A Ray of Light

Here's an American who gets it. Normally I'd go off on how doctors are just Satan incarnate and whatnot, but this... this needs to be talked about.

David Puckett gets it. He understands that medicine and the Hippocratic oath aren't just about selling people on some new drug, taking kick-backs from the drug companies, or doing a half-hearted job. He understands that it's about making people healthy.

If you haven't clicked the link to read the article, lemme just summarized. This man donates his time. To Mexico. It's no secret that the rush of illegals from Mexico come to here to America because Mexico sucks. I'm not trying to be harsh, I'm just stating a fact. In 41 trips to the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico, Puckett has treated about 420 patients.

What does he do for these patients? He provides artificial limbs. Puckett is a certified prosthetist/orthotist from Savannah, GA. He has established a non-profit organization called Positive Image Prosthetics that takes used prosethetics to craft new ones for those in need. And when he treats these 420 patients, he does it FREE OF CHARGE.

Take THAT, you HMO's!

Puckett's only complaint is that he doesn't have a surgeon who's willing to donate time and take a pay cut to go with him. Puckett estimates that if he had a surgeon, he could treat 8-10 patients in a weekend.

Dr. K. Nania, a chiropractor here in Southern California, does something similar. At least twice a month, she flies to Mexico for the weekend to treat patients, completely free of charge. It is possible for people in the medical profession to be about healing and not money. Shocking, but true.

What's sad is neither of these gracious doctors could offer this type of service in America. Why? Several reasons. First, insurance companies would cease to work with them. That would automatically force them into either closing their practice, or having to charge more just to cover the costs of their businesses. Second, there are some rather greedy Americans out there. Everyone loves getting something for nothing, and if your livelihood relies on someone else's honesty...trust me, it just can't be that way. Sad as it is. Plus, what happens if something goes wrong? How are they indemnified or covered from the sue-happy American looking for a quick buck?

This country's healthcare system is worse than screwed up. God bless those who try to make a difference--even if it is in another country.

Oh, by the way? Do something good. Make yourself feel better and donate to the cause. After all, it's tax deductible and you'll be helping someone else make a better life for themselves.

American Responsibility

So, I was trolling MSNBC for a news article worthy of my angst and ire when I came across the headline in the "Health" area: The Pill Makes Women Pick Bad Mates. The Pill. Birth control pill. The Pill makes women pick bad mates. It holds a gun to their head and says, "Choose this moron over here!"

The pill makes women pick bad mates.

As if most women need assistance in this area...

When is America going to stop blaming everything but the individual for the problems the individual has? Seriously. Let's look at this "Pill" making women make bad relationship decisions...

The pill puts a woman's body into a hormonally pregnant state (the reason she doesn’t ovulate), and during that time there would be no reason to seek out a mate.

Duh?

While several factors can send a woman swooning, including big brains and brawn, body odor can be critical in the final decision, the researchers say. That's because beneath a woman's flowery fragrance or a guy's musk the body sends out aromatic molecules that indicate genetic compatibility.

So... when a woman's on the pill, they prefer guys who have a similar scent to them. The reason this is bad is most people who are mated to someone with a similar scent have a wandering eye and are more prone to infidelity.

So, maybe science can back that up, but...It's still your choice to sleep around. You can control your brain and your body. It's a choice to go to bed with someone you don't really know and wake up in the morning next to them, wondering what you were thinking. It's a choice to say, "Ya know, I'm not that kind of person." It's a choice, America.

I would be pro-choice in that I fully support the ability to not make myself look like an idiot and pass the blame to someone else. "I spilled the hot coffee I just ordered in my lap! It's the barista's fault for not telling me it was hot!"

People. Please. Own up and take some responsibility.

Alcoholism is not a disease. It's a choice. Obesity is not a disease in most cases, it's a choice. CHILDHOOD obesity is not a disease. If you're seven years old and you sit on your butt and play video games or watch tv instead of going outside and playing tag or hide-n-seek or riding your bike or roller skating, you're going to be fat! Have you ever seen a fat skateboarder? How about a fat surfer? And what about those kids in the Olympics?

It's a choice.

So, the next time you've made a choice and you don't like the outcome of your choices, grow a backbone and say, "Yeah. That's me. I did that." Take ownership and work to improve yourself. There's so many better things the government could spend its money on than why you made a bone-head choice. We don't need to fund a science project to find out why you made a bad relationship choice. We don't need to spend taxpayer money on lawyers for people to sue McDonald's because they chose to eat Big Macs every night for five years and now have blocked arteries and weigh 900lbs.

It's a choice.

Make yours and deal with it.