(Soon to be former) Senator Ron Johnson on cancer patients:

[Archae]

"Let 'em die."

I will cast my vote against him this fall happily.

Ron Johnson Says Employers Should Deny Coverage To Cancer Patients

Senator Ron Johnson -- soon to be FORMER Senator Ron Johnson -- has a strange idea of the definition of "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" as fundamental American rights.

ThinkProgress' Scott Keyes asked Johnson whether he agreed that employers should not be under legal obligation to provide health insurance to employees who had been diagnosed or treated for cancer.

RoJo was blunt.

"Listen, our rights are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. And when we start expanding beyond that realm, when you create a right for somebody, you create an obligation for somebody else, and then you’re taking away that person’s right," he answered bluntly.

So, what part of "life" doesn't he understand?

Alan Grayson was right when he said Republicans want everyone to die, and die quickly. Here's a shining example of it for all to see.

http://crooksandliars.com/2016/07/ron-johnson-says-employers-should-deny

[irisblue]

1. Really? he was stupid enough to say this?!

[Still In Wisconsin]

19. He is not smart. We don't call him "Senator Dumbass" just because we don't like him.

[tonyt53]

2. The REAL death panels are Republicans.

[moonscape]

3. Cannot wait for Feingold's return! n/t

[dragonlady]

5. All Democrats MUST vote in the August 9 primary

Feingold does have a "Democratic" challenger and many Republicans down ticket are unopposed so their supporters can vote in the Democratic primary.

[Initech]

4. Ron Johnson: another person who somehow got elected.

[Wellstone ruled]

6. Amazing how Politicians

slip of tongue is really a true reality of their beliefs. Wonder how his Senior Citizen supporters suffering from various Cancers are taking this. The same folks who rejected Russ cause he was one of them Socialist..

[kimbutgar]

7. I worked for a company in the 90's

A long time employee was diagnosed with cancer. She took a leave and they kept paying her salary. She came back for awhile but got the news the cancer spread. She worked until she got too weak. The company had a picnic for her and a bunch of employees came to say our goodbyes. At the picnic they told her to pick out a cruise and they would pay for it. She went on that cruise 2 weeks later with a friend. I spoke to her after she returned and she said she had the best time of her life.
She filed two months later. But I will never forget how great this company was. It was a private investment banking firm that had empathetic partners. Unfortunately it was brought by a bank and they eventually layed off everybody.

I hope that piece of $hit Johnson gets demolished in November.

[spooky3]

9. Thank you--that is a great story.

Such a shame they were bought out.

[Jerry442]

18. Similar story at a company I once worked for...

...except the guy was a recent hire!

It's good to remember that not everyone out there is a predator.

[csziggy]

21. Compare that to my BIL who worked for Disney for twenty years

When he was diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer, he had to keep working to keep health insurance for his family and himself. After he used up all his sick and vacation time he scheduled four day weeks and would get his chemo on the fourth day so he'd be strong enough to go to work after his three day weekend.

He dragged himself to work every week for a year until he just couldn't do it anymore. His decision to stop chemo and all treatment was as much that he didn't want to leave his family in debt as it was that the treatment was no longer working. The family took him out to dinner, the next day he was in the emergency room, the day after he was in hospice, a week later he was dead.

The "happiest place in the world" did not give him a chance to spend extra time with his children in the last year of his life. All the time he felt good enough to function was spent keeping a job to pay his medical bills.

[kimbutgar]

22. I'm so sorry for your loss

You confirmed to me that Disney really is evil corp.

[csziggy]

23. Thank you - it's been nine years and it still makes me angry

Even before that I hated Disney. They took a marginal ecosystem and destroyed it. Very little of the Florida palmetto scrub land still survives. It is not pretty or scenic so it is little valued. Since Disney put their theme park in the middle of the scrub land, then additional development has continued the devastation. I detest all of those artificial places!

I've lived in Florida all my life, had relatives that worked at Disney World and have not gone and will never go to that theme park - or any other in Orlando. About the only tourist attraction I will go to is Bok Tower - while it is not native Florida it at least enhances the wildlife experience. Instead I go to the national and state parks and see the REAL Florida!

[passiveporcupine]

8. Too many people feel this way

especially if it raises their own health insurance costs, or taxes. They feel this way until it happens to someone they love (or themselves)...then suddenly they get empathy.

It's not just republicans.

[Vinca]

10. Which is one more reason we need Medicare for all.

Everyone covered, no questions asked, end of story.

[Dustlawyer]

11. Being Trial lawyer I see people come in with potential cases all of the time.

I make the call on whether our firm takes their case or not. Most people come in with the idea that they have a great case and we should be happy they chose us. Some I do feel that way about, but many, too many, come in with the idea that we are nothing but ambulance chasers and are fortunate to finally have a "legitimate" case. One couple in particular sticks out because the husband actually said that unlike my other cases this one was the real deal.

All I can say was they would have probably had a case before the terrible tort reform that the Republicans in Texas passed which practically gutted medical malpractice law. As I explained to them once I heard them out about what had happened to his wife, since she was a homemaker and not working she would have zero in lost wages (same for minors and the retired). With the cost of the experts, the bond that had to be posted and the $250,000 cap on pain, suffering, and mental anguish there would be nothing left for them to recover. That is how they designed it. If she had been a high wage earner it would have been a different story.

The man told me that the tort reform was just to get rid of the frivolous cases. I asked him if he believed that since the movement was funded by insurance companies and doctor's groups. I explained that we do not take frivolous cases since we only get paid if we win. He kept going on not really wanting to believe the truth and I advised him that next time you see commercials pushing a certain view you need to see what they have to gain if it passes and listen to the opposition as well. I told him to ask other attorneys for a second opinion and he called me back later begging me to still take the case as the other firms all said no and ushered them out as soon as they learned his wife didn't work.

[gratuitous]

14. I've worked on both sides of the bar

Initial disclaimer: Not an attorney. "Tort reform" is a gussied up excuse to fuck people over hurt or killed by medical negligence, malpractice, or outright homicide. There is no way to win a medical malpractice case without expert witnesses who can testify about the standard of care. From records review to written narrative to deposition to testimony, an expert can easily cost $25,000 or more. If you need two or three experts, yeah, any recovery under the damages cap is pretty much gone.

Not only do folks with legitimate cases get burned, but doctors go undisciplined when lawyers won't even file a lawsuit because they don't feel like working for free. A doctor with real practice problems can skate for years.

[AllyCat]

12. Creep. I, too, cannot wait to vote against him

and FOR the great Russ Feingold!

[Scuba]

13. + Eighty gazillion

[Odin2005]

15. Evil monstrous POS.

[Greybnk48]

16. He's deeply stupid.

He's not a monster, just f*cking dumb (and dangerous).

As Archae and many of us know, we have a bunch of RoJo's here in Wisconsin that are just what we call "dumb shits." White guys, with a little college, who bastardize what they've "learned," e.g. rights theory, and should never rise above middle management at a Walgreen's or Home Depot. Walker is one and so are a whole gang in our Wisconsin legislature that came in with the teabaggers.

I'm with you, Archae. I CANNOT WAIT TO VOTE THESE IDIOTS OUT OF OFFICE! And I hope the screwball challenging Paul Ryan causes them both to lose next election.

[Still In Wisconsin]

20. Yep, and a bunch of those dumb shits live around where I grew up (Milwaukee Burbs)

[LakeArenal]

17. Ron Johnson, on the public dole

I feel burdened by his excellent health care paid for by.... me...