Mareseatoatsanddoeseatoatsbutlittlelambseativy.

Tuesday, October 26, 2004

Deliberately stupid

The flu shot. That we don't have flu shots because vaccines are cheap and the risk of getting sued makes it unprofitable. See, now that is willful, deliberate and I would say malicious stupidity because it advances a view at a real risk to others.
Why the **&^! don't flu shots fall under "provide for the common good"? Isn't that why we have countries and government and public institutions, to do things at a place and at a time and on a scale that singly we cannot?
Look at the people pushing up the wall of a new barn. Look at the towns building parks and playgrounds. Indeed, look at the whole principle of insurance. I mean, if you want to insure your balls, have at it, find a company, pay the fee. But should you have to rely on seeking individual insurance for a flu shot?
When risk of just litigation obstructs the path of the common good, the state must step in or the state should just go away and let some other needed office take its place. Did someone pollute some ground? Maybe? We don't know, but there is a risk: well, let the state absorb the risk and let the state, in a separate action, attempt to recover just costs from the polluter, IF there is a case, and not merely deep pockets (current law basically says that IF you have the money, even though you were just a teeny weeny bit involved, well, you can be totally liable. Not guilty mind you, just liable. How stupid is that!
When a person in an official position acts in a way that is deliberately stupid, ie, it is absolutely clear that a thinking person knows better (eg, do you put your hand in boiling water), then that person should be taken out to the woodshed.
Or, as Lewis Black would say, taken out for an afternoon of electroshock, just to get them back on track. Just to get them back on track.

2 comments:

Ken said...

"That we don't have flu shots because vaccines are cheap and the risk of getting sued makes it unprofitable."

Besides everyone saying it over and over, the question remains; is it true that's the reason? I doubt it.

gberke said...

Well, that's true. Indeed, knowing the reason might be, as the est people used to say "the booby prize".
I don't care about the reason: just get the goddam vaccine. If you do, you win, if you don't, you fail.
This administration has failed. Period.