I will look into as sometimes what we hear on the news is not always told in full so we can get the wrong end of the stick. I will look into this and see if I can find out the whole story. Very interesting to a couple of oldies.
We've sort of been following the US Presidential elections and were sorry to see yet another Republican drop out after the results in Florida. We are very thankful that in Oz we don't have a president or, if we ever did, he/she would not be elected in the same way as in the US. I dread to think how much money is thrown away every 4 years where it could be put to use in so many places where it is sorely needed.
I have my preference when it comes to potential candidates and yet some American Facebook friends don't entirely agree with me. The man (I can't call him a gentleman by any stretch of the imagination) with yellow hair terrifies me and as Phil said to me yesterday "If he becomes President I can see WW3 not far off!" I wonder if anyone else has any thoughts on the subject.
Of course we have our own Federal elections due later this year and I feel that is also going to be very interesting. I think my politics may differ from many of my blogging friends but to me that is what democracy is all about. Freedom of thought if not entirely freedom of speech in the politically correct world of today.
Hari OM
ReplyDeleteHmmm, interesting ethical issue raised... example in hand. My niece went into hospital Dec 29th. ICU, all tubes and electrometers and drugs. Prognosis very grim. Parents (as can be considered natural) insisted on all possible treatments - despite 'the talk' from the specialist. The prognosis never rose above 'likely death'. Niece's body finally found its own way out of it on 29th February after two months of the girl not knowing anything due to induced coma and the parents going through agonies of false hopes and expectations.
Knowing from entry that this was likely to be the outcome, is there not a question mark over the cost of ICU treatment for eight whole weeks, which might have been utilised for another case with prognosis of recovery? A beloved pet would have been permitted more dignity in its death. ... It is a dilemma which will become more and more pertinent the longer we live.
In your own case, I don't think it would be likely that your prescription would be withdrawn! Suspect this was reference to such as the scenario above - and as for antibiotics... don't even get me started on that one!
Am totally with you on the political concern - the rest of the planet is holding its breath, I think; the Trumping of the States would most definitely lead to a changed global stance. We have elections coming up in May. ...sigh............................ what is that old saying... interesting times, saints preserve us..???!!! YAM xx
"...Knowing from entry that this was likely to be the outcome, is there not a question mark over the cost of ICU treatment for eight whole weeks, which might have been utilised for another case with prognosis of recovery?"
DeleteYamini, if it were my child I would want the doctors to do all they could, even if the prognosis were grim.
Hari OM
Deleteabsolutely - from the parents perspective, this is very very true - however, this is the ethical question which is going to grow and will become an ever more open debate... heart-rending as it is. Thank you for engaging - and thanks to Mimsie for sparking deeper thought processes! Yxx
In reply to both of you I feel this is one of those debates that will never be won by either side. In the case of Yamini's niece she was still quite a young person and I can imagine her parents hoping beyond hope for some sort of miracle that would keep their daughter with them. That would be their only thought.
DeleteWhen it comes to the aged who are in dreadful pain or in the final stages of dementia then I feel they should be allowed to die with dignity but they must surely have left words to that effect.
I had to allow my mother's life support to be turned off when the doctor told me there was no hope of her regaining consciousness and I quietly said goodbye to her and before long she had gone to here final rest. She was 87, had led a long and very fruitful life and had been told she could not go back to her little unit but would have to go into the hospital unit at her retirement home. She chose to die instead of that as she was a very independent woman. I am not sure though it would be so easy with a younger family member no matter how bad the prognosis.
With all these elections this year we are certainly experiencing interesting times.
I see what you mean. It is a debate. But the way I see it, we could have medical care for every single person and do it well. If it were a priority it would happen. Then we wouldn't have to have a debate about resources and whether a prognosis warrants using them. We (as in the whole planet), could make it work.
DeleteMimsie, my condolences for the loss of your Mom. I would not wish that decision on anyone.
DeleteThanks Sandi. Mum left this mortal coil back in 1985 but it still seems like yesterday and I miss her every day.
DeleteMimsie, it is crazy time here in the US. Every four years. It is too much. We get phone calls, lots of them, urging support for one candidate or another. Or worse, we get calls telling us bad things about the other candidate. TV is unwatchable. Well, for many reasons these days, ha ha, but especially due to the commercials. You guessed it, for one or against the other candidate. Some are funny, but still. I try to tune it all out. The amount of money spent campaigning is insane! But, would you believe, Trump has spent the least of all the candidates so far. By far. He gets attention easily, so he doesn't have to try as hard. I think he will win because Americans are sick of the status quo. There is a prevalent feeling here that the politicians no longer listen to the people. Trump is seen as an alternative to that. As for WW3...I hope not. We've had enough of that. Time for kindness and leaving people alone.
ReplyDeleteSandi it was with interest I read your comment on Yam's reply as well as your own reply to my post and thank you for them.
DeleteWe are fortunate that we seldom get people phoning about elections although, strangely enough, I had a survey call just now about our forthcoming state elections but it was a simple one with answers 1, 2, 3 etc on the phone. I don't mind that type of call as it is legitimate.
We continually see Trump on our TV news, much more than the other candidates, either Republican or Democrat. To me he is a vulgar type of man who cares for nothing other than himself.
I have just been reading what his butler supposedly reported about his boss and it sounds as though it could be true. I think a lot of his bombast comes about because he knows deep down he has no idea about how to run a country and yet his egotistical side tells him he can do it.
We had a guy a couple of years back here in Oz (a multi-billionaire so he says) that not only paid millions of dollars to get himself elected to Federal parliament but also paid millions to get others elected to his party (a minor party). It only took a year or so before the few members of his party saw him for what he was a resigned from his party and now sit as independents. He also is a big bag of wind and hot air like Trump. He recently allowed one of his mining ventures to go into receivership so 550 workers lost their jobs. He has now somehow managed to reopen the mine but not for a few months so none of his workers know if they have jobs in future or not. These are the type of people who want to run our countries. I wouldn't give them the time of day.
As for politicians listening to the people, I doubt they have done that for many years, or very few of them do.
The majority of us want peace but mankind being what he is that is a dubious wish.
There was another billionaire who ran for office here in 1992, Perot. He famously said that anyone who is qualified to be president wouldn't want the job. (Ha! He said this while he was running himself...chuckle.)
DeleteIt takes a lot of money to run for office here. It shouldn't be that way, but I suppose it always has. I think we should draft our leaders. If your friends and acquaintances think you are good, they could submit your name and you'd get a notice, "Mimsie, you are hearby required to serve as President for the next four to eight years. Please report to office on x day." :-) Would you do it?
No Sandi I don't think I would bother. Too many of your presidents have been assassinated and I feel it is rather a thankless job at the best of times. I always see your president surrounded by secret service (or whoever they are) whereas our PM doesn't have bodyguards and the Queen and the rest of the Royal family go walkabout shaking hands and chatting with people with virtually no protection at all.
DeleteSadly our PM does have bodyguards. I understand that John Howard's got considerably fitter keeping up with him on his early morning walks.
DeleteI suspect the pharmaceutical thing was someone doing a bit of kite flying. I hope so anyway.
ReplyDeleteI do share your fear about the red-headed gentleman. I think the world would be in trouble.
I hoped that too about who should or not received certain medications.
DeleteYou flatter that man! Red hair....to me it looks a sort of faded orange colour. He now says there will be riots if he is not the Republican candidate. That to me sounds more like a threat. He is dangerous in too many ways.