Are You Listening?

The other day I was relating to one of my sales reps one of the things that drive me batty in this thing of mine, which is having to repeat myself on simple requests like looking for credits when a product is damaged or what have you. I can be a busy guy with a multitude of things going through my addled brain so if I ask you once please just do it so I don't have to remember to ask about it again. It seems I am going to have to remind the government and the health care system about what we spoke of last year, as they too seem to have forgotten already. Can you throat punch an organization? A province? A country?

Let Me Say This About That was about mental health and the lack of attention, resources and understanding that the powers that be have in this regard. I know people that work in the system and they will all tell you that the issues are complex and desperate and barely addressed in any meaningful way. I don't know what the issue is? There must be study after study clogging shelves throughout the system so it can't be not knowing what to do. If it's money then I'm sorry, that isn't an excuse. There is a shit load of money in the system and I suspect there is a lot of it that can be directed more effectively. So what it boils down to is leadership doing what they are supposed to do, fucking lead!

Listening to the CBC this morning and the issue around traumatic brain injury, also known as TBI, care was in the spotlight. It seems that a few years ago when our provincial government came into power they made grandiose pronouncements around this issue and others that are interrelated to the well being of us. We come to find out that the new health minister hasn't even read the report yet. That's three years with nothing being done of a substantive nature. Are you hearing this? Oh Mr Premier? Look here!!!

You elected men and women have a duty to serve the people of this province, of this country. A sacred duty, that you actually signed up for. It is really that simple. Stop studying the problem and start dealing with the problem. Decide where it is that you want to go and start getting there. Don't tell me or any of the thousands of people that are dealing with a lack of support, bureaucratic red tape, a maze of departments to navigate that we are working towards fixing the problem, because clearly you are not.

There is a lot of pain out there. People are suffering. People are dying. And we ring our hands and send prayers and good wishes. How about sending a few doctors, counsellors and support staff instead. Save your pity, all we want is your hard work, your commitment to make this time better than it was yesterday. Yes, it's not an easy task, I get that, but it's not impossible....so fucking do it.

We can't turn away anymore as a society. It's simply not right. We can do better, we need to do better. In my mind I'm hearing John Mellencamp's song Jackie Brown...

Going nowhere and nowhere fast

We shame ourselves to watch people like this live.