Elderly man who couldn't afford health care kills wife, then himself

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  1. Don W profile image85
    Don Wposted 4 years ago

    "The Whatcom County Sheriff's Office is treating the deaths of the 77-year-old man and his 76-year-old wife as a suspected murder/suicide. . .

    The husband and wife were found dead from suspected gunshot wounds. Officers found several notes which cited "severe ongoing medical problems with the wife and expressing concerns that the couple did not have sufficient resources to pay for medical care," according to a press release"

    https://www.newsweek.com/eldery-man-kil … de-1453431

    Meanwhile . . .

    "McConnell dismisses Medicare for All: Not while GOP controls Senate"

    "Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said on Wednesday that "Medicare for All" will not move in the Senate as long as Republicans control the chamber.

    "Not as long as I'm majority leader. It ought to be Medicare for none. … You want to turn America into a socialist country this is the first step," McConnell told Fox News's Brett Baier."

    https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/4 … re-for-all

    1. profile image0
      promisemposted 4 years agoin reply to this

      "It ought to be Medicare for none."

      More proof that Republicans want to kill Medicare.

    2. wilderness profile image94
      wildernessposted 4 years agoin reply to this

      Should be a good indication of just what wonderful insurance medicare is - the program we've paid into all our lives so as to have insurance when too old to work.

      And meanwhile a US Senator (Democrat Ron Wyden) declares that illegal aliens have a right to free health care and breaks the low to bring an illegal alien, 8 1/2 months pregnant, into the US rather than take her to a much closer hospital in her own country.

      Is it any wonder we can't afford to care for our seniors?  We have to take care of foreign citizens first, after all!

      1. profile image0
        PrettyPantherposted 4 years agoin reply to this

        Yes, it is sad when anyone dies because they don't have enough money for health care, including an 81/2 month pregnant woman with pre-eclampsia, a potentially deadly but treatable condition.

        Ron Wyden is my Oregon senator and I approve of the steps he took to get care for a pregnant mom.

        US senator helps pregnant migrant with life-threatening condition apply for asylum at US-Mexico border

        I didn't see anything in there about breaking the law, though. Perhaps I missed it.

        1. wilderness profile image94
          wildernessposted 4 years agoin reply to this

          Just curious, but do you wonder why he didn't take her to the much closer hospital in Sonora?  It was right at hand, after all, while the one in the US was miles and hours away.  You approve of bringing a pregnant woman into the country to create yet another anchor baby - do you also approve of bring the rest of the clan as well, all in direct violation of our laws?

          Yes, it is illegal to aid people in breaking the immigration laws.  Such lawbreakers carry the common label of "coyote" and face jail time.  Wynden won't, of course, for he is a mighty Senator, after all!

          Did you wonder, too, why Wynden just happened to have a physician with him on his journey to see how Mexico treats those in its "concentration camps"?  Or how he just happened to find an 8 1/2 month pregnant woman?  Is it possible at all that the mighty Senator from a sanctuary state had a little more in mind than a simple fact finding mission?  Think violating the law just might buy him some votes?

          1. profile image0
            PrettyPantherposted 4 years agoin reply to this

            Did you actually read the article? Because you seem to have your facts wrong.

            If only you would get this outraged over real human suffering....

            1. wilderness profile image94
              wildernessposted 4 years agoin reply to this

              Yes, I read the article.  Along with 2 more on the same subject.  How about you - did you read only the one from leftist sources decrying how foreign citizens simply MUST come to the US for medical care?

              Here's another, from a right-leaning source, as a balance to the left leaning one. 
              https://www.breitbart.com/economy/2019/ … t-senator/

              Here's another:  https://conservative-daily.com/2019/07/ … ed-states/

              Now, the shelter was in Jaurez, Mexico.  Google maps shows 18 (count them - 18) hospitals in Jaurez.  Rather than wait hours and hassle with the border crossing, rather than illegally assisting a foreign citizen without permission to cross the border, why didn't he simply take her to one of those eighteen hospitals?

