Musings of a Sleepy Mind

[aces_hi]

So I'd be lying if I said I'd meant to post ages ago...I haven't even had time to read the magazines I like in the last two months...and forget about novels. I used to read about 2 books a week...now, i'm lucky if i get a chance to go over the details of the surgeries i've seen or the patients i've taken care of

Comments

[bittergem]

If that's not putting a price on human life, and saying that an American life is more valuable than a non-American one, I don't know what is

I'd rather trade spending money on unnecessary consumer goods with spending on vaccines, and save both the kids and the poor guy who needed a lung transplant. (And I'm sure wealthy non-Americans can pay for expensive surgeries, too...)

Glad you're having fun in St. Louis! :-)

[bittergem]

not if the surgeries aren't available in their countries, they can't. and it's still unfair for even the poor to be able to get such surgeries here (although they usually don't), while the vast majority of the world can't afford things like this even if they were available.

as far as the consumer goods spending, unfortunately, it doesn't seem to work out that way...charities that buy vaccines don't seem to see a significant portion of people donating their disposable income instead of buying stuff they don't really need.

which is why government needs to be involved in order for the system to be more fair...if people aren't going to be generous on their own, the issues are important enough that something has to be done to make them be generous. Now i sound like Big Brother, I know. but the alternative is the capitalist, profit-driven system we have, where a LOT of people suffer while a few people, like us, are rich and comfortable.

all right, i'm getting off my soapbox now. :P

[bittergem]

Yes, much of what you're saying is true. But if the option is between letting my father die and donating the money that would have saved him to a charity that buys vaccines or not buying that new car and donating that money to buy vaccines, I think the latter is the better option

[aces_hi]

oh, c'mon. the reason they're so expensive is BECAUSE they're not that uncomfortable!

i don't have the energy to respond to the meat of your comment now, though...i've been too busy all day learning how to do expensive cancer surgeries...we just spent 5 hours removing someone's lung for a nasty cancer that was almost unresectable. but because it's so nasty, i don't even know if we improved her survival AT ALL. now THAT'S a waste of money. but at least it was a fun surgery. except that i left work at 8:45 PM after getting there at 5:45 AM!

[bittergem]

You have an odd idea of fun. o_O

I'm still at work, but I've given up on doing anything meaningful and am reading HBP until my gels and digests are done...