General Discussion

Brigid

(17,621 posts) Fri Oct 26, 2012, 10:05 PM Oct 2012

I've been thinking today about a recent thread I saw about Greece.

I can't find it now, but it involved a woman in Greece who showed up at a hospital ER with breast cancer so advanced she was wrapping the breast in paper towels to absorb the seepage. Seems that the new Greek austerity had left her without health coverage.

OK, so this is, of course, tragic. But ERs here in this country deal with situations like this every day: People without health coverage ending up there because of conditions that should have been treated elsewhere long before they got that bad. The difference: The Greek people are literally rioting in the streets over this sort of thing. So why aren't we?

3 replies

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I've been thinking today about a recent thread I saw about Greece. (Original Post) Brigid Oct 2012 OP

really good question. limpyhobbler Oct 2012 #1

Just my humble observation HeiressofBickworth Oct 2012 #2

Where's the line here? theKed Oct 2012 #3

limpyhobbler

(8,244 posts)

1. really good question.

Reply to Brigid (Original post)

Fri Oct 26, 2012, 10:09 PM

Oct 2012

The anti-austerity protests have been really big in many countries in Europe. We did have some here but not in the same way.

HeiressofBickworth

(2,682 posts)

2. Just my humble observation

Reply to Brigid (Original post)

Fri Oct 26, 2012, 10:12 PM

Oct 2012

but I think the difference is that in Greece, health care was TAKEN AWAY from them when they previously had it before.

Here, we've never had universal health care so nothing has been taken away from us. We would be protesting/demanding that we GET universal health care.

I think the difference is what motivates people in other ways.

theKed

(1,235 posts)

3. Where's the line here?

Reply to Brigid (Original post)

Fri Oct 26, 2012, 10:16 PM

Oct 2012

As the poster above says, they had health care taken away, where it's never been implemented here.
What needs to be taken away to get a real response from people? Which rights have to go before the riots start?
Due process and a public trial? Not yet ... unless you're a "terrorist", in which case you vanish to Guantanimo never to return
Freedom of speech? It's certainly under threat
The right to protest? Only if you do it in designated "free speech zones" well away from the object of protest (and press)
The right to vote? You can vote, but does your vote get counted? and if it does, does it get counted for who you wanted it to?

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