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A few days ago Ross Romano, my local Member of Provincial Parliament, compared cancer patients with children demanding ice cream and Captain America toys as he voted to deny funding for their medication.
Ok I admit that's bad BUT before everyone grabs a pitchfork and comments about how Doug Ford's government is full of horrible people I do honestly need to thank him for something here. After all lots of people vote down bills that would do good things for people, because they want to do better things for people. That's called governing and that's ok. Good people can disagree about policy, after all. Happens all the time.
You know what also happens all the time though? People going into debt to get the medications they need so they don't die, all while having to undergo punishing treatment regimes, financial hardship, emotional distress, and all sorts of other things as they try not to die. And the reason they go into debt for that medication? It's because unlike toys and ice cream they are NECESSITIES, something the honourable member clearly doesn't seem to understand.
And that's also fine. Not understanding the difference doesn't automatically make any person an asshole. Neither does not being able to understand and empathize with the critically ill and working poor of the riding one represents. But it does make one out of touch with day to day reality and that is a sign of maybe, just maybe, that person is going to be a really shitty representative. Given that the Conservatives seem to attract those like iron fillings to a magnet we're in for a really lousy time!
Ok I admit that's bad BUT before everyone grabs a pitchfork and comments about how Doug Ford's government is full of horrible people I do honestly need to thank him for something here. After all lots of people vote down bills that would do good things for people, because they want to do better things for people. That's called governing and that's ok. Good people can disagree about policy, after all. Happens all the time.
You know what also happens all the time though? People going into debt to get the medications they need so they don't die, all while having to undergo punishing treatment regimes, financial hardship, emotional distress, and all sorts of other things as they try not to die. And the reason they go into debt for that medication? It's because unlike toys and ice cream they are NECESSITIES, something the honourable member clearly doesn't seem to understand.
And that's also fine. Not understanding the difference doesn't automatically make any person an asshole. Neither does not being able to understand and empathize with the critically ill and working poor of the riding one represents. But it does make one out of touch with day to day reality and that is a sign of maybe, just maybe, that person is going to be a really shitty representative. Given that the Conservatives seem to attract those like iron fillings to a magnet we're in for a really lousy time!
