Just when you think she's reached rock bottom

Really I didn't think Sarah Palin could get any dumber. Or annoying. And yet, with her facebook posting yesterday she really managed to exceed my expectations. The expectations that she might have a kernel of common sense (she's a runner, I gave her a point for that). But alas, she seems to have none. Here's what she said:

"And who will suffer the most when they ration care?" Palin asks. "The sick, the elderly, and the disabled, of course. The America I know and love is not one in which my parents or my baby with Down Syndrome will have to stand in front of Obama’s 'death panel' so his bureaucrats can decide, based on a subjective judgment of their 'level of productivity in society,' whether they are worthy of health care. Such a system is downright evil.

Yes Sarah, such a system is downright evil. It is not however, one that is proposed by HR 3200. The provision that Palin (and other misinformeds) cite is on page 425. What the provision actually does is ensure that Medicare will pay for doctors' time used in VOLUNTARY counseling sessions initiated at a patient's request to discuss advanced health care planning such as advance directives, living wills, and powers of attorney and to discuss end of life services such as palliative care and hospice. Isn't that awful? That the government would pay for and therefore encourage people to have an open dialogue with their health care provider about their own health?

I'm a realist. I know I'm going to die. And so will my parents. But I for one would like to ensure that my wishes are known to my family and my doctor and I would like to know my parents' wishes. I was reading an article about all of this and living wills and a priest was quoted as saying that he's told his family that he doesn't want to live beyond the point where he is unable to say one more prayer, give one more hug, and drink one more martini. That's the guy I want performing my last rites.

Here's the deal, there's a lot of misinformation being circulated about the health care bill in the House right now. It won't be a perfect solution, nothing ever is. I think I'm emotionally invested in the whole thing because since my husband and I lost our jobs we are not eligible for group health coverage, and I have been turned down by several companies for individual health coverage because I have a history of infertility. So I pay for Cobra and pay 3 times the combined amount that my husband and daughter pay. And what do I do when Cobra runs out? If you are opposed to the solutions being proposed in the House now and you HAVE group health coverage think long and hard about what YOU would do if you lost your job tomorrow.