Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Medical Card Theft.

" TAOISEACH Brian Cowen last night lost his second government TD over the medical cards fiasco as the Budget fallout further eroded his Dail majority.

And the departure of Finian McGrath could yet be followed by walkouts from fellow independents Michael Lowry and Jackie Healy-Rae, as the unsinkable coalition put together by Bertie Ahern begins to fall apart.

The exit of the independents would significantly boost the Green party's strength in the coalition, with their support now vital to the very survival of the government."


That was from the Indo. REVOLT! (quite frankly this situation is only going to get worse.)
Driving back from the airport this morning- Good morning texter JL Pagano!- I was really fucked off to hear an 83 year-old man on Newstalk radio tell of how he was travelling down from Galway to attend a protest in Dublin over Brian Lennihan's decision to take medical cards off the over 70s. It was absolutely SICKENING to hear the fear and despair in his voice as he fretted about whether he or his good lady wife might cope without the card. That he felt he had no OPTION but to take his health in his own hands and travel from one side of the country to the other to fight.
Lennihan said he was going to protect the vulnerable. Well who on earth is more vulnerable than old folk trying to get by on a pension? What was his thinking in this? Eleven years of unprecedented financial gains and now when the belts need to be tightened slightly why should the old take the brunt?
Kevin Myers was on Newstalk yesterday prattling on about how many old folk were 'millionaires' since many of them had bought their homes back in the 60s ergo they didn't deserve to be granted medical cards. Myself and the Paramour could only shake our heads at this kind of bollocks. On paper it's easy to be a millionaire I suppose. Certainly it's easy to be a mindless booby.
Most people of a certain age are trying to get by, if they have managed over the years-after paying Christ knows what in tax and raising families- to set aside some money for their golden years then they should not be punished for that. Old fold did not dig us into the current crisis, they should not be made dig us out.
For shame FF, for crying shame.

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21 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Personally I thought Finnian McGrath was slow to react. Congrats to FF TD Joe Behan who showed he has principles, unlike a lot of the self serving nodding donkeys in the Dail.

No fear of any of the other
latchicos resigning on this issue.

I think all over 70's should be entitled to medical cards as they have paid there taxes all their lives in one form or another. It costs the state 100million.....sounds a lot, but in the context of what has been wasted on "biros" and"post-it notes" in FAS and other quangos this is loose change.

9:46 a.m.  
Blogger fatmammycat said...

I agree, there are a multitude of other cost cutting options the government can consider rather than terrorize old folk.

9:50 a.m.  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

They should be forced to work in shreddies sweatshops - who do they think they are, eh? Sponging off the state like that!

10:00 a.m.  
Blogger fatmammycat said...

Oh knitting nannies. They're adorable.

11:40 a.m.  
Blogger JL Pagano said...

Good morning yourself, FMC!

I don't think there is any u-turn this government can do that doesn't leave egg on their faces.

They tried to divert attention onto the GPs and they made a balls of it.

For crying shame indeed.

11:50 a.m.  
Blogger Unknown said...

They've climbed down, a bit, maybe not enough. With any luck they'll have to take on the pharmacists and force them to accept cheaper generic medication on medical card prescriptions.

Elderly folks in these parts were going to take savings out of banks and post offices and put it under their mattresses for fear they'd have to give up the card.

But the very worst of it, and a pure FF/Harneyism, is the unspoken fact that the savings to be made would have flowed from over 70s going to the doctor less and not dealing with illnesses and ailments that were diminishing their quality of life.

The spin (ie total bollocks) was that the savings would come from wealthy members of that age group having to pay for treatment and medicines.

What a complete shower of unmitigated fuckwits. I include the Greens in that, the only element of the govt that I ever voted for. Won't happen again.

11:52 a.m.  
Blogger fatmammycat said...

Spin spin spin, JL, I see they're back peddling on the original threshold figure. A humiliating climb down. Honestly, Harney et all makes me really wonder what on Earth passes for reasoned thinkers in our government.
Conan, I know, there would be MANY a distressed pensioner back form my home town scared sick these last few days. Barely getting by a lot of them, but still deemed above a means test due to the pittance they probably had put by over the years to see them out.

12:14 p.m.  
Blogger Megan McGurk said...

McCain proposed taxing the health care costs that seniors get in the U.S.
My mom has been freaking out since she can barely afford her medications and care as it is.
Sticking it to old folks is disgusting.

2:35 p.m.  
Blogger fatmammycat said...

It really is. i've been listening on and off to folk talk ion the radio today, and they upset is unreal. I feel very sorry for them really. Harney ought to be ashamed of herself.

3:04 p.m.  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Conan said "With any luck they'll have to take on the pharmacists and force them to accept cheaper generic medication on medical card prescriptions."

I agree that that has to be the first move in cutting health-care costs. The coffers of name-brand medicines should not be swelled when people, especially the elderly are hurting financially. Golf course pacts between drug company reps. and doctors and pharmacists should be scrapped when there's an economic crisis like this. Any chemist or doctor who gives a damn about the health service will adhere to that.

It's a poor show when we can't look after our elderly. In any country I've lived in or read about, they're always the first to suffer in an economic downturn. How well we treat the most vulnerable in our societies speaks directly to what the society values. Or doesn't.

4:48 p.m.  
Blogger Twenty Major said...

Harney ought to be ashamed of herself.

She's too busy stuffing her gluttonous cunt for that.

6:35 p.m.  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I read that as "glutinous cunt" at first there, Twenty, and gagged as the image of Harney spoonfeeding risotto to her greedy, toothed vagina floated past my mind's eye.

8:03 p.m.  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

For anyone suffering under the illusion that these Gobshites knew what they were doing or offered any leadership or possessed any solutions to amend their mistakes,there can be no doubt now that the Coalition is making things up as they go along, and making a poor fist of it as well.
Pathetic, cowardly imbeciles that they are.

10:25 p.m.  
Blogger fatmammycat said...

Nice to see a bit of back bone, especially from the elderly. Shows how it's done. Now they're u-turning on the levy too. Stupid fuckers, shows how much thought they gave the whole budget if even the back benches are kicking up.

7:00 a.m.  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Ahern fell down the stairs laughing

6:49 p.m.  
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