actually want to deal with the question.

I even avoided using the actual title "Shocking crowd reaction at GOP Tea Party Debate"....oops, I just used it. My bad.

LOL, did not watch but nope not surprised. There are people who believe that 911 was an inside job, alien abductions.......

YOu name it, someone believes it.

People die in the street each winter despite our attempts to provide services to keep them from doing so. People die becuase they can't afford their pills everyday, despite our efforts and efforts by pharmaceutical companies and the goverment to provide them at low or no cost. People die each day from car accidents, despite our attempts to put safety measures in place.

Should we hire hundreds of extra police and enforce curfews when it gets cold outside to ensure everyone is indoors, should be force companies to run at a loss so that each individual who required pills gets them? Should we ban cars, because they have the potential to kill people, or spend countless billions more on making them all perfectly safe, and then give the new cars away for free to ensure adoption?

There has to be limits, and "let him die" may not be the best way to say that, but it's a frustration they're expressing, and I can understand it.

So the question is. How much should society spent to keep one person alive? $1 million? $10 million? Is it unlimited?

I read about a lot of older people who do everything they can (transferring assets, etc) to make sure their own assets aren't eaten up if they end up in long term care, or long term disease.....if their own assets aren't worth spending to extend their life, should society's assets be used?

Deep questions....

It's something the left never wants to address. How much of our nations assets are we required to spend in order to ensure that no one dies or suffers in spite of their unwillingness to provide for themselves? Do we keep this guy plugged in in a vegetative state for a year? Five? Ten? Do we pay for dialysis for patients who neglected their health and destroyed their kidneys? At what point do we expect people to stand up and take responsibility for themselves? To skip the PWC purchase and grab some insurance instead? To pass on the Big Mac and grab an apple? Shouldn't there be some consequences to willfully neglecting your basic responsibility to yourself?

RenegadeCJ wrote: So the question is. How much should society spent to keep one person alive? $1 million? $10 million? Is it unlimited?

I read about a lot of older people who do everything they can (transferring assets, etc) to make sure their own assets aren't eaten up if they end up in long term care, or long term disease.....if their own assets aren't worth spending to extend their life, should society's assets be used?

Deep questions....

so do you advocate death panels to make those decisions?

Something the Dog Said wrote:

RenegadeCJ wrote: So the question is. How much should society spent to keep one person alive? $1 million? $10 million? Is it unlimited?

I read about a lot of older people who do everything they can (transferring assets, etc) to make sure their own assets aren't eaten up if they end up in long term care, or long term disease.....if their own assets aren't worth spending to extend their life, should society's assets be used?

Deep questions....

so do you advocate death panels to make those decisions?

Instead of attacking with inflammatory statements like death panels why not contribute your thoughts? Should government pay for nursing care when considerable assets have been moved into a family trustin a blatant attempt to avoid responsibility?

chickaree wrote:

Something the Dog Said wrote:

RenegadeCJ wrote: So the question is. How much should society spent to keep one person alive? $1 million? $10 million? Is it unlimited?

I read about a lot of older people who do everything they can (transferring assets, etc) to make sure their own assets aren't eaten up if they end up in long term care, or long term disease.....if their own assets aren't worth spending to extend their life, should society's assets be used?

Deep questions....

so do you advocate death panels to make those decisions?

Instead of attacking with inflammatory statements like death panels why not contribute your thoughts? Should government pay for nursing care when considerable assets have been moved into a family trustin a blatant attempt to avoid responsibility?

Not intentionally being inflammatory, merely asking who should make the decision as to who dies. Medical personnel have a sworn duty to keep someone alive regardless of the costs unless there is a DNR or other similar living will. Thus someone else will have to override them if that decision is to be made based on a cost analysis rather than on their sworn duty to maintain life. Who will be the "death panel"? Government, hospital accountants, private insurance?