Florida doctor tells Obama supporters to go elsewhere

The 56-year-old registered Republican has a sign at his office that reads: "If you voted for Obama … seek urologic care elsewhere. Changes to your healthcare begin right now, not in four years." (Orlando Sentinel) || Jump to the second page of comments

Comments

[sometimesilie]

Dick

[Alan]

Cripes! My doctor is a hard core Republican (who, ironically, looks like Al Gore), but he'd never do that.

[BlueMary]

Sheesh, what a grouch.

[Displaced]

Reading this made me realize that I've never had a conversation about politics with any doctor, nurse, optometrist, or dentist who was giving me care. This is the worst kind of power trip. And I'm sure this guy will cry persecution when people with all sorts of political leanings stop going to him because they think he's unhinged.

[BlueMary]

Lucky you Displaced. I had a dentist who prayed over me--brought in all the hygeinists, formed a circle, and PRAYED over me.

And also two "born again" optometrists. Both of which were just a little too scarey.

[thomas]

When they start waving amulets over you, vacate.

There is a part of me that purely enjoys watching someone commit suicide. Especially an MD that puts his hypocricy before his oath.

[Hey!]

Good for him. Like it or not this will be the reality when Obama-care kicks in. There will be a shortage of Dr.s, there's no free ride.

[Bo]

Good for him, about time someone stands up to this unconstitutional heath care reform, I hope MANY more Doctors follow suit!

[AngrySockMonkey]

its his business, he has a right to deny treatment to the helpless little welfare victims that need to be babysat by a government with taxpayers' money.

[Bill]

I am a loyal Michigan State Spartan and have a dentist appointment in a couple of weeks with a dentist who attended the University of Maryland.

(for you non sports fans we beat them on a last-second shot in the NCAA tournament).

I sure hope he doesn't have a sign on his door like the idiot Republican doctor.

[Mike]

Bo : What's unconstitutional about it?

The methods used to get it passed? The same methods the Republicans used when they were the majority party under Bush to pass dozens of pork bills?

The items in the bill? The same items that were suggested by the Republicans as an alternative to Clinton's health-care reforms?

Like it or not, your GOP buddies are lying to you, and you fell for it. The GOP is firmly in the pocket of the insurance companies, and do not have your best interests at heart.

[RockyMtnMac]

Well, the patient can always go somewhere else. The Doc has a right to his opinion just as much as the Obama supporters. Just because he got elected doesn't mean you have to agree with him (or respect him). I am pretty sure even in the Nation of Obama, we are still free (or is that just for liberals?)

[TahoeJack]

When did we stop teaching doctor's the Hypocratic Oath ?

[Lou Sussler]

I may think he's an asshole but it's certainly his right to put up the sign.

If I were a patient of his, I would turn around as fast as I could, find another doctor and scare all my friends and acquaintances away from him.

Healthcare under the GOP would be more of the same. An Underinsured populace, greedy unregulated insurance companies and sky high premiums out of all justification with reality.

When insurance companies have to answer to shareholders first and then policy holders, the insured ALWAYS get the shitty end of the stick.

Legal Scholars seem to agree that there is nothing unconstitutional with this plan. Simply repeating that it is unconstitutional over and over again as many folks seem to be doing doesn't make it so.

I say give it a chance and see if it works or not. It's better than nothing, the system is in crisis right now. I disagree with all the panning of a plan that hasn't been given an opportunity yet.

Say what you will, (and you seem to be doing just that) this President was elected to do exactly what he is doing by an overwhelming majority of Americans.

What we're seeing and hearing is the worst kind of sour grapes. Exactly what we saw from the other side through Bush's two terms. It was distasteful then and it is distasteful now.

[JByrd]

So much for the Hippocratic Oath...

[JB]

I would have expected this from a proctologist, not a urologist. But I'll give him a break, the guy deals with d*cks every day.

[sometimesilie]

Never miss a chance to score a self perceived petty one up for your "Side".

[kestrelmas]

Okay. I work for a health-care facility. If one of our docs put that sort of unprofessional bullcrap up on their door, they'd be out.

Regardless of whether you agree with it or not, it's completely unprofessional and is a disservice to his community, not to mention the Hippocratic Oath.

[BlueMary]

Now that I think about it, I'd be thrilled to see a sign like that when I went into a doctor's office.

Then I could do a quick reverse outta there BEFORE finding myself in a partly naked in a tiny room with Dr A$$hole Attitude and a tray of sharp instruments.

