For those who do not believe we need health reform, they might want to talk to Kathy Myers, 41. Myers had a painful shoulder injury that had gone without medical attention because she lacked insurance. She was told that she would only be treated for emergency or life-threatening injuries . . . so she shot herself in the upper arm.
The severe pain from her shoulder had caused Myers to repeatedly and unsuccessfully seek medical attention. She tried to get a job for the medical coverage but (with a bad shoulder) no one wanted to hire her. That led her to take the .25-caliber handgun of a friend to produce an injury that would get her medical attention.
She may now be criminally charged. Ironically, the state is required to give her full medical coverage while in jail.
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Are you kidding? Many medical offices will work out a payment plan or even discount for cash. My point is she didn’t even try–she just did something stupid.
Belinda,
Make a deal with the Doctor or the insurance company? On what planet? Answer? France, UK, Canada, even Chili. But not the good ‘ol USA.
Xboxershorts, you’re very right…
I’m pretty sure there never even was a hallucinogenic strong enough to design a ‘system’ (be it justice, social or economical) as crooked and irrational as ours…
She had a torn rotator cuff. She could have tried to make a deal with a Dr. or clinic. She’s not exactly the brightest bulb on the tree, is she?
Did her old job actually offer heath insurance? Did she have the chance for COBRA? Did she even try to get help?
Kathy’s girlfriend should have gotten treatment for her. That’s the guy’s role, isn’t it? 🙂
Hey Jericho, yer giving LSD a bad rap duuuude
ShireNomad…She could very well claim it was justified.
Obviously, it was the only way to get the medical help she needed. Yeah, I’d like to see a jury convict on this. I’d like to see a proscuter who was dumb enough to press charges get re-elected.
Shooting a firearm inside a city is illegal because you don’t know the bullet will land, and odds are high enough that it’ll hit someone (or at least put a hole in private property) that we don’t want people shooting for the fun of it. (It also eliminates the fuzzy area where someone can claim “really, I was aiming well away from him, I was just trying to scare him, it doesn’t count as assault with a deadly weapon,” and it allows cops to bust down your door the instant they hear gunfire rather than wait for a warrant. But those reasons don’t apply to this case.)
There are, of course, exceptions when you’re shooting in self-defense: a) because you’re justified in hitting the person you’re aiming it, b) because of necessity arguments, and c) because you’re aiming at something in particular that you expect to absorb the shot (which: see point A). So do some or all of those also eliminate Myers from prosecution?
(She could also argue in court that she was just trying to clean the gun and it went off…)
Jericho
” … Here’s where the West is making just as much sense as, say,…. the Saudi religious police?
She can be criminally charged… for what? Shooting her own arm?
For not being named Dick Cheney? …”
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I like the way Jericho thinks!
Here’s where the West is making just as much sense as, say,…. the Saudi religious police?
She can be criminally charged… for what? Shooting her own arm?
For not being named Dick Cheney?
Justice (just this) and equality should be quite straightforward, you know… a child could tell you what’s right, but I guess they have a two LSD-trip minimum in all three branches of government these days….
Makes me want to put a bullet between my eyes so I don’t ever have to see it again….
Doesn’t the USA have any genius economists via those fancy financial (gambling) schools that can make a cogent argument that shows the costs of social dysfunction/desperation?
Niles, MI (Southwest) towards Indiana.
Niles Police Capt. Jim Millin said Friday that the information was turned over to the Berrien County prosecutor Friday as a routine matter. He said it would be up to the prosecutor whether charges are filed.
Millin said possible charges would be discharge of a firearm in the city, which is a local ordinance violation, or careless or reckless discharge of a firearm.
Or they could do the state charge which is a 5 year felony of discharge of a fire arm inside of an occupied dwelling.
I think in the current state of affairs in Michigan a jury would probably side with her.