Terry Schiavo

[astra_nomer]

Thank goodness I signed a health care proxy.

I cannot believe the federal government has intervened in this case. Oh wait, it's George "I Have a Mandate From God" Bush in charge.

I mean, how wrong is this? We're talking about Republicans, right? What happened to states' rights? These are the same folks who think it's okay to give mentally disabled people the death penalty, right? The folks who can't come up with a patients bill of rights? Who refuse to fund health care for children? They are somehow determined to keep this woman alive on government money?


Oh, and IMAX theatres are refusing to show films describing evolution. What century is this again?

Comments

[coraline]

here, have a good political cartoon about the schiavo case.

[astra-nomer.livejournal.com]

That's very good, thanks!

[mama-pipa.livejournal.com]

are you sure a healthcare proxy is going to be enough?

[astra-nomer.livejournal.com]

It should, unless GWB decides to intervene on my behalf. In which case I hope everyone close to me tells him to leave me the $%#^& alone you @$$h013. *ahem*

But you have a good point, and I should get around to making a will.

wills R us

[remcat.livejournal.com]

Dave has a friend who is a lawyer, and he came to our house to help us make up a will. He was good. He made a house call. I'd recommend him :).

If nothing else, we have *some* paperwork saying what we want, we have legal stuff giving each other power of attorney, and we have put in writing where we want our kids to end up if something happened to both of us.

Depressing stuff, but better than what we watched happen with the Melanson kids, where everyone fought over "what was best."

Re: wills R us

[arcanology.livejournal.com]

I always sorta assumed that legal stuff giving each other power of attourney is one of those automatic marriage benefits. I mean, if you don't get that, what's it good for?

Re: wills R us

[remcat.livejournal.com]

Alas, it is not automatic. If no one fusses or complains, spouse gets first pick about when the tubes come out (etc.) but if, say, your parents disagree with your spouse... well, as it turns out, the President of the United States eventually becomes personally involved.

To answer your question, "What is marriage good for?" I'm not sure I got married in order to get benefits... I guess, to me, it's more like making a bunch of promises about what I am going to do. And I guess I expect the promises made in return to be carried out in return :).

Re: wills R us

[astra-nomer.livejournal.com]

Yes, it is all complicated. And the laws vary from state to state. So if we want to make out wills, we need to see a lawyer here in MD, and if we move again, hopefully everything will still be valid, since I think states are required to honor contracts made in other states, but that seems dubious in the current political climate.

And I apparently got married to give my parents an excuse to throw a ridiculously lavish party for 200 of their closest friends.

[capsicumanuum.livejournal.com]

I believe that some states (Virginia among them, i forget the others) do not honor living wills. The fact that you are in a heterosexual marriage means that those places will probably honor Uncle Nomer's wishes, unless for some reason, he puts the theocons in a snit.

It's depressing. I keep trying to claim expat privelege to not care, but it's not working.

[astra-nomer.livejournal.com]

This is why I think the health care proxy is good blanket protection -- it basically says that if I'm incapacitated, DH gets to make decisions regarding my health. Up to and including whether to pull the plug. Of course, ours was filled out in dyed-in-the-blue Massachussetts...

[shumashi.livejournal.com]

Jon Stewart skewered them but good last night. My favorite part was where he started yelling and they had to cut to a "please stand by" sign. And then Stephen Cobert had this bit about how government has realized that rather than doing nothing for everyone, they're going to do something for someone. All future bills will be of the form, "The Bob Jones Gets AIDS Treatment Act". Which doesn't fix the problem, but does make me feel better than I'm not the only one who noticed.

[astra-nomer.livejournal.com]

The hypocrisy is so blatent, isn't it? Makes me want to tear my hair out.

[arcanology.livejournal.com]

Don't, hair replacement isn't covered by medicaid any more and you can't sue anyone. In fact, I think corporations are now allowed to sue you for tearing your hair out since you won't use enough hair care products afterwards.

[astra-nomer.livejournal.com]

But what about the hairpiece lobby? They must have a big influence among all those aging white men up there on the Hill.

Hmm

[kirisutogomen.livejournal.com]

so why aren't comb-overs illegal? They're hell for the economy.

Bob Jones Universal

[kirisutogomen.livejournal.com]

I'm pretty sure there's something in the Constitution saying you can't do that. How did they get around that?