Would you save a 5 year old's life, or would you rather a CEO buy another Lamborghini?

[AnArmyVeteran]

Source: arizonasportsfans



What would you do? Would you save this child's life, or do you believe it is more important for the above insurance CEO to have another $200,000 Lamborghini?

The CEO is Allen Wise and he made $13 million last year. He also has $36 million in company stock. But his company denied services that would save the life of this precious little 5 year old boy, Kyler VanNocker. The treatment that could save this boy's life is about half the cost of a Lamborghini. Allen Wise makes more in 3 days than what it would cost to save this boy's life. But this CEO would rather bask in his riches than to save a child's life. Can you say sociopath?

There is still time to call your representatives and tell them to pass the health care reform bill. The bill, while not perfect, is a start in the right and moral direction. Would you rather be a bricklayer, who builds and creates, or someone who throws bricks at those who are trying to do what is responsible, moral and right? I'm on Kyler's side. Whose side are you on?

Call Congress Now: 800-473-6711

KYLER's Story:
http://www.arizonasportsfans.com/vb/f22/insurer-denies-life-prolonging-treatment-to-five-year-old-boy-with-cancer-148048.html

Read more: http://www.arizonasportsfans.com/vb/f22/insurer-denies-life-prolonging-treatment-to-five-year-old-boy-with-cancer-148048.html

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The insurance industry is the only real 'death panel', in spite of the hysterical lies told by opportunistic people who have no regard for the truth, or for other human beings. Let's stop their coldhearted assault against hardworking Americans and their children, like little Kyler.

If you do nothing 43,000 people will continue to sacrificed each year so that others can make fortunes. One hundred and twenty people died today because they lacked access to health care. We spent trillions seeking revenge against those who killed less than 3,000 Americans on 9/11. Why can't we use our limited resources to help others, rather than kill them?

[MisterP]

1. oh, and in this scenario there are also spin doctors saying that we have to give the Lamborghini

to save the child, but the Lamborghini won't actually save Kyler

insurance execs should be tried, not rewarded (then again, that was true for bankers in 2008-09...)

[BrklynLiberal]

2. This should be commercial on TV for all to see

[AnArmyVeteran]

6. Right BrklynLiberal...

The media isn't 'liberal', it's corporate. They don't report news. They mostly create it. Investigative journalism is all but dead. It started dying under Reagan when businesses consolidated and merged, purging people for bigger profits. Gathering truth takes time and money. Sensationalist car chases and gossip are easier and cheaper to 'report'.

Kyler won't get to be as old as that evil and corrupt CEO. But I hope he does. I have contributed to Kyler's fund and I urge others to do the same. I also urge others to donate what they can to the FreeClinics organization that gives free health care to hardworking people who still can't afford insurance.

[patrice]

3. K & R - THIS is exactly and concretely what it's all about.

[LibDemAlways]

4. Kyler and people like him are the reason that we absolutely need

a public option to compete with these criminals. Under the current bill, Mr. Wise will only get richer and be sitting prettier. Forcing millions more to buy insurance from these crooks is not "health care" reform. It's a scam, and until a public option is in place to give these crooks some competition, they'll continue to find ways to skirt regulations, and we'll continue to see horrific stories like these.

[metalbot]

21. Would a public option cover this?

A public option would be run very similarly to insurance companies - it's not going to approve any treatment for any condition. There's certainly no guarantee that a public option would pay for a $100,000 experimental treatment that might or might not work. There's essentially a large collection of expensive experimental treatments that you can try for almost ANY condition, that might save someone's life. How do you draw the line? Stem cell therapy is promising in lots of medical areas, but treatment is expensive. Should we treat everyone who has heart disease with stem cell therapy? It shows great results in some patients.

I'm not unsympathetic to the parents or the child, but where do you draw the line?

What if the treatment were $400,000 and had only a 20% chance of working? What about 10%? What about $800,000?

There are going to be limits on ANY form of health insurance, whether it is privately or publicly run.

[WorseBeforeBetter]

5. Why will CEOs be giving up their luxury vehicles?

XX millions of new customers...by mandate.