[thomas]

@Mike and Lou Sussler;
SPOT ON!!
I've been a liberal Republican all my life.
The Oxymoron Party.
The behavior of the GOP (sour grapes party) is shameful, un-American, unproductive, and borderline seditious.
They must have an unwritten claim on the fountain of youth, and see no future but for themselves.

[wank]

It never ceases to amaze me that Republicans have NO PROBLEM sending this country into the Marianas Trench of Debt when it comes to invading other countries and killing people, but when it comes to health care, suddenly it's, "We can't do that! It's too expensive!" Their argument seems to boil down to, "If people have access to health care, they might actually take advantage of it!"

[Dave]

Jeez, what's with his pissy attitude?

[buddy]

mike - you should familarize yourself with the ninth and tenth amendments if you dont understand the arguement for the healthcare bill being illegal. but there is the arguement that congress has been doing this kind of stuff for years without anyone putting up a fight so why fight now?

the objection i have to the healthcare bill is that the government is going to use it as a reason to control your health. controlling your health means controlling your civil liberties. so in a nutshell, i disagree with the healthcare bill because it will ultimately infringe on civil liberties.

[RockyMtnMac]

This is a f*cked up mess when I have to agree with buddy.

[thomas]

@buddy;
Did you receive a census letter?
Did you notice that stamped on the front it said unlawful not to reply?
You'd have my backing if you chose to fight that battle.

[kestrelmas]

And as for healthcare... I believe in my dad's healthcare bill.

"I HELPED MAKE YOU, AND I WILL END YOU!"

...sorry. Trying to lighten up the atmosphere in here. The doc should be able to believe what he wants to believe, and is entitled to an opinion (as is anyone), but I don't care if the sign says Bush or Obama. It has no place in a professional environment.

[sometimesilie]

Oh please. The mandate to own Health Care insurance no more "controls your health" than the mandate for Auto Insurance controls what brand of car you buy. That's an illogical argument.

[DCer]

Typical Republican, doesn't respect democracy.

[DCer]

Buddy, you have completely misread the 9th and 10th amendments and you wonder why no one agrees with you. They don't agree because those arguments are not correct. they are simply wrong. Good luck, but you're wrong. flat out mistaken.

[buddy]

interesting arguement thomas but i dont understand the point. how does fighting the census relate to fighting healthcare?

filling out a five minute form once every ten years is not very invasive. you give up a certain amount of civil liberties in order to live in a society. it comes down to the amount that you are willing to give up.

the gov't saying that i cant have a certain amount of body fat or telling me that i cannot eat sugar is very invasive.

[buddy]

interesting arguement thomas but i dont understand the point. how does fighting the census relate to fighting healthcare?

filling out a five minute form once every ten years is not very invasive. you give up a certain amount of civil liberties in order to live in a society. it comes down to the amount that you are willing to give up.

the gov't saying that i cant have a certain amount of body fat or telling me that i cannot eat sugar is very invasive.

[buddy]

sometimesilie - auto insurance companies have taken away civil liberties by lobbying for/getting seat belt laws.

it is illogical to compare auto insurance with health insurance. auto insurance does not FIX your car.

[thomas]

buddy;
My point is simple.
There is a threat on the envelope before it's even opened.
Are you gleaning anything from the demographics you are mandated to comply with?
Aren't we scrutinized enough?
How much information is already unavailable?
How much more is needed?
Can you see the unmanned drone planes over your residence?

[buddy]

DCer - what a winning arguement you made. I am wrong b/c you say so. wow.

the 10th amend clearly states that power defaults to states unless the constitution says otherwise. so where in the constitution does congress have the power to mandate health insurance? insurance is not a form of commerce.

the courts are going to reverse this law.

[Displaced]

@buddy

Mandated auto insurance fixes someone else's car. What exactly is the point you're disputing? The medical insurance I have does not force me to go see a doctor. It enables me to do that.

But this whole thing isn't about healthcare. It's about a guy posting something that's likely to leave some patients feeling threatened when they're already vulnerable. No one's at a urologist without something delicate going wrong. If I saw this sign on a doctor's door, regardless of the candidate's name on the sign, I would worry that the doc's assumptions about me would compromise the care I would get. I want the doctor who attempts to treat every patient.

[buddy]

thomas - are you being sarcastic? not very many people consider my view to be a conspiracy theory.

do you think that laws get passed based on the sole interest of the people?

[buddy]

displaced - what is the highest level of your education? do you make over six figures a year?

