WAITING TIMES FOR MEDICAL CARE???

New York Times:

"Publicly supported dental clinics have months-long waiting lists even for people who need major surgery for decayed teeth. At the pediatric clinic managed by the state-supported University of Florida dental school, for example, low-income children must wait six months for surgery.

In some cases, the results of poor dental care have been deadly. A child in Mississippi and another in Maryland died this year from infections caused by decayed teeth."

Yes, and you thought waiting times for medical care only happened in horrible countries like North Korea, Myanmar, or Sweden.

Seriously, though, there is no shortage of dentists - for people who care afford to pay them.

But since, unlike even other forms of medical care, there are no means for poor people to pay, or get it covered, they simply do without. Only we're not talking about luxuries like an SUV, cable tv, or diabetic check ups. It's basic medical care - and we're leaving a whole group of people behind. These are Americans, if not compassion, how about self-interest and patriotism?

If only the Pentagon could invent a bomb that fixed people's teeth. There'd be no limit to what would we spend...