General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsLeeches
In the old days, if a "doctor" thought that your skin looked too red, the standard prescription was . . . leeches. Fever? Leeches. Rash? Leeches. Bruise? Leeches. In fact, if you seemed to have an unfortunate tendency to get angry, the treatment for that was you guessed it leeches.[br /]
This was not some passing fad. This went on for 2,700 years, throughout Asia and Europe, and then the New World.[br /]
The leeches actually were grown on leech farms. Doctors bought the leeches in lots, and kept them in an earthenware jar with little breathing holes in it. Whenever a patient "needed" one, the doctor would apply it to the patient. And then the leech would suck the patient's blood out.[br /]
Yuk.[br /]
So, basically, whatever was wrong with you, the doctor would attach a blood-sucking parasite to you, and that was supposed to make it better.[br /]
And that actually sounds very much like the right-wing's economic policies. Whatever might be wrong with the economy, let's just drain all the blood out of it, and see if that helps.[br /]
Unemployment? Let's cut teacher jobs. Deficit? Let's cut police and firefighter jobs. Trade imbalance? Let's cut sanitation and public transport jobs. Banking crisis? Let's cut nursing jobs.[br /]
Just bleed that sucker.[br /]
Yesterday, in the New York Times, Paul Krugman described right-wing economics in a similar way: "suicide by economic crisis." The greedheads who run Europe are exploiting the economic crisis in weaker countries like Greece and Spain to wipe out pensions, benefits, unions and public healthcare everywhere. They don't just want to tear the social safety net. They want to nuke it.[br /]
The saddest thing about that is all of the pain that it inflicts on the vulnerable and the needy. But the next saddest thing is this:[br /]
It just doesn't work. Bleeding a patient with leeches doesn't make him healthy. Even if you bleed him dry.[br /]
And now the greed-heads are coming for us, with their Ryan Budget and their Medicare vouchers and their Social Security cuts and their Medicaid block grants and their student vouchers and their privatization. Now, they're coming for us.[br /]
Well, here is my answer:[br /]
No.[br /]
Now get lost, you leeches.[br /]
Courage,[br /]
Alan Grayson[br /]
left on green only
(1,484 posts)freshwest
(53,661 posts)WhoIsNumberNone
(7,875 posts)And I mean that sincerely lest anybody think I'm being snarky. We really need you back in Congress- Especially now that they've gerrymandered Kucinich out of his district.
safeinOhio
(32,683 posts)everything looks like a nail. If the nail doesn't work, just hit it harder.
Vincardog
(20,234 posts)the doctors.
Xipe Totec
(43,890 posts)SidDithers
(44,228 posts)leeches have been used recently to stimulate blood flow in re-attached limbs.
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/bloodysuckers/leech2.html
Sid
alphafemale
(18,497 posts)lame54
(35,290 posts)Skittles
(153,160 posts)DisgustipatedinCA
(12,530 posts).
greytdemocrat
(3,299 posts)Oilwellian
(12,647 posts)My equal favorite is "sycophants."
K&R
Mimosa
(9,131 posts)We need you back in government.
I wish there were more 'stand up' guys and women. Your candid words reach 'regular people'.
MindMover
(5,016 posts)I am not voting for another 1%er the rest of my voting life. and you can take that to the bank of real life stories....
dotymed
(5,610 posts)FDR never denied his wealth either. Their wealth gave (gives) them a unique perspective about how their class uses the 99% to gain more wealth and power. Like Warren Buffet, they can easily see the difference that their wealth bestows on them and makes it easier (unfair) to become richer at the expense of the non-wealthy. 1%ers with the morality to call "foul" on a system that enables "them" and disenfranchises "us" is a powerful (and unfortunately rare) weapon in our fight for economic justice and justice in general. I would much prefer to vote for a 1%er that is pissed that the masses are disenfranchised than a not yet wealthy person (almost all Congress-people attain 1% status rather quickly) who is not trying to stop the wealth divide.
Alan has shown himself to be a person who believes in and fights for justice for all Americans, which includes the oppressive division of wealth in America.
Mason Dixon
(82 posts)no, my mistake it's Anyone
or was it Everyone
Mason Dixon
(82 posts)If I understand, the practice was to remove bad blood so that good blood could take its place. I guess the mistake (among misdiagnoses and others) was thinking an ill body can create healthy blood.
so If the ill body is our federal government, is your diagnoses is malnutrition?
And what makes an undernourished gov't healthy and strong, but Vitamin 1040EZ I guess.
so in order to fix, heal our sick govt its needs to consume more nutrients?
I wonder though, if exercise could help. Like exercising restraint when hiring cops and firefighters and teachers but only funding them for one year then dumping the cost on even more ill state governments who eventually lay off the young ones and just flat out consume the ills of the older ones. Or creating NAFTA and CAFTA, or free trade with brazil and just ship all our nutrients out of our great economic grocer.
or is it just to keep a low level of stress like when creating a health care act that does't take affect for four years so you can escape all electoral accountability, while small businesses, hospitals and doctors wonder just what the hell is going on.
Good luck in November, and I hope you'll find a way help revitalize our government through exercise, calm and most importantly a balanced diet in responsible portions.
Nye Bevan
(25,406 posts)kentuck
(111,097 posts)byronius
(7,394 posts)Salute. Love you.
saras
(6,670 posts)Jamaal510
(10,893 posts)Boehner, Cantor, McConnell, Ryan, and friends all have got to go if we want to thrive again. Kill the Tea Party.
nolabear
(41,963 posts)guitar man
(15,996 posts)A low count poster just came in here and called us all leeches! Call the MIRT!!
Seriously though, keep up the good work and good luck in November . If only we had many more with your spine sir.
LoTechGuru
(30 posts)he would take and answer questions, instead he does the poop and swoop method.
idwiyo
(5,113 posts)hue
(4,949 posts)Egalitarian Thug
(12,448 posts)ellisonz
(27,711 posts)southernyankeebelle
(11,304 posts)She was in Italy. This was around the mid 50s. I remember seeing the leeches crawling on her belly. It was something to see.