Puffs

The “Common Good.”

That is a phrase you don’t hear often in today’s political sphere.

Over the years, I remember reading those two words often about the early days of American history. I was recently reminded of those two words when reading comments on the writings of Saint John Paul II. Although the two words are not in this part of his writing, the writing reminded me of those two words.

In today’s world profound thoughts and words are often lost in all the banter we receive from so many different sources. Sometimes really profound thoughts are lost in the shuffle. Living through part of this Saint’s life and having great respect for his words and actions, I pass along a short passage:

“St. John Paul II 1995 encyclical on the gospel of life forcefully underscored the condemnation of abortion and euthanasia and warned “that a state in which grave moral wrongs were defined as “rights” risked the incoherence that eventually led to one form or another of tyranny.”

Is it in the common good that the Democratic Party wants to • promote the killing of babies via abortions ? • eliminate the southern border of the United States ? • to promote the idea among America’s youth that “everything” is just given to them, like a free college education by having everybody pay for their loan forgiveness plans ? etc., etc.

The “Common Good” is just that. Something that somehow benefit everyone. Over the years it seems that the Democratic Party seeks out “special interest” groups and tries to lure them into their party. It has worked to some extent, but maybe that tactic is getting harder and harder to do.

“Common Good” may be harder to identify than it was in 1776, but the idea is still there.

A O

I’m familiar with advertising, in all its forms. Those telling me which car is the best to buy . . . which beer is the better beer . . . which soap gets you cleaner . . . which health insurance policy will help you most if you need it . . . etc.

Over last weekend, I got a good laugh over two TV ads, one following the other.

In today’s society we often see men who shave their heads. It has become a common occurrence. On TV, I watched an ad promoting a shaver made especially for shaving heads.

Immediately following that ad, came an ad promoting a product that would promote hair growth that would make your hair look better than it ever did.

I had a little chuckle and thought that was interesting. Were the two ads competing or was it just a happenstance they came one after the other.

A O

“Beatle Bailey” – remember the comic strip showing off the life of a private in the army?

Well, I hadn’t seen it for some time, but it has shown up in the Sunday comics again. As I have said in the past, I enjoy the comics and make a point to read them as often as I can.

Last Sunday I was reminded that often the comics can be a source of information as well as a source of entertainment. In this edition of Beatle Bailey, we get a lesson of what “Socialist Medicine” would be like if we go completely to this method of delivering medical services to all U. S. citizens. The author did it in six short panels, and they went something like this:

Panel No. 1: Beatle Bailey enters and tells the nurse: “I’m here for an X-Ray. The nurse says: “You have to use the other entrance.”

Panel No. 2: Beatle Bailey enters another office and says: “I’m here for an X-Ray. The medical aide in that office says: “You need to get a wrist band upstairs.”

Panel No. 3: Beatle Bailey enters another office and tells the medical assistant: “I’m here for an X-Ray. The assistant in this office says: “Go down the hall and get your paperwork.”

Panel No. 4: Beatle Bailey enters another office and tells the nurse: “I’m here for an X-Ray. The nurse says: “Fill out and bring them to admitting.”

Panel No. 5: Beatle Bailey enters and tells an office worker: “I’m here for an X-Ray. The medical assistant says: “Take these to entrance level A.”

Panel No. 6: Beatle Bailey enters and tells the nurse: “I’m here for an X-Ray. The nurse (the same nurse that was in panel No. 1) says: “You’re late for your appointment.”

OK, maybe you don’t appreciate the humor of it, but it does represent some of our days in the medical world these days. It does, however, give us a taste of what a socialized medical system would do to America. I’d rather not build on a system already influenced by politicians who think they are helping us.

A O

The following is a quote from a nurse that works with cancer doctors and deals with a lot of patients and insurance problems. She puts this out to tell of her experiences.

To wit: “In one situation, Medicare Advantage Plan refused to accept the treatment recommendations of an oncologist and national guidelines to restrict the number of treatment doses for a patient’s prostate cancer. In another case, a patient needed a CT scan because they had a history of lymphoma and were displaying new symptoms. Medicare Advantage prior authorization denied the scan saying it wasn’t medically necessary, and when the provider, the next day, called to appeal that decision, they were told no. The case was closed,” Jeremy Nordquist, president of the Nebraska Hospital Association, said. The above example is a common occurrence for our patients that have the dis-advantage plan. Please do your research. If it’s too good to be true, it is. Find a better plan for you and our area.”

A O