Thursday, January 8, 2009

Dennis Kucinich, get real

Dennis, I love you, but when you talk of Medicare for all, I'm guessing, but I don't think you've had any experience with the real Medicare as a patient or as a doctor. Medicare is full of stupid inefficiencies, nonsensical rules, crazy-making bureaucracy. For example, I use an intermittent straight catheter. Either you know what that is or you don't. Look it up if you don't. I reuse catheters, which drives some these rent-a-nurses crazy but it's OK with my urologist. I got catheters through Medicare when I started. I got home delivery of four, count 'em four, catheters a month, the Medicare allowance. Guess how much that cost.

Congressman Kucinich, when he gets on his soapbox, reminds me of a story my father used to tell, about these old radicals in the village in the old days. There was this one guy, Danny the Red, who used to say, "Come the revolution dogs won't bark. Why do dogs bark? Dogs bark to protect private property. Come the revolution there won't be any private property. Dogs won't bark."

A perfect syllogism. Come the revolution, Dennis Kucinich.