TheNib created a powerful illustrated story over the death of Shane Boyle. It’s lovely and heartrending – a fast read.
This story touches me in a very personal way–Community.
Back forty years ago when I started my first dental practice in the San Fernando Valley there was no government assistance for dental care. The San Fernando Valley Dental Society had pro bono program in which we, the members, would take on cases.
I wound get about 2-3 cases every month, and I was happy to perform this service.
Then, Denti-Cal came into existence, and people no longer contacted the SFVDS for pro bono work as it was covered by Denti-Cal.
Fast forward a few years and problems started to crop up in the state run program, ultimately rendering it almost useless. By this time there was no pro bono program and little interest in reviving it. Our community program had been destroyed by government.
I am not pointing the finger at Democrats or Republicans. I am pointing the finger at a government whose only solution is to try to institutionalize what the community had been handling quite well.
THAT is what has torn up our national sense of community.
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Doc, this resonates with me as well. Community is the foundation of everything, yet we have been trying to replace community with individuals and government and it doesn’t look like it ends well if we keep heading down this path.
Chris, communities are made up of individuals who are willing and able to help the community without degrading that assistance with a behemoth organization. It is government that oversteps it’s purpose that gets in the way of individuals who want to assist.
If we can rein in government, and have them exist in the way that it was originally intended, then we will be infinitely better off than we are now.
Nobody should die because they can’t afford insulin.
Now I am on my parents’ insurance so i don’t have to worry. But someday I’ll need to have my own insurance. It will probably be really expensive. Especially if insulin prices keep on going up. I guess I could be shane boyle some day unless i make a really good living.
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@Kaelan You will never end up like Shane Boyle, Kaelan. You have parents who would give you their last breath if necessary. And one thing your father is giving you is this community, who you know you could turn to if there was no other source.
Just make sure you know that when you are making a good living that there will still be people needing your help to prevent them from becoming the next Shane Boyle.
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Community and family are both much stronger foundations than government could ever provide… the dependence on government disproportionately affects many population groups and they do it at the expense of both community and family…
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