              1. profile image0
                PrettyPantherposted 4 years agoin reply to this

                Sorry, even if all of your assertions are correct, and I don't think they are, I just can't get worked up about my senator helping a pregnant mom and her family get asylum and medical care in our country. It doesn't trigger my outrage meter.

                1. wilderness profile image94
                  wildernessposted 4 years agoin reply to this

                  Of course it doesn't!  Not only are you, as a liberal, very receptive to open borders you expect the American citizen to support the world's needy and it doesn't bother you one iota when a high ranking US official violates the law in order to accomplish those things.

                  But I'm not real sure what "assertions" you refer to - it appears undeniable that Wynden brought an illegal family into the US (he announced he did).  It is undeniable that he said it was to get medical care for the pregnant woman (not sure if the husband and children were pregnant with difficulties or not) - he said it was - and it is undeniable that medical care was readily available in the Mexican town where they were found (18 hospitals in the town guarantees that).  Wynden himself says he had a doctor with him so that seems pretty clear cut as well.

                  It's not an assertion to wonder just why he had a doctor with him, or a journalist, or why he didn't take her to the nearest hospital - these are all just thought provoking questions, at least to those searching for the truth, the WHOLE truth and nothing but the truth. 

                  So what "assertions" do you not believe?

                  1. profile image0
                    PrettyPantherposted 4 years agoin reply to this

                    "Not only are you, as a liberal, very receptive to open borders (No, I'm not, stop making $hit up about me) you expect the American citizen to support the world's needy (No, I don't, stop making $hit up about me) and it doesn't bother you one iota when a high ranking US official violates the law (So you say)n order to accomplish those things."

                    As for the rest....so you say.

    3. Live to Learn profile image59
      Live to Learnposted 4 years agoin reply to this

      You get a Mitch McConnell when you've got those clamoring for universal coverage without a plan to pay for it.

      I'm sorry that couple went through a trauma he couldn't find a way out of.  I do still think we'd be better off revamping our system to make it more competitive; by subsidizing (If not paying for) the tuition of medical students... opening medical school to all reasonably qualified.  Also making sure the amount a company can charge for drugs to be in line with the charges in other countries and regulating the insurance industry to cap profits.

      Our system is designed to bleed the consumer.

    4. Sharlee01 profile image79
      Sharlee01posted 4 years agoin reply to this

      Very sad story, this should never happen. Although it makes one think if Medicare is not working as is, how would it ever work in the case of Medicare for all? The funds are just not sufficient to provide free care for all.

    5. profile image0
      Stevennix2001posted 4 years agoin reply to this

      damn.....that's some messed up s**t

  2. Live to Learn profile image59
    Live to Learnposted 4 years ago

    I don't have any problem helping a person who has complications due to pregnancy but my question is...Mexico is a stable democracy.  What grounds would a Mexican citizen have for an asylum claim?

    Sound like abuse of the laws.

    1. wilderness profile image94
      wildernessposted 4 years agoin reply to this

      Ron Wyden says: "While across the border, I met a young woman who was seeking refuge in the U.S., who was more than 8 months pregnant."

      And: "I went across the border into Juarez, Mexico to tour a shelter housing asylum seekers being forced to stay in Mexico instead of the U.S. while they wait to hear if they've been granted asylum. They are fleeing persecution and violence, seeking a better life for their families."

      Pretty obvious he knows quite well the asylum does not apply, but doesn't care.  The family (he brought all of them, not just the pregnant woman) wants a better life, that's all.

      Yes, a pretty clear violation of American law.  But hey - he's a Senator, he can do whatever he likes!

  3. GA Anderson profile image89
    GA Andersonposted 4 years ago

    What a dilemma, two of my buds arguing a point.

    Wilderness, your responses prompted me to a look at this Sen. Wyden controversy.

    What a stunt. He goes South of the Border with a pediatrician, assistants, and apparently a photographer, (or reporter?), looking for a 'news moment'.

    What a hack. What a political stunt. Gee. Flaunting his Senatorial credentials to intimidate a border crossing guard. And then a border crossing supervisor. Typical politician.