(And for the record, it wasn't just Americans killed on 9/11...)

[AnArmyVeteran]

9. I know WorseBeforeBetter.... you are right about 9/11 victims...

Most were Americans, but a lot of other citizens of the world died that day. The total was all was still less than 3,000. While I cherish each life, I don't believe anyone's life is more important just because of the way they died. I still remember my little brother's comment after the 9/11 attacks. He said it was sad they died, but then asked what about the tens of thousands who die in less dramatic ways every day. The ends of their lives were just as horrific and oftentimes their horror was much more prolonged.

It is sad how those on the right were so willing to spend unlimited amounts to avenge the deaths of the 9/11 victims, but not spend a dime to help people like my brother who was battling cancer. My brother lost his battle and had health care reform passed in 1994 my brother might still be alive. He was an Air Force veteran who worked 12 hours a day to support his son. But he didn't have health insurance and couldn't afford annual preventative physicals. It wasn't until he was rushed to the hospital one day when he was diagnosed with stage four lymphoma. If the soulless conservatives not defeated health care reform in 1994 my brother's illness would probably have been detected a lot earlier when his chances of survival would have been dramatically better. In fact, his odds would have been 95%. But the same kind of soulless conservatives are trying to defeat health care reform again. They don't give a damn about people like my brother or the 43,000 others just like him who die every year.

What kind of people are these conservatives? Why are they so void of empathy and compassion? I know several self-professed 'christians' and they are against any reforms, and they often equate corporate profits to 'freedom', 'liberty' and 'patriotism'. They get their deluded thoughts from right wing radio and Fox News, and seem incapable of thinking on their own. Sometimes I wonder if there is a genetic deficiency in conservative extremists for them to behave and think the way they do. I even have an older brother and older sister, both conservative christians, and when my mom, dad and little brother got sick and spent months dying my older siblings did absolutely nothing to help. But they even blamed and attacked me because I am a liberal. I truly believe no one can be a conservative extremist and a christian at the same time. They are exact opposites.

[WorseBeforeBetter]

13. "Genetic deficiency" makes sense to me.

They have some sort of incredibly warped belief system, and right-wing government, media and churches serve to reinforce those beliefs. Those in power know exactly how to manipulate the lazy and weak-minded, just like throughout history. I'm certain Limpballs, O'Lielly, Beck, et al. hold them in contempt, as they laugh all the way to the bank.

Sorry to hear about your losses...good luck to you.

[Lorien]

7. Insist on including a cap for CEO salaries in the bill

insist on a Public Option, Insist on dropping the mandates. This bill won't do much of anything to stop the pillaging by soulless CEOs like Allen Wise, and that, too, is immoral. They should not be permitted to profit for denying life saving health care services!

[cynatnite]

8. K&R n/t

[Edweird]

10. They are still going to do this. They are insurance companies-this is how they make money.

[kenny blankenship]

11. How innovative is this 5 yr old? They say Lamborghinis make CEOs innovative.

He would have to be one very innovative little cus for that trade to work to the good for our intensely CEO-dependent society. (There are many 5 yr olds, but not that many CEOs -ever notice?) Innovation they tell us is the highest virtue in business, and business is the highest realm of human endeavor - so the scales are tipping heavily against the kid here.

Though I have to admit, it does seem sometimes that the main area of innovation for these CEOs is converting dead 5 yr olds into Lamborghinis. So I don't know.

[Vinnie From Indy]

20. Frickin' hilarious!

Your post is one of the funniest I have read in a while! Thanks for the chuckle!

Cheers!

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

12. and now we are going to mandate that everyone gives him money.

[dana_b]

14. "Can you say sociopath?"

You have hit the nail on the head with that one question. Have you ever read "Threshold" by Thom Hartmann? Well in one part he talks about how CEOs get their jobs and keep them. It's not that they are that much more qualified than some others or have special talents - it is that they can make these big decisions without it affecting their conscience. In order to be able to deny this little boy care, or to outsource thousands of jobs to other countries where the people work for slave wages, or make the big cuts that may put others out on the street, they cannot let it bother them. In short, they are sociopaths. They get paid the big bucks for being sociopaths.

