tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7105729650877600370.post6038355091572758273..comments2021-08-13T10:14:54.940-07:00Comments on The musings of an octogenarian: Patient experience during COVID-19 David Cookehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07784359418498523617noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7105729650877600370.post-45330759000527737262020-11-24T11:10:31.782-08:002020-11-24T11:10:31.782-08:00Thank you for your very sensitive commentary on wh...Thank you for your very sensitive commentary on what I have written. I agree that the state should be very careful before it adds to the list of responsibilities it takes on for the individual. There may be exceptions to that rule. Now that two working parents is an almost universal phenomenon, there may be room for more help in the realm of early childcare.<br /><br />I do agree with you with regard to Pharma care and I am perplexed that the NDP insists that universal Pharma care be part of an agenda in which they would support the minority Liberal government. The drugs that I need are provided through my insurance plan and I wonder if the beneficiary, in my case, would be the insurance company. On the other hand, I should be aware that there are people who can't afford to fill their prescriptions and this can cost the healthcare system more in the long run. It will continue to be an interesting debate.<br /><br />Thank you again for your comments.David Cookehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07784359418498523617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7105729650877600370.post-86552909629983002112020-11-24T09:36:13.274-08:002020-11-24T09:36:13.274-08:00Hello David
I just read your blog post and I find...Hello David<br /><br />I just read your blog post and I find it does get to the crux of what many are experiencing as a result of the plague affecting us all. I have parents just a little younger then you so this does hit home.<br /><br />Something struck me about one of the things you mentioned.<br /><br /> ‘I paid taxes all my life without complaint and I did so in full expectation that the state would be there for me when I needed it.’<br /><br />I know you were once a part of provincial politics in the Liberal Party. You and I are probably on opposite ideological spectrum where the role of the state is concerned. The failure of Government to be there for many in their time of need is one of the defining motivations for those who hold more conservative views on the role of government. I don’t think we would argue with the assertion that progressive politics likes to take on ever growing responsibilities. Many of the more consequential tend to be at the expense of the individual’s responsibility for themselves and ones they care for.<br /><br />It is this ever growing list of responsibilities that Governments take on that I would argue leads to a drop or decrease in the quality of service provided to the public at large. Unfortunately this argument is almost never made when yet another program is suggested. I think of the push for Universal PharmaCare and wonder what the unintended consequences might be presented.<br /><br />Perhaps we would agree that instead of adding to the list of existing responsibilities of government , we hold them more to account of the ones they already provide. At the point in which they display a level of competence in delivering on existing responsibilities than we can consider expansion to new ones.J S Millhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17415517934397336212noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7105729650877600370.post-11671207798318293322020-10-18T15:42:37.969-07:002020-10-18T15:42:37.969-07:00I am glad you enjoyed it.I am glad you enjoyed it.David Cookehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07784359418498523617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7105729650877600370.post-44485920145500064442020-10-15T15:35:10.676-07:002020-10-15T15:35:10.676-07:00David, that's a remarkable essay. You capture...David, that's a remarkable essay. You capture the difficult, even terrifying, world of the long-term care and retirement better than anyone else has done. I don't know why Canadian governments have been so irresponsible in terms of the homes. As you indicate, the challenge was clear but it was not handled well. Now it appears in the second wave that the homes once again the front line. Thanks for this compelling essay. JohnAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13643014048924533622noreply@blogger.com