Political Tirade

I saw this link on Facebook and decided to post it here as well. Government safety nets (medicaid, food stamps, welfare, etc.) and this health care reform insanity are two areas that I have significant interest in. I pay taxes and I'm married to a doctor. This letter, although I don't know the authenticity or if ever made it to the White House, sums up my thoughts pretty well. Read on:

Dr. Roger Starner Jones' short two-paragraph letter to the White House accurately puts the blame on a "Culture Crisis" instead of a "Health Care Crisis."
It's worth a quick read:

Dear Mr. President:
During my shift in the Emergency Room last night, I had the pleasure of evaluating a patient whose smile revealed an expensive shiny gold tooth, whose body was adorned with a wide assortment of elaborate and costly tattoos, who wore a very expensive brand of tennis shoes and who chatted on a new cellular telephone equipped with a popular R&B ringtone.
While glancing over her patient chart, I happened to notice that her payer status was listed as "Medicaid"! During my examination of her, the patient informed me that she smokes more than one pack of cigarettes every day, eats only at fast-food take-outs, and somehow still has money to buy pretzels and beer. And, you and our Congress expect me to pay for this woman's health care?
I contend that our nation's "health care crisis" is not the result of a shortage of quality hospitals, doctors or nurses. Rather, it is the result of a "crisis of culture" a culture in which it is perfectly acceptable to spend money on luxuries and vices while refusing to take care of one's self or, heaven forbid, purchase health insurance. It is a culture based in the irresponsible credo that "I can do whatever I want to because someone else will always take care of me". Once you fix this "culture crisis" that rewards irresponsibility and dependency, you'll be amazed at how quickly our nation's health care difficulties will disappear.
Respectfully, ROGER STARNER JONES, MD

I try to avoid being judgemental at every turn, but I feel if I am going to be paying for safety nets and their abuse then I reserve the right to judge on how people spend their (my) money and how they approach their own health. Don't get me wrong, I understand their place, purpose and the help that they give many people. It's just my opinion that if you are going to use these services it should be because you truly can't afford another option - not so you can, as the lady in the ER demonstrates, spend your money on luxuries like tattoos or cable TV. When I see people pay for their cart full of soda, chips and candy with food stamps I get a little frustrated. When Drew gets medicaid/care patients who smoke $5/pack cigarettes and then expect me to pay for their neck dissection and tounge removal I get a little frustrated.

Blah. Rant over.