The Bourgeoisie Part 2

I used to admire SC Governor Mark Sanford. Admired him when no one else did. Respected him when no one else did. But recently he has become a pain in my ass. He is showing that his power has gone to his head. He is now pond scum in my book. He is a member of the bourgeoisie.

You see, Mark has decided that the judges in SC Worker's Comp cases are giving away too much state money. He wants it to stop. He wants to review all of the cases adjudicated for Worker's Comp. Not only is this a blatant violation of the separation of the Executive and Judicial branches of government, a slap in the face to the Constitution - it has slowed down the WC caseload to a standstill. Why do I care?

For that, I have to tell you a little story. Once upon a time, there was a man who had worked since he was 14. He didn't have a high school diploma/GED until he was 25. Yet he worked his way up in the public service - first the Air Force, then the fire service, then as a paramedic - to become a highly respected practitioner in his field. He saved many lives. He learned his trade well. And - he loved doing it.

One day, though, he got hurt at work. It took a year to find a doctor under Worker's Comp to even figure out what had happened. By the time the doctor did the surgery, he literally had to use a crowbar to pry the paramedic's spine apart - that was how badly it had been crushed. But the doctor put in a platinum cage, and some cadaver's bones, and pieced the paramedic's spine together. The paramedic - after another half a year - went back to the work he loved.

Then he fell. Another year of fighting doctors and Worker's Comp to get the treatment, even the diagnosis, he needed. Every doctor denied that he had a broken hip. His muscles atrophied. He was in extreme pain. Once again, he found a doctor to 'fix' him. Surprise! The surgery revealed that he had a 1-inch piece of bone from the break, revolving around in his hip socket. By that time, of course, he was a cripple. A year after the surgery, he is still on timed-release morphine as well as oxycontin. He cannot work - he cannot stay awake, most of the time. He can barely walk. He is deteriorating rapidly. His employer finally allowed him his disability pension. Social Security (as they do everyone, of course) will not give him one penny; he is on his third appeal. And still Worker's Comp not only insists that he is faking, but that he must go back to work!

27 years of saving lives in the Fire Departments and Emergency Medical Services of this state, and the state wants to kick him to the curb and tell him he's faking. A guy who has worked his whole life, usually two and three jobs at a time, and still took the time to raise a family, support a wife, and even create artistry in fiberglas and wood... in his 'spare' time. A guy who doesn't know what to do with himself, who is physically and mentally deteriorating, who would do anything to be free of pain and work again... but can't.

And Governor Mark Sanford thinks he needs to review these cases because Worker's Comp is giving away too much money?

Bite me, Mark. Go back to your million-dollar estate in Beaufort County, and call the Air Station and complain because the jets driven by 'our boys' are making too much noise for your guests to enjoy themselves. But call me, a little working-class, no-account constituent first - so I can come over and kick your ass. Your arrogant bourgeois sorry ass.