<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Of course, the publicity associated with separating a set of such twins is absolutely no use to the hospital concerned, it it?Originally posted by benrand:
But I wonder how the parents of all the conjoined twins from Central America pay their bills.
Anyway - to drag this back onto the (important) original topic. If there is a fund or whatever to try to help JC out with medical costs, we need to hear about it here. I've got so much more out of "Advanced techniques" than the cover price that I practically feel like I stole it from him.
<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">You should feel free to argue whatever you like, but if I disagree I'm going to tell you so and why.Originally posted by benrand:
This is a drumming board, I'm not gonna argue this point.
But I wonder how the parents of all the conjoined twins from Central America pay their bills.
I'm aware of only one family from Central America who came here for that purpose which was widely publicized. You know of others? How the procedure was financed was not publicized. Not everyone from Central America is poor. But rest assured, someone paid for it.
<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ April 04, 2005 07:44 AM: Message edited by: Henry II ]</font>
I'm hoping Jim is on his way to a quick recovery! His book kicked my ass when I was coming up! [img]graemlins/rainbow.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/thumbs_up.gif[/img]
Guys, every med system has it's glaring flaws.
Besides, the reality is, take all the people in this vast, fast world, & introduce that $$ factor [& insurance costs], = obvious & glaring problems.
The US has greatness to it's system as BR said, but we also have all those BS/bad factors that go with Big-Money [hi, NP!]
Things can always use a "little" improvement [maybe a LOT]...
[This from a registered independet / sometimes libertarian! I don't get caught up in that 2-party business over here anymore...it's outdated & absurd. It's like the North vs the South, or Red vs Bluecoats, or Catholic vs Baptist [or pick any]; "Us Vs Them." Eh, labels, anyway. It's not about "traditions," or "parties," but about proper ideas, philosophies, & problem-solving. But I have sided with Repub ideas in the past AWA Demo...] JMO
Whaddya get when you cross a Demo politician with a Repub one? A stubborn, self-absorbed, thick-headed, fat-cat jack-a** who'll long remember a grudge in this 2-ring circus we like to call life! [But who WON'T work for peanuts!] Or some cr*pola like that... ;cP j/k
------------------------
Back to the actual topic: That Chapin thing doesn't look too "good." I was going to make a sarcastic-humor remark about how this predicament is exactly why all the guys in here who don't drum [or teach music] for a living are better off! [J/K], but I decided it's better to wish JC well & perhaps try to help w a small contribution [because I too also "do" drums for a living!]... {;c/] Man, what does this say for all the pro-musos out there... [img]eek.gif[/img] [img]confused.gif[/img] [img]frown.gif[/img] It's important to have your own medical coverage...a fact of life. THIS would be a good topic to continue with...any of you guys want to sound off on your situation with this?
It's often "feast or famine" with the majority of pro-musos world-wide - on the one hand, you get to do what you LOVE for a living [sometimes we've had to "whore" ourselves out, too [img]frown.gif[/img] ]...but the trade-off may be occasional [or sometimes more!] financial insecurity...unless you are in the "big-leagues" of recording &/or touring...& even then that's not necessarily any great guarantee...many of us aren't mega-rich by ANY stretch of the phrase...
I can hear my mother in the background distance over my shoulder now..."Get a job...NO, a REAL one...as in 'desk'..." [NTM I smell all those muso jokes on the horizon]...
<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ April 04, 2005 03:35 PM: Message edited by: fuseU1 ]</font>
This thread really took off in other directions, but I'd like to comment on one thing that bothers me greatly in the States.
I've seen this with actors and athletes who are now all washed up. The actors in sit coms today...not all, but many, make so many more times than those who laid the foundation of their craft.
It is an absolute SHAME that we see actors on TV daily in re-runs who don't make a penny and might need medical money as they age. Same with athletes. It seems these TV networks have very short memories for those who once made them millions of dollars.
My take: If you have been blessed to make very good coin as a musician, you should support those who laid the foundation. Phil Collins, can you hear this? That guy has been very blessed. If he has a heart, he should be supportin' those drummers who can't pay a medical bill as they age. We all can support the "family" if you will, and should, but if you have a lot of extra cash, give it up to save a life.
True story: I knew of a little girl who lost both parents one Saturday afternoon in a motorcycle accident. She had many brothers, sisters, step-bro's & sis's--it was a horrible tragedy. Just so happens both parents worked in the film industry and were doing a film w/John Travolta. Upon hearing this news, Travolta wrote a check for a new home to house this family. That's a man with a heart.
How many homes does one need to be happy?
Taken right off the Jim Chapin website.
