I took a potty break this morning at the South Dakota Potty Break and noticed that he and I share some of the same observations about poverty and what America's poor often look like in the real world, without looking through the rose colored glasses of liberalism.
There are a handful of people who through whatever reason (major medical problems, freak adverse circumstances, no-win occupations like the small farmer, etc.) who have hit poverty without exercising counterproductive behaviors to put themselves there. I'm not talking about these folks.
But the vast majority of the "poverty stricken" got where they are because of self-destructive behaviors (substance abuse, gambling, etc.) or a simple lack of ambition. I grew up poor (the son of one of those struggling small farmers) and saw plenty of relatives who were the self-destructive and unambitious kind; I'm no stranger to poverty.
When liberals take money out of one person's pocket against their will and give it to these irresponsible, self-destructive people, they're not only robbing the first person, they're also enabling the second person to continue with their unproductive behavior. They'll never rise out of poverty if we teach them that their bad behavior will be compensated for, and there will always be saps out there who will hand them sustenance with no education or requirement to do better.
Sometimes the only way a person can realize that they need to change is when their destructive lifestyle becomes completely unsustainable. Thanks to liberal "compassion," many people in this category never reach that stage that brings about change.
So liberalism ends up creating and perpetuating more of what they claim they are working against.
Private charity where individuals connect with individuals and lifestyle changes are required...that's the only hope for those who simply don't understand the value of being responsible.
Today's was a productive potty break.
Sunday, August 19, 2007
What Public 'Charity' Really Breeds
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The consequence of misdirected charity was revealed to me in full this morning. At 0422 Theresa G. was transported to the Emergency Room in “full code.” She had been discovered by her “fiancé” after she vomited and then quit breathing. Efforts to revive her were unsuccessful. Theresa turned 42 in May.
I have known Theresa for twenty years. She came from a family who knew nothing beyond the welfare system and getting-by by getting over. To my knowledge Theresa never was employed in a regular job. After getting addicted to drugs at a young age she was in and out of rehab programs, eventually qualifying for disability based on her addictions and an assortment of psychiatric diagnoses. Then, with a monthly income and “free” medical care in the ER she had the time and the means to pursue her avocation of drug abuse in earnest. She became a “frequent flyer” in our ER as well as others in surrounding areas. Her complaints were always related to some kind of pain syndrome that always eluded a specific diagnosis. It was not uncommon for her to sign in to the ER two and three times per day. She often got what she wanted by shear persistence and by timing her visits so as to be seen at the busiest times and by the doctor most likely to be beaten down easily and prescribe a few pain pills for her. Of course, she used drugs she obtained off the streets and from other doctors as well. She refused all offers for drug treatments getting angry and threatening lawsuits if she didn’t get what she wanted.
Theresa abused herself in other ways like smoking and drinking and lived on a miserable diet of fatty foods, high sodium and Mountain Dew. One day Theresa arrived at the ER with some vague complaints of chest pain that sounded most like pleurisy. A thorough chest pain work-up was done but all tests were found to be normal or non-diagnostic. It was thought, quite reasonably, that this was just another complaint of pain, and, indeed, her pains went away and she was happy with a couple Vicodin. She was released in stable condition, but a few days later was discovered to have suffered a small heart attack. This finding did nothing to change her self-destructive behavior, but did result in a lawsuit for which she received a sizable chunk of money in an out-of-court settlement.
With the additional financial resources, Theresa knew few constraints to her substance abuse and acquired an entourage of young people to secure whatever she desired. We didn’t see Theresa in the ER for a year or two, although she often sent one of her groupies to the ER with pain complaints, and then they shared the drugs all around. Eventually, the money was gone and Theresa was soon back to her previous pattern of nearly daily trips to the ER. Additionally, she was caught selling drugs to kids at the local high school and on two occasions that I know of she was caught forging prescriptions for narcotics on forms stolen from my ER and in my name. Reports of this illegal activity resulted in only a slap on the hand and her welfare checks, Social Security checks and food stamps kept coming without interruption.
The inevitable eventually came to pass and Theresa died today. Toxicology tests are pending. There are few to mourn and no estate to settle. Her remains will be cremated using county funds, this, her last “benefit” from a social system that failed to help her in any meaningful way and, arguably, contributed to her untimely demise. We can only hope the Lord will have mercy on her soul--God knows she received little from this world.
Ralph Hatcher, M.D.
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