If you want these other countries to help carry the load, then pass a fair trade law that says no drug can be sold in The United States at a price higher than the lowest price for which it will be sold abroad.

lexhamfox is right to say the N.H.S is being misrepresented.

I work in it,have done for 20yrs, i don’t know whether to laugh or cry when reading some comments.

According to SFGate.com, “House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and top Democrats opened an all-fronts charge Tuesday to pass a $1 trillion, 10-year health care overhaul by August, unveiling legislation that would tax the wealthy to pay for universal coverage, ….

…there is usually little way for Indians to earn money.

Yes, this is partially true, but, like the current so-called ‘Great Recession’, this can be said of many people. The economy is like a plate spinning circus dude, it needs a small, but constant force to keep it going, otherwise it all comes crashing down.

Outside forces speed up the crash.

So, Indians can’t make money or earn money because other Indians aren’t making money or earning money.

The basic explanation of economics should be taught in Kindergarten: A dollar is a trade for work done. Period.

We will all learn soon enough if Obama keeps on this path.

lexhamfox on July 15, 2009 at 1:18 AM

Lemme guess – you’re a hypochondriac, aren’t you? And since the doctors can’t cure your ills – since they don’t actually exist, except in your mind – they’re all quacks, the health system sucks, etc.
They sell airline tickets to England, you know. Why not head on over there, let their Fabulous Socialized Medical System take care of you for a while.

She told me that, since reservation land belongs to the Indians by law, forever, it can’t be used as collateral for bank loans that would help tribal folks open grocery stores, hardware stores, or other ways to build a nest egg. No collateral, no loans, so little or no way to earn enough money to leave and set up a new life somewhere else. “So we use the land for cemeteries,” she added. I don’t know if she was right about all of that, but I remember her telling it to me.

One thing I heard about IHS doctors has probably made the rounds for years: a boy who broke his arm, and the doctor put the plaster directly on his skin, instead of on top of a “sleeve” buffer. The arm started to itch, then burn, and he went back to the doctor. The plaster had adhered directly to the skin, and the boy’s arm had to be amputated.
So I heard.

Would any of you let me and others know what response you are getting when you call, fax or email the House members when you contact them?

ted c on July 15, 2009 at 1:05 PM

With all due respect, I think you are confusing ‘living up to a promise’ with ‘preventing people from running their lives into the ground.’

I don’t believe that the government can deliver on many of the promises that it has made in past years–this is one example of how that is true.

Just out of curiosity, I’d like to see what the actual promise was. I already know that it isn’t based on an alleged 1787 treaty, but some kind of promise seems to have been made. I suspect it was similar to social security, and welfare. Not truly a promise, but in reality a service provided, and later assumed to be a right or otherwise necessity. If I am right, then they are failing to live up to reasonable expectations in the execution of that service. Which is, unfortunately, expected. Although not the same as if we have an actual treaty, or law which states that we will provide a certain, measurable, level of healthcare.

My point was that we are failing them by propping them up just enough to enable their sad existence. I tend to be an enabler myself. It’s easy to do. But much of the time the best most loving thing you can do is to let someone be in a situation that forces them to choose their path, and hope they choose the right one.

I would heartily disagree with ted that we need to pump more public funding in to fix it. It is hurtful to society to be dependent

I was simply stating the obvious. I do not agree that an answer is to pump more public funding in to fix it. I stated the obvious–the government made a promise, and is failing to live up to it. I don’t believe that the government can deliver on many of the promises that it has made in past years–this is one example of how that is true.

“Take my love, take my land; Take me where I cannot stand; I don’t care, I’m still free; You can’t take the sky from me” Firefly title song

ted c on July 15, 2009 at 11:43 AM

I would tend to disagree somewhat.

Natives are offered many opportunities, and many have risen to great stature, you can find African-American ‘Reservations’ in inner city housing projects and elsewhere.

The similarities are that the government is the enabler to help several deadly sins flourish in these communities.

Growing up on an Indian Reservation, and still living near the same one, I see the effects on a regular basis. It is like watching a miniature communist/socialist society crumble and rebuild only to crumble again.

The IHS for years is woefully underfunded, understaffed and the healthcare results are atrocious. Native Americans have quietly endured for generations the slow, institutional genocide that has befallen them. It pains me to see that we have marginalized these people, relegated them to “reservations” and then promised them everything–health care, schools, etc. as a manner to placate the past. We have kept the Native Americans “reserved” and drunk for generations and then given them health care that pales in comparison to that given to federal prisoners. The alcoholism rates, drug abuse, obesity, diabetes, heart disease rates in the native American populations are staggering–yet they get the tylenol treatment.

For slavery, we fought the civil war. We had the civil rights movement. African Americans have risen to the presidency, congress, cabinet, generals/admirals and all other positions in business. The last remaining ingredient in that issue is –forgiveness.

For the Native Americans– we fought against them and won. We are still exploiting the spoils of war by slowly attriting the Native American population by willfully allowing the drunkenness to silence their voices, and the diseases to ravage their people. They are Americans and their voices ought to be heard. They ought to be louder than the Sharptons, Obamas, Rangels et al. I am listening–but what do we hear from them except silent reticence to the poor deal we’ve given them. THIS is a national tragedy. Billions for UNRWA to provide HAMAS money to fight Israel, but the Native Americans get the back of the hand—truly sad.

Has anyone seen this? I am sorry to sound alrmist, but this is scary stuff.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAaQNACwaLw&NR=1

IanTrouble on July 15, 2009 at 10:24 AM

I watched part of it…the guy has a scary voice, so you know that many nefarious things are being done…and the background has lines ominously moving about depicting confusion and subterfuge….there was even “scary” music, so we know when we should be alarmed. And the voices were yelling over the announcer, very telling of bad things to come…wow, you had an hour to watch that garbage?