"This fundraiser is being held in order to assist Jim with medical bills from his
wife's long term illness. If you would like to make a donation please make
checks payable to Jim Chapin and mail them to:
Wizdom Enterprises,
PO Box 35,
Coram, NY 11727
USA
Please mark them "CHAPIN EVENT". With a donation of $75
or more you can request a signed copy of Jim's classic book, "Advanced
Techniques for the Modern Drummer".
All proceeds will go directly to Jim."
So there you go...................
I sent him an e-mail and connected this thread/link to it. Maybe he'll respond to us. If I get an e-mail back, I will post it here.
On another note........
I have probabaly 200 or so immediate family members living in France. Talking to them, they have no beefs with their medical system. Same thing with my 30 or so family members in Quebec Canada. They are very well taken care of. And from living/visiting there, I can tell you, the "quality" of life in those particular countries is much better for the average hard working bloke than here in the U.S. where I was born and raised.
I can tell you that my medical insurance here in L.A. has gone up some 15% every year since I started with Kaiser Medical group. That roughly 5 times the average "cost of living index" anywhere in the U.S. Do you think Kaiser is loosing money?? You'd wouldn't think so if you were me trying to get a lousy appointment for my shoulder, and them telling me that they have something a month from now!!?? But yet they still expect to be paid every month. And dont ever be late with that payment!!! Because they'll send you a threatening letter saying they'll cancel me!!! But if I wanted an appointment in an "acceptable" time frame like a week?? Its....... "oh.... were sooooo understaffed, and our overhead is soooooo high". Ya know what!!?? I don't want to hear it!!! Because when Kaiser comes out and donates 2 million or so $$ to give to some charity, that says it all to me. They don't have the money to hire more doctors and provide me with what I'm paying for, yet they've got the money to donate to some organization, which primarily gives them a tax break. Now I don't mean to come off as sounding "bitter" about being charitable, but I know for a fact why Kaiser wouldn't open their books a few years ago to the California Insurance Comissioner Garamendi........ it's because they managed to strike a sweet deal with his office and offer some chump change credit to it's subscribers that were already paying too much for the kind of health care they were offering.
But now with this administration, they're becoming like a run away train again. I started at some $105 a month back in 1997, now I'm at around $270 a month in 2005. You do the math. Or better yet.... if you're not sure if a corporation is making tons of $$'s?? Just do a search on google and see what their CEO and corporate officers are making a year. That says it all.
Sorry to rant like this, but this is close and dear to my heart strings.
If I can pay 50% of my employees health care every month (and I make just enough to get by), you mean to tell me, in the richest country in the world, we couldn't get the CEO of General Electric, who paid only 2% of his income in taxes last year, to give a little to those that make him millions a year?? It's time for a change in this country. And like Fuse leaned towards, the 2 party system here is broken. The career politicians are in it just for themselves. No more "for the people and by the people". This country is run and laws are creatd by special interest groups these days.
And like Daniel LeClaire said, Medical bills are the leading cause of bankruptcy filings in the U.S. Gee?? Hmmmmm???? I wonder why Bush and his cronies were so hot on passing this new Bankruptcy law?? Once again.... it falls on the backs of the people that are least capable of paying for it.
"Junk law suits" my butt...... "He'd rather err on the side of life"...... right....sure.... tell it to the impeachment commitee.
sorry for ranting guys.
<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Right, here in France even a homeless can have a treatment that cost millions $ if needed and he won't have to pay 1 $ if he don't have, USA who like to give lessons to whole world should open his eyes time to time [img]wink.gif[/img]Originally posted by JoesMechanic:
I have probabaly 200 or so immediate family members living in France. Talking to them, they have no beefs with their medical system.
Thanks for the info guys. I posted it as news.
Great posts, PP & JM.
True, that. I've heard that PC can be quite the charitable guy[?], when he wants to be.
The former CEO of GE gives much of the proceeds from his book sales [in the 10s of millions!] to worthy causes, at least so he says.
And just remember, there's often rarely such thing as a completely up-front, honest, forthright, or perfect politician in every & any sense of the word...we often end up having to choose between the "lesser of the 2 evils"...
Folks who've enjoyed EXTREME fortune here in the good ol US of A awa other parts of the globe such as Sting, Cher, Madonna, Britney etc can def afford to give 100s of 1000s or even millions to worthwhile causes - notice I didn't say charities necessarily, these daze... I was also going to include Whacko-Jacko, but we'll have to see...innocent until proven otherwise, but in the last years he sure looks as if he's taken a nose-dive [pun intended] off the deep end's high-dive in many areas. Definitely not, nor has been for a long time, dealing with any shards of reality I or "my peeps" are aware of. Eh, another topic again entirely.
Yeah, there are DEF things that need MAJOR reform in this world of ours...NO DOUBT.
<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ April 05, 2005 04:26 PM: Message edited by: got_a_matchgrip? ]</font>
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