Posts by Edward Green

rustymoose54 said:This whole thread is a mess because nobody is bringing actual numbers to the table to show what actually pays off. You guys are all just getting emotional, and let me tell you, feelings aren't arguments.

Look, it’s simple math: prevention is always cheaper than cleaning up the damn mess afterward.

rustymoose54 said:😈what else are we gonna do? buy it

That was basically Megan Reed’s plan—introducing this "lovely, humane" approach under the working title: pay up or die. 🙂

Megan Reed said:Yeah, I’ve never heard of any charity drive or concert or whatever where people raised money to send a kid for surgery.

Look, lady, if every single medical cost for everyone battling cancer—just focusing on that for a second—was covered by charity drives, people would get sick of giving way too fast.

And whether you like it or not, some of that money ends up helping addicts. It’s a shame, sure, and if we could prevent even a fraction of that, less money would go to them. They wouldn't need it as much. But these needle exchange programs exist for one reason: harm reduction. To stop the spread of diseases from shared needles and to cut down on overdose numbers. Believe me, providing sterile gear, supervision, and a safe space costs the taxpayers way less than dragging an overdosed person back to life, paying for their follow-up care, and covering the meds for all the diseases they picked up.

stormywolf39 said:unfortunately, that's just business as usual in America

The keyword there is "unfortunately."

To me, it's an absolute nightmare. Knowing there’s a way to help you or someone close to you, but you just can't afford it? That's disgusting. So much for being a "civilized" society. 😠 🤮

Megan Reed said:I mean, diabetics can barely even get their damn test strips

Then let them buy their own. 🙂

That's why I'd scrap the whole public system, move strictly to private insurance, and then it’s just simple math—you pay to play.

I’d love to see you try explaining to a parent with a kid fighting cancer that it’s perfectly fine for that child to die just because they can't swing the bill. 🙂

Megan Reed said:Sure, that's exactly how we're playing it.

Great. Just wonderful. I'm absolutely thrilled.

They should just toss a medical waste bin right next to the glass, paper, and plastic recycling containers.

I mean, those bins are in every single park anyway. It would make it easy for everyone to just use them.

stormywolf39 said:a few people I know died

Positive outcome. 🙂

Megan Reed said:I’d honestly scrap all the public stuff and move strictly to private insurance. Then it’s simple: you get what you pay for. 😬 but that's just me. 🥳

Natural selection at work. If you can't afford it, die.

Don't you follow that logic yourself?

Look, I am 100% against letting junkies get high... hellooooooo...

It’s not even an option for them right now. There aren't any addicts in America because we don't let them get high.

Look, when some idiot gets drunk, hops in his car, and wrecks it—barely making it out alive—only to spend the entire night being patched up by doctors while burning through taxpayer money in the ICU and rehab? That’s peak stupidity right there.

The real peak of stupidity, though, is trying to cut costs on cleanup instead of just focusing on prevention.

Megan Reed said:And you people would actually shell out cash for these idiots.

Oh, so you think you aren't paying for these idiots right now? You really think the money you set aside for Medicare isn't being spent when some overdoser gets rushed to the ER? Or when junkies need treatment for hepatitis? So you only agreed to this on the one condition that not a single cent of yours goes toward treating addicts?

What about all those rehab centers and nonprofits that deal with addiction and get partially funded by federal tax dollars? Where does that money come from? The government budget, that's where.

stormywolf39 said:But what’s the actual "win" here? Does he just die, or do we save him only to have his brain fried while he drains taxpayer money through Medicare for the rest of his life?

I don't see the point in arguing with you anymore. 👋

It’s not about giving them a free pass to get high, it’s about minimizing the damage right there on the spot.

Look, accidents happen to anyone, regardless of who's at fault. You really think emergency care for a crash victim should depend on how much they pay into the system? When someone's being rushed to the ER covered in blood, are they supposed to just sit there while doctors figure out if they were responsible or if they hopped in a car with a drunk driver? Do they check if the patient's insurance coverage matches their level of "guilt" first? If not, then too bad for them—assuming they even make it through the investigation.

Plus, now the money taken out of our paychecks for healthcare is also covering rehab for addicts after an overdose. And all those meds for diseases caught from dirty needles? You think that's coming out of some special fund paid for by bees?

Until we actually start taking that into account, asking who’s going to foot the bill is just a waste of breath.

And honestly, who in their right mind would check a box saying they frequently drive around with cranky people? Either I’m driving pissed off myself, or I'm flooring it on a straight stretch of highway on my way home, or I'm busy hooking up unprotected with some random or someone I barely know... 😵

Sports injuries aren't some unavoidable destiny or part of your DNA. It's just risk. 🙂
Health issues and diseases caused by eating like garbage.
STDs.
The fallout from speeding, drunk driving, or being a passenger in a car with a drunk driver,
smoking,
alcohol poisoning,
and a mountain of other crap.

Why is nobody asking why this happens, or more importantly, who the hell is PAYING for it?

stormywolf39 said:Everyone should undergo some kind of lifestyle assessment and health screening, and then their insurance premiums should be adjusted accordingly (it’s the same thing with life insurance—they grill you about every little detail before setting your terms).

Look, take me for example. I live pretty healthy. No bad food habits, no addictions, nothing. Yet, I end up paying way more than my old man, who’s probably been smoking his whole life, spends every summer baking in the sun like an idiot, works insane hours, and so on.
So yeah, this isn't a foolproof metric.

And right now, while premiums don't depend on how you live, and while healthcare covers the costs of fixing fifty years of eating nothing but bacon, I don't really see why anyone is even asking who's going to foot the bill.

Honestly, prevention has turned out to be way more expensive and a total waste of time compared to just fixing the damage after it happens. ☕

Are people seriously paying for city trash pickup too???

Right now, basically, all the money for overdose interventions, picking up needles off the street, hepatitis meds, those immune system drugs for HIV patients, and all that junk, is funded by zoo visitors. Bears are basically paying for junkies.

stormywolf39 is a piece of work.