Something For Nothing?

[Guest Shirley_Crabtree]

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/030825/325/e6u9k.html

Ingrid Nicholls,46 is up in arms because she needs a prosthetic leg/foot and has been offered a white one on the NHS.....the problem?...she purports to be black!!!

I saw her various times on telly today and I wouldn't even say she is black...she is at least half-cast...can't she just settle for the cheaper "white" option and wear dark tights???

The cost to tax payers for a "black model"....£3,000!!!

The funny thing is that since the story broke,the hospital has caved in and agreed to cough up the extra dough for a colour-matched replacement limb!!

And my point?

My point is that people queue for vital operations...they PRAY for transplant oppertunities....If I lost a limb and was offered a replacement,whatever colour ..I'd gratefully accept it.

If she had a heart defect and was offered a white persons donor heart do you think she'd be as fussy???

And before you ask I'm definiteley not a racist...but when people use THEIR race as an issue in OUR country to receive preferential and expensive treatment...I get a bit angry. :angry:

[AlanHo]

Well said - I agree 100%

[andsome]

What annoys me more than this, is free infertility treatment. There are thousands of kids who would be grateful for a good home, but some women insist that it is a God given right to give birth themselves. I feel sure that if given a choice should the need arise, then these self same women would opt for a new heart rather than a fertilised egg. Which is the most important, a life saved, or the faint possibility of a new life which nature did not intend should happen?

[artist]

I'm a bit shocked at what you have said, shirl.

So it would be ok for a white woman to have no choice but to accept a 'black' leg??? ( That sounds surreal)

It's a different issue for a man as they are mostly in trousers. It could be soul destroying to have a limb that was the wrong colour. Looks DO count.

As for the racist twaddle - and it was - don't forget that there are hell of a lot of multi-coloured people who were actually born here. Are they not entitled too?

I think you were probably referring to all the freeloading refugees who come here and others who DO just come for treatment. I don't go with that either.

[AlanHo]

andsome

You are ignoring the dilemma of the 15 to 16 year olds whose total ambition is to climb onto the compensation wagon by becoming single mothers. It must be devastating for them if they can't.

Good old NHS to the recue except that I believe the minimum age for treatment has been set at 23 - but why - it seems so unfair.

[Redhat]

In a class debate I expressed a view that I didn't really have too much respect for "people that sit in their torn bown chairs all day, not even looking for a job."

BTW my mum was on jobseekers allowance at the time. The company before had folded, but she was JOB SEEKING. Not sitting on her arse.

Of course 2 or 3 people in the class started to shout, and one or 2 cried. I felt confused, sorry but what was wrong with what I said?

It blew over but theres one or two people in my form, whom I guess must have parents like I described, that think I'm a snob. Even though they live in a semi-detached compared to our terraced house, and they have DJ decks... I always wanted decks :rolleyes:

[Guest LB]

i'm a bit confused on this one and cannot make up my mind either way...on the one hand (or foot if really insensitive) i think that its a criminal waste of money but on the other i think that the poor woman would look a tad strange with one brown leg and one white one.

What annoys me more than this, is free infertility treatment. There are thousands of kids who would be grateful for a good home, but some women insist that it is a God given right to give birth themselves. I feel sure that if given a choice should the need arise, then these self same women would opt for a new heart rather than a fertilised egg. Which is the most important, a life saved, or the faint possibility of a new life which nature did not intend should happen?

What utter drivel.....i take it that you were lucky enough to concieve naturally andsome and have healthy wonderful kids of your own....if that is the case the good luck to you and i wish you all the best, i too am one of those fortunate enough to be in that situation. However what about those who for whatever reason can't (naturally) have children? would you seriously deny them the pleasure of raising a child and all the love and happiness that it brings for the sake of a couple of thousand pounds?

make a stand against the real criminals, the drug companies that charge ridiculous amounts of money for the courses of medication.....

In a class debate I expressed a view that I didn't really have too much respect for "people that sit in their torn bown chairs all day, not even looking for a job."

BTW my mum was on jobseekers allowance at the time. The company before had folded, but she was JOB SEEKING. Not sitting on her arse.

Of course 2 or 3 people in the class started to shout, and one or 2 cried. I felt confused, sorry but what was wrong with what I said?

It blew over but theres one or two people in my form, whom I guess must have parents like I described, that think I'm a snob. Even though they live in a semi-detached compared to our terraced house, and they have DJ decks... I always wanted decks

i am a self confessed snob, people that sit on their backsides sponging off of the rest of us really really annoy me.....good on you redhat for having such high principles at such a young age and long may it continue....

