Republicans have failed in their promise to "repeal and replace" America's health care system, settling instead for Donald Trump's money-oriented chipping away at "Obamacare." Democrats have waxed enthusiastic about "healthcare for all" but their remarks are always freighted with attempts to claim some high and compassionate and better ground. Both are tiresome. "The Mayo Clinic," whatever its failings, points a way towards what actually makes America great -- decency and kindness and "the patient comes first."
Doctors at the clinic, the documentary asserts, could be making "ten times their current salary" by working elsewhere. But they don't work elsewhere. Instead, they work in a collaborative atmosphere that is repeatedly proven by the looks on patients' faces and by their words. And far from going belly-up, the clinic has done nothing but grow -- providing health care and scientific breakthroughs and a model of what is decent and indeed great about America. A man like Donald Trump will never understand such greatness, but that doesn't mean the rest of us can't.
The two hour presentation may be a bit top-heavy on praise-for-Caesar, but whatever puffery exists is offset by actual-factual results, I think. Yes, it is light on failures and mistakes, but it makes up for it and then some. Despite Republicans, despite Democrats, despite big-name clients like the Dalai Lama and John McCain and Tom Brokaw, it feels good to praise a really-great America.
I don’t really get your (apparently) recent anti-political statements.
ReplyDeleteIt’s just adding dysfunction to dysfunction.
Any non-governmental program will be extremely limited in its scope and in its coverage of the American people. Any governmental program will be some compromise of intersecting interests. The compromise mix will be strongly under the influence of the party or parties controlling the Presidency and the House and Senate.
Currently whatever is left of the a fairly conciliatory Republican Party coming out of World War II has been replaced by a Consortium of the Über Rich and Powerful willing to bulldoze anyone in the way.
A comedienne, Sarah Silverman, said that the rich and powerful are addicted to their wealth and power; she might be right. She used Jeff Bezos as a good example. He is man whose net worth is $165 Billion US can give all his employees good working conditions and a living wage. Working conditions are so horrendous men need to pee in bottle as as not to be docked for bathroom breaks.* (See link below.)
Also, the Koch brothers are among those open about their anti-people-we-need-to-keep-and-increase-our-wealth-views. They throw millions into influencing elections making Russian influence small potatoes.
Whatever is left of the Democratic Party once influenced by Social Democratic and even socialist views has been replaced by a centrist grouping very much sensitive both to the ordinary people and to the rich and powerful.
Once again I must advocate that we support Progressives not simply “Democrats.” Even when we don’t agree with all issues under the Progressive umbrella. As a NY radio man (who moved to the Left Coast) used to say “Wake Up Sheeple!”
Oh yeah, Thumbs up to the Mayo Clinic.
But not too high.
Those running might be another Sloan Kettering that pocketed money from Big Pharma and from up and coming Computer AI vendors.
* Re: Bathroom Breaks at Amazon? Not so much:
https://www.theverge.com/2018/4/16/17243026/amazon-warehouse-jobs-worker-conditions-bathroom-breaks