finishing the leftovers

Why yes, sometimes I DO build my outfit around a particular accessory. Why do you ask? (Pleased with my apron? You betcha! Thanks again, Janette!)

Leftover quichlettes for breakfast. Leftover scones for lunch. DH is taking leftover shortbreads to work with him. MJ already took leftover gingerbreads home to her two teen boys- the perfect eating machines. Dishes are all done and put away, and next week I'll have time to iron the napkins. And then it's time to start plannig the next one.

And then there's the leftover political discussions. As TW was leaving, she spoke of her belief in the need for, and practicality of socialized medicine. I don't know. Really, I don't. I lived in Denmark for a year and got to experience socialized medicine first hand, and I saw that you get what you pay for. In fact, you COULD pay for more and better if you wanted. I also saw that when people can survive on the dole, a lot of them will do so. Perfectly sound bodied people say, "Why work when over half my paycheck goes to the government? I'll just lay back and let the government support me." No, it's not right, but it sure is human.

And if we make all medical care available to everyone, then how do we decide who goes first? Person A will die unless he gets a heart transplant in one week. And he may not survive even then. B stands a MUCH better chance of returning to a healthy normal life if he gets his heart transplant next week, but he can survive, growing weaker by the day for another month. Soooo, who gets the transplant?

And, is every woman who wants a child entitled to all the fertility experts offer? How about a woman who already has children? How about a woman who does crack? How about a woman who smokes? Maybe she just has a glass of wine with dinner? Perhaps she doesn't always remember to take her vitamins or get her exercise daily. Where do you draw the line? I can't say I'm all in favor of socialized medicine because I'm not.

On the other hand, I'm very much in favor of preventive medicine. I see clearly that if people can't afford basic maintenance, we wind up paying more in the long run because they have fewer productive work days and finally wind up going to emergency. People who can't afford to get their teeth cared for wind up with critical heath issues as a result. Infections, chronic pain, damage to the cardio-vascular system. So how about government-issue dental work that is strictly non-cosmetic. As things stand now, some kids get straight white teeth, and some kids don't. You can pretty much tell how poor a family is by the kid's teeth. Maybe we could start by making sure the choppers are sound. And glasses, too. Even for kids who lose them twice a day. And work our way up to heart transplants and expensive perscriptions. My SIL spend $3000 a month on her meds.

I know it would be cheaper to visit the doctor if he didn't have to carry such outrageously high malpractice insurance. So here we are again, trying to decide how much is enough and who is entitled to what when something goes wrong. This is why I hate politics. I just don't have any answers. Lots of questions. No answers. I'm gonna go eat some more scones.