[ambeckham]

displaced - every person you come across makes assumptions about you that ultimately determine how they treat you, even your doctor.

[Sheila]

The Hippocratic oath is not binding in law, and some medical schools have dropped it entirely. It exists mostly in the overly-romanticizing minds of the general public.

[BlueMary]

It sort of odd about oaths and that--I mean nobody bothers to sign a oath that they won't fly to the moon using only their ears. You only swear off stuff that you are already doing or that you very probably *might* do.

That in mind, one of the stipulation of the original Hippocratic Oath is

"Whatever house I visit, I will come for the benefit of the sick, remaining free of all intentional injustice, of all mischief and in particular of sexual relations with both female and male persons, be they free or slaves."

Things must have been pretty frisky in the medical profession in 4 B.C.

[Hey!]

Oh goodness the Cult of Obama is out in full force. Fact is many physicians are small business people who have been pushed to the edge and this just may be the last nudge to send them over. A couple of unpleasent facts; 1) Many physicians do not treat patients on medicaid/medicare now because of the mandated fee structure and the loads of red tape. 2) There is a shortage of general practioners now in may areas. The trend is worsening because no one can afford to go to medical school and then open a practice with the high costs of nearly everything associated with running the business (yes like it or not a medical practice is a business). The $$$$s just aren't there.

The gubmint can't control one side of health care without expecting the other to push back. Physicians shouldn't be forced to live on the financial edge and there is nothing in the Hippocratic Oath that mandates poverty. Physicians aren't monks.

[RockyMtnMac]

You guys are OUT OF YOUR MINDS if you think, for one minute, that all the government has done is give you access to health care. Do you honestly think this ends here? There is already legislation in the House dealing with a tax on dairy products. Look what happened with the junk food tax. This doesn't end here..
You will not smoke.
You will not drink alcohol.
You will not eat junk food.
You will not be promiscuous.
You will not engage in any dangerous activity (and congress will let you know what is dangerous, btw)
Our choices are getting to be fewer and fewer.. but if it saves only one life, wouldn't it be worth it?
No. Not to me.
Give me MY choice over MY life. You can trade your choice for a nanny state, but I don't want that.. and the Constitution backs me up on that.

[thomas]

buddy;
I've lived long enough to realize the cynicism of 'follow the money',,,,,and regret the observation.
True nontheless.

Sarcasm is the lowest form of wit.

[Reno]

Re the census: I received my form and filled it out for Grover at 123 Sesame Street. Then I added my dog to the form. Then I threw it in the garbage. The government already knows how many people there are, otherwise they wouldn't know how many people haven't turned in their forms. All they have to do is ask the IRS.

As for this article, the doctor is a dickhead and is just upset that he's no longer going to get to rape his patients via their wallets. If he were actually smart he'd throw out the welcome mat to Obama supporters and collect that cash while he still can, then laugh all the way to the bank.

[Emperor Norton the 1st]

Supporting liberty means supporting the free ability of people who you disagree with to live within the framework of their own convictions.
Liberty is a commodity that can only be traded consensually by the owner for the promise of rights and a false sense of security.
The hypocritic oath was written by people who used leeches and snakebites to cure things they understood nothing about.
A misplaced sense of loyalty to ancient documents is an invitation to tyranny.
Blue Mary is right, you should respect this doctor for advertising his agenda so you can also make personal decisions based upon your own convictions.
If you want Doctors to be held to some kind of higher authority than the rest of the free market economy allows then beg your masters for true socialized healthcare and make hospitals state run and institutions.

[Emperor Norton the 1st]

AMEN, RMM!

[The_Overdog]

Buddy,
The courts decided a long time ago that the 9th and 10th Ammendments were very very broad in scope. It's fine to disagree with that assessment, but to declare them 'unconsitutitional' is just silly. They have reviewed by the Supreme Court and declared just many times.

[thomas]

Thank you Reno,,,my exact sentiment on the census,,and the can it belongs in.

I must be a misplced romantic who still truly believes in an oath as something you would give up your life for, before breaking it.
In fact,,, I have actually done that.
Any other old fools out there?

[Emperor Norton the 1st]

Regarding the census... There are plenty of valid arguements to be made for census dissidence. A month ago I googled this very subject and did some reading on both sides of the arguement. Today I tryed to return to the same information via google, but my original keywords and a slew of others I tried fail to bring up any anti-census arguements in the search (for at least several pages of results).

Are we getting China googled by the man?

[buddy]

overdog - when has the supreme court ruled on something as broad as this healthcare law?