Joe Klein: Since My Father Needed Professional Help At The End Of His Life, Government "Death Panels" Should Be Mandated For <em>Everybody</em>

Jillian Bandes | August 20, 2009 10:40 AM

His piece in Time today is breathtaking in its self-righteous, clouded thinking and inability to look past his own unfortunate circumstances to see compassion for the way others choose to deal with theirs. I'm sorry about your Dad, Klein, but this isn't the time to judge others for their disgust in Big Brother making decisions about life and death.

I may be a grandfather myself, but I'm still just a kid in my dad's mind. Clearly, an independent, professional authority figure was needed. And this is what the "death panels" are all about: making end-of-life counseling free and available through Medicare. (I'd make it mandatory, based on recent experience, but hey, I'm not entirely clearheaded on the subject right now.)