[renate]

17. that's a very interesting take on this... and it makes a LOT of sense now that you mention it n/t

:thumbsup:

[AnArmyVeteran]

22. Hilarious picture & caption!

But I'm sure that rabbit has a higher IQ than Sarah Palin.

[AnArmyVeteran]

19. Dana b, health insurance CEOs ARE sociopaths...

Have you noticed how when leaders of companies like Enron, tobacco companies, Worldcom, etc are called before congress to testify they all say the same thing: "I have no idea what is going on in my company" or "I am not involved in the daily workings of the company". If they have no idea what is going on then why are they paid millions or hundreds of millions a year? I have long contended that dart throwing monkeys could make better decisions and make better CEOs than a lot of business 'leaders'. At least monkeys would be more honest.

Thanks for the tip about Thom Hartmann. I watch his show occasionally and I love how his 'take no prisoner' approach to the news. He tells it like it is. What is strange is how conservatives almost worship CEOs. They actually believe CEOs are somehow blessed by God with special talents and abilities. There are a lot of decent, creative and intelligent CEOs who started their own businesses by having a great idea. But they are very rare.

I have worked in corporations and I have seen what it takes to get ahead. In order to move up through the different corporate levels one has to almost sell their souls. They have to demonstrate their loyalty and strictly tout their corporate line. Mavericks are shunned or eliminated. To advance to the highest levels of a corporation you almost have to do what the mob or a gang requires, like doing something heinous so you can be 'trusted' to be in the inner circle.

Look at the corporate abuses that have occurred. The culprits are always a very tight inner circle of sociopaths at the top of the companies who conspire against their stockholders and the public. And because corporations virtually own our government they have written the laws to virtually make themselves immune to prosecution. On one hand they claim corporations are citizens and should have all the rights of citizenship. But they don't want any of the responsibilities of being a citizen like being accountable for the crimes they commit. In other countries, like Japan, when a company is found to be negligent, as after the Kobe earthquake, business leaders were thrown in prison. That would not happen in the US where corporate leaders have insulated themselves from accountability by using their vast amounts of money to write laws to 'legally' protect themselves.

And now the corrupt conservative-dominated Supreme Court has ruled corporations should have even more power and more influence in our elections. Even foreign corporations can corrupt our local elections. And most dimwitted conservatives mindlessly cheer on the increasing corporate domination of our country, without even realizing that as corporate powers increase, their voices get more and more silenced. I find it hard to understand how conservatives can allow themselves to be so gullible.

[dana_b]

26. all of what you said is so true

I remember those brazen, lying sellouts from big tobacco. The gall that they had. However it makes perfect sense when you think of them as sociopaths. Sociopaths lie because it does not affect their conscience.

We can easily berate a Manson or Bundy for their heinous crimes however when the CEOs of these big corporations lay off thousands or outsource jobs to India, China and other places for slave wages, it is not as easy to condemn. they are literally putting the livelihoods of thousands on the line. That is just thought of as "business, nothing personal". I call bullshit. It is extremely personal. The laws (as you pointed out) are written for them by people they own. We really have very little say.

Those conservatives and tea baggers are another story. If they weren't so offensive, I would almost feel sorry for them. They are defending the policies that are destroying them (and us)and I don't know if or when they will see it.

[salguine]

15. Your elected representatives don't care about helping you. Until the people of this country

are ready to start feeding these parasites into the guillotines, this will continue.

[RagAss]

16. Amen.

[eridani]

18. 120 died today because they did not have CARE

Some of them probably had the useless crappy "insurance" that this atrocious bill wants to force on us.

[LWolf]

25. +1 nt

[troubledamerican]

23. Let that 5-year-old pick himself up by his BOOTSTRAPS

like the rest of us hard-working REAL Americans do.

And pass me the Grey Poupon while you're in the Master Kitchen.

[Kievan Rus]

24. So true and yet forgotten. Materialism is the worst thing to happen to this country.

[midnight]

27. No choice allows them to dictate outrages prices with little outcome for the price.

Things will only change if these kings have to deal with competition....