Sunday, July 16, 2017

"Sicko" (2007) | Michael Moore | The Problems Only Got Worse #Medicine #Health #Politics

Conservatives have hated everything Michael Moore has done since he smoked Roger Smith in "Roger and Me" and demonstrated the unmitigated heartlessness of corporate America.

There was the same reaction to "Sicko" since it demonstrated the institutionalized brutality of the American medical system which is also characterized in the insurance component by the same heartlessness as Roger Smith with General Motors.  Some have reasonably assailed Moore's melodrama but no-one has faulted the numbers or the truth in that which Michael Moore presented.


In my own situation, I found no-one competent where I was and went off on my own to get my shoulder fixed back in Cincinnati where I knew or had reasonable assurance they could do it based on a long problems with it.  That decision saved my arm but cost everything else.  Leon Rosenberg got a bonus at Liberty Mutual for canceling me and I got the po' house.

That lament doesn't need to be repeated as it's the reaction to it which characterizes the new age since I heard many times of defense for the insurance industry but I heard nothing of what is required when that catastrophe of a medical insurance system fails as in the incompetence in the system which led to the decision to leave in the first place.

It's not clear if the doctor who saved my shoulder ever got paid since the shysters at Liberty Mutual dropped me cold and there was no move after that except to drop out of the world.


When Michael Moore requested commentaries from people about problems with the medical insurance system, he got 25,000 in a week.  As the movie progresses, one after the other of the subjects in it dies due to the broken system and that's anecdotal evidence as in the worst kind but it's nevertheless real and those people are dead.

Some freakshow in California killed maybe fifty cats for some kind of twisted amusement and he was sentenced to sixteen years in prison for it.  The medical insurance company sentences people to death with great frequency and they get bonuses for it.

Note:  I know the citation but won't provide it for that cat killer as that kind of depravity deserves no further publicity.


"Sicko" was filmed in 2007 during the Bush administration and the quote was fifty million Americans without insurance.  In the latest political blather, we hear frequently about twenty-five million losing insurance but there's rarely if ever any interest in people who never had insurance in the first place.

Obama made some minimal changes but he didn't do much beyond immortalizing the medical insurance companies while trying to bury any idea of one-payer insurance.  His place in history is much less secure than he likes to imagine.

Hillary Clinton actively campaigned against one-payer insurance and did everything possible to destroy the Bernie Sanders campaign.  In doing so, guarantees she has no place in history at all.

Note:  I didn't pay much attention to "Sicko" after Moore started lusting for Clinton since she was hammering the idea of Socialism harder than anyone.


The time for one-payer medical in America was a long time ago and the need is more desperate than it ever was.  That some don't feel that need is irrelevant relative to the millions who do since we are not disposable poker chips no matter how much they may regard us that way.


The reason we are regarded as poker chips is we raised a generation of these.  (BBC:  The man who takes a plane to work every day)

“The way I justify a six-hour commute is having the ability to have all the things that I want," he explains.

“I am always excited to start the day."

- BBC

The boss has told him, "I love you but we all need to be more productive so that's why I have cut staff and will need to contact you by email and / or phone on your holidays."

Tom Cruise (i.e. Curt von Badinski) says, "Yowzah, Massah, just so long as I gets the things I wants."

There's not likely any way to save Tom Cruise since the boss has convinced him he's indispensable and Tom loves that as well since playing to his narcissism always works.  Butter that up with some jingle and you will own every minute of his dumb ass life.

Fundamental workplace logic:  indispensable is unpromotable.

There is no envy for the whatever things Tom Cruise may have and instead there's deep pity for how he gets them.

Booboo:  is it time for Zen Yogi?

It is, Booboo, but I'm not sure the people can really handle it with Zen Yogi.

However, I do have a different bear.


Bear:  you're telling me you're hot?  How about trying this in a bear coat?

Headed for 95F in Fort Worth today.

2 comments:

Cadillac Man said...

Our current health insurance system developed out of the Health Maintenance Organization Act of 1973. Signed into law by Richard 'Tricky Dicky' Nixon, it immediately benefited his cronies in the insurance business. The HMO Act he signed promised better, cheaper privately offered health insurance. Instead, it has resulted in hundreds of thousands, like Silas, losing everything.

Americans already had health insurance that worked quite well. It was called Blue Cross/Blue Shield. A single-payer private insurance program overseen by local and state governments. Amoung other things, it set maximum profit and price increase limits for Blue Cross/Blue Shield.

Nobody was complaining about health insurance then except Tricky Dicky's wealthy insurance campaign donors. They saw mega bucks if they could get into health insurance. Well, they did and 50 years later this mess of a private, (cheaper-lol), health care system is what we have.

The few remaining government single-payer health systems like Medicare, Medicaid and VA now are on the chopping block. The idea being that private health insurance will create the same mess for retired, poor, disabled and veterans.

However, there is no talk of eliminating the one-payer, Cadillac government health insurance program that legislators enjoy. Congressional logic (an oxymoron), should conclude legislators desire the private health care insurance they espouse for us.

I voted for Ohio Republican Senator Rob Portman in the latest election. I also voted for Ohio Republican John Kasich. Kasich, is one of the few Republican governors to openly oppose the Trump Care bill. Portman, is one of the few Republican senators that has not yet committed to voting FOR Trump Care.

Trump Care, adds over 20 million Americans; mostly the elderly, poor, vets and sick to those who already can't afford health insurance. Hopefully, Senator Portman does the right thing and votes, NO. Currently AARP and Veterans Organizations are running full force ads against TrumpCare in Ohio. If Portman votes YES, a lot of Ohioans including myself will be voting, NO, for Rob in the next election.

Let's hope we the people do make a difference this time. We''ll know soon. UH!

Unknown said...

While reluctant to get into the personality aspect of the game, I did see Richard Nixon owns this one. I do remember BC/BS and my ol' Mother bitched quite a bit about all the forms which were fairly oppressive back then but the industry wasn't destroying the economy at that time so the forms were a relatively small price to pay.

Something you may not be aware is Nina Turner may run for Governor in Ohio and she will bring a whole world of Progressive your way only it will be the real thing this time since that crew doesn't take tips from Wall Street.

I don't believe a private single payer solution is the ideal since I don't accept any profit-driven aspect to the business. However, that format is the best compromise between a purely Socialist solution and the cynical chaos of the private insurers.