End of life planning
Talk0this wiki
Part of the Health Care Reform bill that is being debated in Congress is a program to help fund end of life planning. When emergencies happen, it helps a family deal with the emergency if all of the hard and important decisions are made ahead of time. Whether to revive, a living will saying who has the authority to make decisions, making sure that someone has instructions outlined on what to do. These things are recommended to everyone, but they cost money and time and they are too easy to avoid. It is hoped that putting up a government program to encourage them will make it easier.
Spin from the right
Edit
Death Panel refers to the vicious rumor started by opponents of health care reform (a coalition of medical insurance corporations and wingnuts) that it would include the euthanasia for the elderly, as opposed to the reality of helping them deal with the approach of the Grim Reaper in some respectful way. The false accusation has been widely repeated during town hall meetings by wingnuts using, ironically, Stalinist mobbing techniques to seize control of mass meetings.
The source of this lie is Wall Street Banker Betsy McCaughey, an opponent of health care reform from the 1990s. Caughey has resigned from her post on the board of directors of Cantel Medical Corporation to "avoid any appearance of a conflict on interest." What conflict of interest could there be?
On December 18, 2009,Politifact credited Palin with the "Death Panel" label and awarded it (and her) the 2009 Lie of the Year. "Of all the falsehoods and distortions in the political discourse this year, one stood out from the rest. Death Panels." Conservative crybaby Glenn Beck was awarded the runner-up prize for his whopper that Obama White House science adviser John Holdren, "proposed forcing abortions and putting sterilants in the drinking water to control population."
These accusations are part of the conservative political strategy of smearing American liberalism with the tag of Nazism. In fact, conservatism is ideologically closer to fascism, and thus to Nazism.
