GrillSgt's Firepit

How to Fix the US Economy

I received this in an email. Sounds like a good plan… and a lot less expensive than the bailout we’re paying for now!

Dear Mr. President,

Please find below my suggestion for fixing America ‘s economy. Instead of giving billions of dollars to companies that will squander the money on lavish parties and unearned bonuses, use the following plan. You can call it the “Patriotic Retirement Plan”:
Continue reading How to Fix the US Economy…

Euthanasia

My brother-in-law recently had a pancreatic cancer scare in his family. Fortunately, it was not pancreatic cancer, which is currently incurable. But it got me thinking about euthanasia and assisted suicide.

We put down animals, like dogs, cats and horses, regularly because they are too ill, can’t walk, and such. We do this so they don’t have to live their final days in pain and misery. A couple of my friends recently had to put down their dogs. Euthanizing animals is legal and not considered cruelty toward animals. In fact, animal activists would probably consider it cruel if we didn’t put down animals that are terminal or otherwise would have a poor quality of life during their final days. Veterinarians likely recommend euthanasia daily.

What I don’t get, though, is why people are forced to live under similar conditions. We pump them full of drugs to relieve as much pain as possible, but sometimes all the drugs in the world aren’t enough. Sometimes all they can do is lie there and stare at the ceiling unaware of what’s going on around them or that their family is keeping watch. Why must people live through unbearable pain, misery and suffering with a poor quality of life when we know that all of the efforts to keep them alive will ultimately be for naught? Why is it that it’s okay to end an animal’s life for terminal conditions or poor quality of life, but it’s not okay to do the same for a human being under the same or similar circumstances?

What about the person’s family? They have to stand by and watch the person suffer the pain and waste away until there’s nothing left, putting an enormous emotional, and often financial, burden on them. It’s painful to stand by your loved one and watch him or her suffer knowing there is nothing you can do to help. You can’t even really tell them it’ll be okay, everything’s going to be fine. Because it’s not. At least not until they die and escape the pain and suffering.

What if you were the one who was living in pain, misery and suffering with no way out except waiting for your body to give out? What if you had to live that way for years? Would you want to live that way? Would you want to live your final days in extreme pain, misery and suffering? What if it was your loved one lying in that bed?

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying that everyone with a terminal illness should be allowed to take this course of action. I mean there are plenty of people who have defied odds and lived long lives despite incurable diseases. What I’m talking about is those times when a person has little time to live, absolutely no chance for recovery or a cure, and the remaining time they have will be spent in insurmountable pain, suffering and misery.

Perhaps Dr. Kevorkian had the right idea all along. Perhaps it’s time to rethink our values, morals and laws.