    But, and it almost pains me to say this, from the links I followed he didn't break any laws. Contrarily, it seems he forced those border patrol folks to actually follow our laws.

    He didn't "smuggle" anybody in. He simply used his credentials to force the border patrol station to follow our laws. Mexicans are exempt from our "metering" restrictions.

    The pregnant woman, (and her husband and kid), were Mexicans. And, the country they were claiming asylum from was their country of Mexico. Our laws say we cannot force them to remain in a country they are claiming asylum from.

    So, as much of a political stunt as it was, and regardless of the common sense that says any of those 10 - 18 local or semi-local hospitals that were available to handle the pregnancy complications could have been the first choice - if it was the real emergency the Senator proclaimed it to be, the Senator didn't break any laws. As much as it stinks to say so, he actually forced the adherence to our current laws.

    Believe me, I think it stinks to have to let that Senator off the hook. As an obvious political ploy, he went looking for a situation he could take advantage of - and he found one.

    Sometimes being right is just a lucky break.


    GA

    1. profile image0
      PrettyPantherposted 4 years agoin reply to this

      Now, this is a reasonable comment. I agree it was a stunt, albeit a stunt that actually helped people who needed help. That's why I can't get worked up about it. In the grand scheme of what is happening in our country right now, this incident isn't even a tiny blip on my outrage meter.

      1. GA Anderson profile image89
        GA Andersonposted 4 years agoin reply to this

        I am glad to see you agree it was a stunt Sandy. And yes, he did help people. But those same people could have been just as easily helped at a local hospital. The only "help" the Senator supplied was getting them into the U.S. I do not agree that he "helped" with a medical situation.

        GA

        1. profile image0
          PrettyPantherposted 4 years agoin reply to this

          Well, I'm not sure what would have transpired had she been illegally denied entry to the U.S. as was initially attempted before Wyden intervened.

          1. GA Anderson profile image89
            GA Andersonposted 4 years agoin reply to this

            Neither am I. Regardless of the political aspects, I am glad she did get help - wherever it came from.

            GA

    2. wilderness profile image94
      wildernessposted 4 years agoin reply to this

      She was seeking asylum from persecution in Juarez?  Or had she already left the persecution behind and, as Wynden said, just wanted a better life?  While we are bound to let asylum seekers in (something that needs some changing, given that people are being trained to make the claim without it being true), it seems to me that her persecution was non-existent in that part of Mexico.

      1. GA Anderson profile image89
        GA Andersonposted 4 years agoin reply to this

        The law that must be followed by us, (just as we insist they do), speaks of countries, not areas, This makes the reality of the Senator's actions legitimate, even if they were the actions of a political stunt.

        I was wondering about this issue later on, as in what do we expect those port of entry CBP officers do? Should they have two lines at the gate, one for Mexicans, (that can't be subject to metering restrictions), and one for everyone else?

        Or, maybe a CBP officer walks the line and finds all the Mexican asylum seekers - to be sent to the front of the line to ensure they get in within the metering cap?

        Metering is just a reality. You can't do more than you can do just because someone demands you do. Limits are reality. Maybe this story should have identified the non-Mexican asylum seeker that got bumped so the Mexican seeker could be squeezed in - due to the Senator's efforts.

        Imagine the irony if that bumped meter number was a Guatemalan equivalent of husband, kid and pregnant wife with pregnancy complications?

        As mentioned, I am glad the Mexican woman received medical help, but that doesn't lessen the cheapness of the politics of this Senator. He didn't stumble upon or 'discover' this situation, he sought it out so he could exploit it. What a jerk. His actions weren't compassionate, they were scheming.

        GA

  4. Castlepaloma profile image75
    Castlepalomaposted 4 years ago

    Very unlikely to happen in Canada over medical care. With their such easy access to guns,  hope can be gone in a bang. 

    Plus, along with cannabis as very affordable medicine, legal and  best known medicine to man. Making the Candain poor and old people, given a healthier chance. Don't worry Canada will catch up to the horrors of top killing profession in the  world. This streamline standard of the medical profession.

    Don't take my word for it, check it out for yourselves.

 
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