I agree with your points. Medical security (within the scope of reasonable medical practices and expectations) and legal security (being able to mount a reason

I agree with your points. Medical security (within the scope of reasonable medical practices and expectations) and legal security (being able to mount a reasonable defense to occasionally quite unreasonable circumstances). I've experienced the medical situation first hand. And, it is a slippery slope. Untreated or poorly treated -- or "put off" -- one problem can lead to second, and the next, and a spiraling decay of health. And health is the foundation upon which all else is built. It seems ridiculous that a society the professes to and insists upon "the best" from its members, makes so little concerted effort to foster that foundation. And, unfortunately, in a society that seems to be increasingly focused on the self and attitudes centered around some sort of zero sum gain perspective, reasonableness and compromise seems to be supplanted with legal warfare. Where, like all warfare, (personal) resources play a primary role in determining outcome. There were things I wanted to achieve, but they were never focused on financial outcome, until I fell increasingly behind these eight balls. Simple things -- the beauty of a day and place; good company; the comfort and well-being to fully enjoy these -- have always been the most enjoyable to me. The creative focus and accomplishment I used to experience before the health issues increasingly limited it -- and it used to be strongest when what I did helped someone else. I've had to rethink some of my early education and training -- and it has not been an easy course. Because generosity, while still a primary force in the world at large, is NOT always reciprocated. And these days, it is increasingly NOT a reliable rule in areas that have a primary, profound effect upon our lives. And THIS, perhaps, is a real sign of decay in our society. Or, I was raised under a delusion borne of some short-term aberration in how the world works. Either way, I reflect more often on the adage: You can't take care of others until you've taken care of yourself. Perhaps I still don't want to consider that as primarily a financial dictate. Neither, however, do I any longer wish to have financial constraints threaten my ability to take care of the basics in this regard, for myself or for my family.