The Local Crank

Musings & Sardonic Commentary on Politics, Religion, Culture & Native American Issues. Bringing you the finest in radioactive screeds since 2002! "The Local Crank" newspaper column is distributed by Community Newspaper Holdings, Inc.

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Location: Cleburne, Texas, United States

Just a simple Cherokee trial lawyer, Barkman has been forcing his opinions on others in print since, for reasons that passeth understanding, he was an unsuccessful candidate for state representative in 2002. His philosophy: "If people had wanted me to be nice, they should've voted for me."

Thursday, March 27, 2008

Wal-Mart: The Focus of Evil in the Modern World


Welcome to free-market health care solutions! A woman is catastrophically injured and wins a modest judgment in a personal injury case to pay for the lifetime of healthcare she will require. Her former employer WAL-MART THEN SUES HER FOR MORE THAN THE TOTAL JUDGMENT in order to recoup what it paid out in health-care expenses (expenses that were paid through a policy which she herself contributed to during her period of employment). Meanwhile, one of her sons has been killed in Iraq and her husband has been forced to divorce her in order to qualify her for public assistance with her medical bills. The only thing worse than Wal-Mart's despicable (though entirely legal) actions in this case is the cosmic insanity of a health-care system where something like this can occur. And occur to PEOPLE WITH HEALTH INSURANCE.
UPDATE: Great minds think alike. And it's even worse than I originally thought; the poor woman's brain injuries are such that she has virtually no long-term memory. Thus, every single time she asks about her son and is told he is dead, it is as though she is experiencing the wrenching grief for the very first time.

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2 Comments:

Blogger dmarks said...

I support Wal-Mart on several things (in regards to controversial issues). This is not one of them. It sure smacks of a scam.

3/28/2008 6:15 PM  
Blogger The Local Crank said...

And even tho' Wal-Mart seems to be technically, legally correct, talk about penny-wise and pound-foolish! Just from a purely cold-blooded, public-relations standpoint, imagine the millions in free publicity and goodwill they could've generated by holding a press conference and announcing they were paying off all her medical bills and paying for her son's funeral?

3/28/2008 8:16 PM  

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