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posted by martyb on Tuesday August 13 2019, @05:57AM   Printer-friendly
from the give-me-back-my-Obamacare dept.

From Fox News, Elderly couple found dead in apparent murder-suicide, note says they could not afford medical care:

A Washington state man allegedly killed himself after killing his wife, and left a note for authorities saying that he was driven to do so because they could not afford to pay for medical care for her serious health conditions.

The man, identified by the Whatcom County Medical Examiner Gary Goldfogel in a statement to Fox News as Brian S. Jones, was 77, and his wife, Patricia Whitney-Jones, was 76.

[...] "It's very tragic that one of our senior citizens would find himself in such desperate circumstances where he felt murder and suicide were the only option," [Whatcom County Sheriff Bill Elfo] said. "Help is always available with a call to 9-1-1."

"We do what we can to help them," Elfo added in a telephone interview with Fox News. "We can't solve all their healthcare needs, but we can help them until a better day comes."

Elfo said he has seen people close to him struggle with healthcare issues and get exasperated fighting what can be a bureaucratic system.

"I know it gets very frustrating," the sheriff said, "you can get very easily worn down, and [roadblocks] build up over and over again."

From WSWS (ICFI/SEP), Elderly husband kills wife, then himself, in desperation over skyrocketing healthcare costs:

Police found the notes, which explained what had happened. Jones' wife, Patricia Whitney-Jones, suffered from serious health problems, and the couple could not afford medical care. Jones, an apparent Navy veteran, wrote directions as to how police could contact their next of kin. Police found the couple's two dogs and turned them over to the Humane Society.

The home was not located in a forgotten, impoverished area but in a semi-rural neighborhood near the Cascade Mountains where homes are valued in the $400,000 range. The bottom 90 percent of people in "the richest country in the world" are living under financial hardship that varies only in terms of degree.

[...] [The couple's next-door neighbor, Sherrie Schulteis] further noted:

"But here is the horribleness of this whole thing, less than 6 months ago our across the street neighbor shot himself, a young man with PTSD [Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder], cops and SWAT all lined our street then too. He was young--in his 50's-- and this guy and the whole block knew and saw him riding his bike, or walking his tiny dog also. He lived directly across from our house and we talked with him everyday as we were outside a lot. We had no idea his PTSD would kick in and he started believing everyone was someone else and he was going to kill everyone."

Also at People and The Lynden Tribune (EU blocked)


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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 13 2019, @09:01PM (5 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 13 2019, @09:01PM (#879824)

    Well, considering almost all of them are shitty con men with the right stories, and you don't know until after the fact which is which, it is pretty hard not to vote for one. Not to mention that even if they weren't going in, the power and money involved can tempt and corrupt even the most angelic of people.

  • (Score: 1) by khallow on Wednesday August 14 2019, @03:52AM (4 children)

    by khallow (3766) Subscriber Badge on Wednesday August 14 2019, @03:52AM (#879967) Journal

    Well, considering almost all of them are shitty con men with the right stories, and you don't know until after the fact which is which, it is pretty hard not to vote for one.

    Start with not voting for the people who tell you what you want to hear. It's not that hard.

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 14 2019, @05:18AM (3 children)

      by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 14 2019, @05:18AM (#879995)

      For most elections, there are only two options. So it looks like you are suggesting that I vote for the other party then? That is a great solution! Rather than being frustrated with the fact that a politician lied about doing something I like, I get to be content when it just turned out they lied about doing something I don't like.

      • (Score: 1) by khallow on Wednesday August 14 2019, @11:32AM (2 children)

        by khallow (3766) Subscriber Badge on Wednesday August 14 2019, @11:32AM (#880077) Journal

        For most elections, there are only two options.

        Hasn't been true for US presidential elections for quite some time.

        • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday August 15 2019, @10:04PM (1 child)

          by Anonymous Coward on Thursday August 15 2019, @10:04PM (#880746)

          That does literally nothing to negate my point that most elections do not have more than two options.

          • (Score: 1) by khallow on Friday August 16 2019, @12:10AM

            by khallow (3766) Subscriber Badge on Friday August 16 2019, @12:10AM (#880784) Journal

            That does literally nothing to negate my point that most elections do not have more than two options.

            Aside, of course, from the obvious fact that we were speaking of presidential elections in the first place. You're conflating that with elections for dog catchers and such.