Thursday, August 21, 2014

The Day Dr Chris Lectured Stephen Harper



He's been slowly killing medicare in his usual creepy stealthy way. Nibble nibble, gnaw, gnaw.

Killing it with neglect, and preparing to bleed it dry. 


So most of it can be privatized, just like the Cons in Britain are doing to that country's National Health Service. The magnificent system that inspired our own.

And most dangerously of all he has done absolutely nothing to help prepare our health system for the increasing influx of aging baby boomers.

And is setting the stage for an absolute nightmare of unnecessary human suffering.

So I'm really glad to see that the new president of the Canadian Medical Association is finally taking aim at Stephen Harper's criminally irresponsible inaction. 

The new leader of the Canadian Medical Association is calling out the government of Stephen Harper for its inaction on health care, saying the medicare system is floundering and Canadians are “tired of excuses as to why the federal government can’t take action.” 

Dr. Chris Simpson said some “brave leadership” is required to fundamentally reshape the health system to reflect the changing needs of an aging population, and it should come from Ottawa.


Ottawa should not usurp provincial responsibilities, he said, but it still has a role as a co-ordinator and unifier and “federal leadership has never been needed more than it is today.”


And I've got to say from what I'm seeing and hearing, I really like this Dr. Chris...



Because I hear he's a good doctor, a kind man, a big supporter of patient's rights, and he's telling it like it is, like it should have been said long ago. 

He sounds like a guy who won't take any excuses or any shit from Harper and his reactionary Con regime.

And he's definitely got the right idea:

Simpson said Canada’s seniors – especially those with multiple chronic conditions – lack proper primary care and end up in overcrowded emergency rooms and hospitals by default, and at great expense. “We put people in beds instead of putting them in a care environment that lifts them up and restores them and helps them live a dignified life,” he said.

Because I've seen that nightmare coming at us like an express train for a long time, and I can't imagine anything worse than living in a country that would condemn so many of its seniors to misery...



Or indignity. Or a fate worse than death. 

But of course what Dr Chris couldn't say, was that Stephen Harper has always been a stealthy enemy of medicare, from the moment he came to power with the backing of an organization, the National Citizens Coalition, that was founded for the purpose of destroying it.

An organization he headed for years, before he entered politics...



So he will NEVER reform a system he considers socialism.

And symbolizes the kinder, gentler Canadian values he hates so much... 



He doesn't want to improve medicare, he wants it to FAIL so it can be privatized.

Because for him, like the Cons in Britain who are savaging and privatizing the proud NHS, even though it's consistently ranked as the best in the world.



Ideology comes before people, every single time.

But we know that right? We should know that by now. We can't sleepwalk to disaster forever

So the prognosis is really simple:

If we want to give Dr Chris, and those who support him, a chance to reform and improve our system, prepare it for the future, and make it even better.

First we have to cure this foul Con disease...



Which isn't just threatening our health care system. It's killing our country.

The need couldn't be more urgent.

It can't happen soon enough...

Please click here to recommend this post at Progressive Bloggers.

8 comments:

Steve said...

He cant kill the charter so he has set his sights on healthcare.

mizdarlin said...

Historically, seniors have often been the catalyst for bringing down a government due to their anger with various attempts to thwart their well-being, in the interests of either economics or privatization..over the last three decades I've seen it time and again that seniors have become activists, hit the bricks and caused a government to founder and fail..
If Harper expects (assumes) that seniors will automatically fall into line during the next election, he better start packing now and save time....

Anonymous said...

Dr Chris had better watch out for himself and his family now lest the same assholes that broke into Trudeau's home end up visiting him too. Ya can't get in harpie's face without payin' for it. I'm not sayin' . . . I'm just sayin'.
Bravo Dr Chris! Brains and integrity in one convenient package. Very unusual in these days of kowtowing to CON obergupenfuhreren.

Unknown said...

Many of the seniors are boomers. This was a generation that was and still is politically engaged. To most boomers Harper is like someone out of the 1950's a "Father knows best kind of guy" Boomers for the most part despise Harper. They will actively in the 2015 election be knocking door to door to stipulate not to vote for Harper. The reasons why are far to many to outline here, but everyone here knows what they are.

Simon said...

hi Steve... Harper has always hated the Charter of Rights and our medicare system but has never been able to attack them directly because both are too popular with Canadians. His attempts to violate the charter have been stymied by the Supreme Court, but his assault on medicare has been so stealthy most Canadians haven't noticed. Far too many Canadians are far too complacent. I'm proud that I am not one of them...

Simon said...

hi anon 10:39pm...I'm more worried about the safety of Justin Trudeau than I am about Dr Chris. But yes isn't he a great doctor? He has a lot of very modern ideas that I wasn't able to include in the post. I have been critical of the CMA in the past for being too timid about just about everything. But they are in good hands now, and I only hope Canadians wake up before it's too late...

Simon said...

hi mizdarlin....I hope you're right. It's true that that when seniors are angered they can be a powerful catalyst for change. Unfortunately in Canada far too many of them have voted for the Harper Cons. I'm hopeful that will change in the next election. But if they are to be mobilized progressives must make it clear to them why it is in their interests to vote for anyone but the Cons. You can't use a one-size fits all approach to get that message across. Ads have to be made that tailor to seniors, just like they must be tailored to reach the young. We live in the internet age but we are still stuck in the past. I'll try to elaborate on that soon, and see if we can all nudge the parties into action...

Simon said...

hi Pamela...as I told mizdarlin, seniors can play a determining role in a political campaign, but unfortunately too many of them have voted for the Cons. And even more unfortunately so have many boomers. But they are a great generation, and I'm hoping that they can go back to their roots, and help shake up the world again. It's harder to do that when you're older, I know I want the energy I had as an 18-year-old back. !!!!!
But with age presumably comes wisdom, so if the young and the boomers work together to defeat the Cons, it should be an unbeatable combination... :)