I was on my way to lunch yesterday prior to the start of a conference on China's financial reform. I passed by a very elderly woman being helped by a not-so-elderly man. She was stooped over and moving very slowly, even for an old lady. I asked the guy if she was alright, and he said yes. Then he had the nerve to ask me if I could help him walk her down the street. I said no thanks, as I was only concerned about whether she needed medical attention.
This little episode made me think briefly about my duties to my fellow human beings. I am willing to go out of my way in emergencies to save human life in extremis, but I do not owe a duty of permanent care to random strangers. Unfortunately, our entitlement-laden culture has become so enamored with passing the buck of personal responsibility that the elderly are now at their apogee of greed and selfishness. Medicare isn't an insurance program, it's a transfer of wealth from current workers to current retirees. Many of the Boobus Americanus genus don't understand that fact. They want someone else to pay their bills for medical care. The dude on the street helping his grandma or whatever the heck she was wanted me to do his job for him. He can stick it where the sun doesn't shine.
My alarm bells go off when I see someone struggling or in obvious physical pain. If the person's caregiver tells me they're okay from a medical standpoint, my concern ends and I resume my life. People who think I assume an additional burden of care by making a random inquiry need to get their entitled heads out of their hindquarters. Yes, little old ladies and their able-bodied guardians, I'm talking about you. I don't owe you precious time out of my personal schedule to do things your caregivers find inconvenient. Helping you walk down the street isn't my calling in life nor is it my personal responsibility. My lunch, my conference, my career, my money, and my life are more important than your caregiver's inability to do their job.
This little episode made me think briefly about my duties to my fellow human beings. I am willing to go out of my way in emergencies to save human life in extremis, but I do not owe a duty of permanent care to random strangers. Unfortunately, our entitlement-laden culture has become so enamored with passing the buck of personal responsibility that the elderly are now at their apogee of greed and selfishness. Medicare isn't an insurance program, it's a transfer of wealth from current workers to current retirees. Many of the Boobus Americanus genus don't understand that fact. They want someone else to pay their bills for medical care. The dude on the street helping his grandma or whatever the heck she was wanted me to do his job for him. He can stick it where the sun doesn't shine.
My alarm bells go off when I see someone struggling or in obvious physical pain. If the person's caregiver tells me they're okay from a medical standpoint, my concern ends and I resume my life. People who think I assume an additional burden of care by making a random inquiry need to get their entitled heads out of their hindquarters. Yes, little old ladies and their able-bodied guardians, I'm talking about you. I don't owe you precious time out of my personal schedule to do things your caregivers find inconvenient. Helping you walk down the street isn't my calling in life nor is it my personal responsibility. My lunch, my conference, my career, my money, and my life are more important than your caregiver's inability to do their job.
