Chutzpah & TV

Via Google News. Regardless of what you think about the merits of nationalized health care versus the United States’ half-nationalized system versus a free market in health care, you should appreciate this Canadian politician’s remarkable display of chutzpah.

An unapologetic Danny Williams [Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador] says he was aware his trip to the United States for heart surgery earlier this month would spark outcry, but he concluded his personal health trumped any public fallout over the controversial decision.

In an interview with The Canadian Press, Williams said he went to Miami to have a “minimally invasive” surgery for an ailment first detected nearly a year ago, based on the advice of his doctors.

“This was my heart, my choice and my health,” Williams said late Monday from his condominium in Sarasota, Fla.

“I did not sign away my right to get the best possible health care for myself when I entered politics.”

No reasonable person could disagree, Mr. Williams, unless you have long advocated for a national health system in Canada and the prohibition of a competitive free market alternative for those willing and able to pay for it. Then there is considerable room for proponents of an alternative system to criticize you.

The 60-year-old Williams said doctors detected a heart murmur last spring and told him that one of his heart valves wasn’t closing properly, creating a leakage.

He said he was told at the time that the problem was “moderate” and that he should come back for a checkup in six months.

Eight months later, in December, his doctors told him the problem had become severe and urged him to get his valve repaired immediately or risk heart failure, he said.

His doctors in Canada presented him with two options – a full or partial sternotomy, both of which would’ve required breaking bones, he said.

While Williams might agree that waiting in line to unnecessarily break chest bones may be good enough for the average Canadian, he’d prefer a private doctor in Miami.

He said he spoke with and provided his medical information to a leading cardiac surgeon in New Jersey who is also from Newfoundland and Labrador. He advised him to seek treatment at the Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami.

That’s where he was treated by Dr. Joseph Lamelas, a cardiac surgeon who has performed more than 8,000 open-heart surgeries.

Williams said Lamelas made an incision under his arm that didn’t require any bone breakage.

“I wanted to get in, get out fast, get back to work in a short period of time,” the premier said.

Williams sought personal efficiency, in other words. Who wouldn’t?

Williams said he didn’t announce his departure south of the border because he didn’t want to create “a media gong show,” but added that criticism would’ve followed him had he chose to have surgery in Canada.

“I would’ve been criticized if I had stayed in Canada and had been perceived as jumping a line or a wait list. … I accept that. That’s public life,” he said.

Well, it’s tough to escape charges of blatant hypocrisy and elitism when you’re determined to have your cake and eat it too. It’s also surprising that Williams is so interested in escaping political controversy. After all, he is a proponent of the fur seal (pup) hunts, which ensures he will never get with Eva Mendes.

“(But) this is not a unique phenomenon to me. This is something that happens with lots of families throughout this country, so I make no apologies for that.”

One hypocritic act is an outrage. Lots of hypocritic acts are a statistic. Duly noted sir.

Williams said his decision to go to the U.S. did not reflect any lack of faith in his own province’s health care system.

“I have the utmost confidence in our own health care system in Newfoundland and Labrador, but we are just over half a million people,” he said.

“We do whatever we can to provide the best possible health care that we can in Newfoundland and Labrador. The Canadian health care system has a great reputation, but this is a very specialized piece of surgery that had to be done and I went to somebody who’s doing this three or four times a day, five, six days a week.”

I thought Williams just wanted the less intrusive, non bone breaking surgery?  Newfoundland’s state health care provided proven options to fix his heart valve, but he declined them.  Fair enough, but rank-n-file Canadians must not like it very much, especially if the reason the surgery isn’t offered is because of Canada’s health care system, rather than simply due to Newfoundland’s small population.

He quipped that he had “a heart of a 40-year-old, so that gives me 20 years new life,” and said he intends to run in the next provincial election in 2011.

“I’m probably going to be around for a long time, hopefully, if God willing,” he said.

“God forbid for the Canadian public I won’t be around longer than ever.” [Emphasis added]

Wow. I don’t know if a politician could say something more arrogant than that. Well, Marie Antoinette did (arguably), but look how well that turned out for her.

Williams also said he paid for the treatment, but added he would seek any refunds he would be eligible for in Canada.

But of course. He also steals takes home extra ketchup packets from McDonalds.

“If I’m entitled to any reimbursement from any Canadian health care system or any provincial health care system, then obviously I will apply for that as anybody else would,” he said.

“But I wrote out the cheque myself and paid for it myself and to this point, I haven’t even looked into the possibility of any reimbursement. I don’t know what I’m entitled to, if anything, and if it’s nothing, then so be it.”

He is expected back at work in early March.

Now. Some TV that’s good for you.

Humor, Socio-Political, TV