SHAME ON YOU!

When Joseph Casias, a Michigan resident was told he had nasopharyngeal cancer, he was devastated. Still, he was able to get some relief of his pain with “medical marijuana,” which is legal in Michigan, and was able to return to his job and be productive. Then the other shoe dropped.

Wal-Mart, his employer, performed a drug test on him which, obviously, proved positive. Despite the fact that he never smoked his legal marijuana at work, or came to work “high,” he was terminated because of the drug test. Apparently, Wal-Mart is less interested in keeping a man who earned an “Associate of the Year” award, than in enforcing a medieval and clearly inapplicable drug policy.

There is, of course, an issue as to whether this constituted Wrongful Termination since marijuana remains illegal under federal law, but there is no issue about the callous lack of concern or cavalier attitude of Wal-Mart for an otherwise valuable employee. One wonders, though, if this was a clandestine attempt to remove an employee from their health plan (such as it is), that would cost them more money because of his cancer.

SHAME ON YOU, WAL-MART for your callous attitude, and SHAME ON THE GOP for their juvenile and contemptible antics in trying to prevent our country from providing the health care that would make this story a thing of the past. I propose that all members of Congress and their families be stripped of all health insurance until all Americans have coverage. I’ll bet a comprehensive health care bill would be passed, nearly unanimously, within the week.

BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR . . .

Yesterday, the Pennsylvania Attorney General announced that he will join the Attorneys General from about 12 other states in challenging the constitutionality of the new health care reform act. In effect, they are challenging the right of the federal government to mandate that everyone buy health care insurance – a private product. Now, I have long held that the government should not have the right to mandate such purchases, but it is settled law that they do.

If I want to drive a car, I am mandated, by the state, to buy auto insurance at whatever rates the insurance company chooses to charge. If I want to practice Medicine, it is mandated by the state that I purchase malpractice insurance or I cannot practice in Pennsylvania (among other states). I don’t like either of these mandates, but they are the law, they have been upheld by the courts, and I must fulfill these requirements.

I believe that if any government mandates such coverage, it should be provided to everyone, equally, by the government, much in the way that Social Security and Medicare are today, and that mandating the purchase of a private product is both wrong and unconstitutional. If, however, the Attorneys General want to make the case that one mandate (health insurance) is unconstitutional, then they must make the case for ALL such mandates, otherwise, their only goal would be to publicize the Republican position and waste more of the taxpayers’ money in frivolous litigation that has no hope of success.

Either ALL such mandates are unconstitutional or none are. Take your pick but remember;

“Be careful what you wish for . . .”