You are ignoring the dilemma of the 15 to 16 year olds whose total ambition is to climb onto the compensation wagon by becoming single mothers. It must be devastating for them if they can't.

i think that that is a tad unfair alan, most teenagers dont purposefully get pregnant, and it is a sad reflection on todays society and education system when so many do. I think that we should give youth a chance instead of always thinking the worst.......(can you really see redhat pregnant at 16????? and don't give me none of this he's a boy rubbish!!!)

[Damo]

i'm a bit confused on this one and cannot make up my mind either way...on the one hand (or foot if really insensitive) i think that its a criminal waste of money but on the other i think that the poor woman would look a tad strange with one brown leg and one white one.

What annoys me more than this, is free infertility treatment. There are thousands of kids who would be grateful for a good home, but some women insist that it is a God given right to give birth themselves. I feel sure that if given a choice should the need arise, then these self same women would opt for a new heart rather than a fertilised egg. Which is the most important, a life saved, or the faint possibility of a new life which nature did not intend should happen?

What utter drivel.....i take it that you were lucky enough to concieve naturally andsome and have healthy wonderful kids of your own....if that is the case the good luck to you and i wish you all the best, i too am one of those fortunate enough to be in that situation. However what about those who for whatever reason can't (naturally) have children? would you seriously deny them the pleasure of raising a child and all the love and happiness that it brings for the sake of a couple of thousand pounds?

make a stand against the real criminals, the drug companies that charge ridiculous amounts of money for the courses of medication.....

In a class debate I expressed a view that I didn't really have too much respect for "people that sit in their torn bown chairs all day, not even looking for a job."

BTW my mum was on jobseekers allowance at the time. The company before had folded, but she was JOB SEEKING. Not sitting on her arse.

Of course 2 or 3 people in the class started to shout, and one or 2 cried. I felt confused, sorry but what was wrong with what I said?

It blew over but theres one or two people in my form, whom I guess must have parents like I described, that think I'm a snob. Even though they live in a semi-detached compared to our terraced house, and they have DJ decks... I always wanted decks

i am a self confessed snob, people that sit on their backsides sponging off of the rest of us really really annoy me.....good on you redhat for having such high principles at such a young age and long may it continue....

You are ignoring the dilemma of the 15 to 16 year olds whose total ambition is to climb onto the compensation wagon by becoming single mothers. It must be devastating for them if they can't.

i think that that is a tad unfair alan, most teenagers dont purposefully get pregnant, and it is a sad reflection on todays society and education system when so many do. I think that we should give youth a chance instead of always thinking the worst.......(can you really see redhat pregnant at 16????? and don't give me none of this he's a boy rubbish!!!)

LB...I'm impressed!!

Thats the best post I've seen of yours yet!!

You seem to think along the same lines as me on this one..........especially Andsome's post! :angry:

[Guest Nellie2]

Damo ditto :)

[artist]

What annoys me more than this, is free infertility treatment.  There are thousands of kids who would be grateful for a good home, but some women insist that it is a God given right to give birth themselves.  I feel sure that if given a choice should the need arise, then these self same women would opt for a new heart rather than a fertilised egg.  Which is the most important, a life saved, or the faint possibility of a new life which nature did not intend should happen?

I have a daughter who has spent thousands on treatment - with no success. You need to see the disappointment of the few to realise how upsetting the situation is.

You have children with children - count your blessings!

[Guest Shirley_Crabtree]

As for the racist twaddle  - and it was - don't forget that there are hell of a lot of multi-coloured people who were actually born here. Are they not entitled too?

I think you were probably referring to all the freeloading refugees who come here and others  who DO just come for treatment. I don't go with that either.

Are you suggesting that I AM indeed a racist???

I hate racism in all its shapes and guises...I truly do.

But when I see black people USING their colour to moan about our,already underfunded, NHS system I get a bit annoyed!!

It doesn't matter to me where she was born,I couldn't care less!!

I am aware that she is a is a nice person who has lived here all her life!!!!

What gets my goat is the fact that she feels she has been poorly treated by the system....not because of her predicament...but because of her colour.

I'll try to stress my point again....She's not black...she's half cast...at the very least....She could've accepted a honky leg replacement and dressed it up with 1 leg of a pair of tights.....She ought to accept that this is better than living with a manky leg or indeed death!!

I lost my Grandma and Grandad this year....they didn't have a transplant option,whatever colour!!

Cheers.

Shirl.

[Guest Shirley_Crabtree]

I'm a bit shocked at what you have said, shirl.

So it would be ok for a white woman to have no choice but to accept a 'black' leg??? ( That sounds surreal)

It's a different issue for a man as they are mostly in trousers. It could be soul destroying to have a limb that was the wrong colour. Looks DO count.

As for the racist twaddle  - and it was - don't forget that there are hell of a lot of multi-coloured people who were actually born here. Are they not entitled too?

I think you were probably referring to all the freeloading refugees who come here and others  who DO just come for treatment. I don't go with that either.

Well done for talking out of your "chuff hole"

The fact is that we are a predomitary "white race "in this country!! I accept people from other backgrounds with open arms...but I accept racist accusations with scorn...Think what you may....I'm no racist

When I was a kid one of my best friends was black....I just never noticed....He was the only negro in my school envoirenment.....and I just saw him as another classmate.

[artist]

Your protests are coming on a bit strong, Shirl. You brought the subject up - you can't expect everybody to agree with you - especally about the blatent attitude that a white leg is ok on a black person.

Given the same situation the other way around - I would DEFINATELY not be happy to have no choice in the colour of the artificial limb!!

Sad about you grandparents - we all have our personal problems but try not to let them colour our lives too much.

[artist]

I just want to add that I wouldn't dream of calling you a racist - I have no idea what you're like off the forum!

[Damo]

I think the point Shirl is trying to make, and you hit upon it artist, is think of the roles being reversed.

If (God Forgive) something happened to me and it meant I lost a leg, I would just be grateful for any kind of artificial leg, which would undoubtidly improve my life, it wouldn't matter what colour it was, whether it be pink, blue, black, brown, yellow or white!

I would take a bleeding peg leg!

I certainly wouldn't be kicking up such a fuss when given the current state off our countrys National Health Service, she should be thankful that she's one of the lucky few given the chance to improve her quality of life!

Damo

[artist]

I think the point Shirl is trying to make, and you hit upon it artist, is think of the roles being reversed.

If (God Forgive) something happened to me and it meant I lost a leg, I would just be grateful for any kind of artificial leg, which would undoubtidly improve my life, it wouldn't matter what colour it was, whether it be pink, blue, black, brown, yellow or white!

I would take a bleeding peg leg!

I certainly wouldn't be kicking up such a fuss when given the current state off our countrys National Health Service, she should be thankful that she's one of the lucky few given the chance to improve her quality of life!

Damo

Up to a point, it's true that any limb is better than none.

But we have had multi-coloured people here for YEARS - why on earth has there never been a choice - or have we (white?) people been the only ones with a choice?

I agree with your point about the NHS - it's lamentable - and we as a family have had plenty of cause for complaint. But if a person qualifies for treatment then it should be at least halfway good enough.

[Guest LB]

perhaps we should look at the cost of treating people like Ian Huntley and Liam Brady, Myrah Hindley and others and then say where the NHS is poorly focussed.

I see nothing wrong in requesting an artificial limb that is the same colour as the rest of your body.....look at the real costs involved for using a different coloured material and then look at the costs involved in treating scum like those mentioned above and tell me with real honesty who is wrong?

Another scenario to imagine is that the lady mentioned is coming out of a pub dressed in a skirt on a saturday night out and meets your typical english yob...what is the price of the bullying and harrasment that she will endure for simply being different....

[Redhat]

Don't know if I've missed it - but why is a black artifical leg more expensive than a white?

[artist]

Don't know if I've missed it - but why is a black artifical leg more expensive than a white?

I've obviously missed that too.

[peter e]

I can sympathise with a black person being offered a white NHS leg, however, the point is that the NHS offer whatever will do the job without any frills. If you want anything more cosmetically suitable, you have to go private and pay for it yourself.

Should the NHS pay for the best that is available? This family think so...Link.

[Sir T Fireball]

Only time I would gladly accept a black replacement would be if the wife did a Wayne Bobbett on me :D

[artist]

Not happy with things as they are, then?? :lol:

[Sir T Fireball]

always looking to upgrade :P ;)

[Guest spikeychris]

Three grand...yeah right, not in this life time. Don't know where the figure came from but I was told that it costs pence not pounds for a different colour. If I was black, white, yellow or whatever and I paid into the NHS I would expect the right colour bleeding leg!!. This has been grabbed by the press and turned into a farce, unfortunately it caters for the less than bright members of society.

[artist]

always looking to upgrade  :P  ;)

:lol: :lol: