Posted on 02/28/2018 10:39:27 AM PST by Morgana
FULL TITLE: Unclaimed bodies pile up as opioid overdose death rates soar and burial costs overwhelm the government
Unclaimed bodies are piling up across the US as state and local governments struggle to keep up with payments to the funeral homes that spend thousands to bury them.
A 2004 report estimated that there are 40,000 unclaimed bodies stored in morgues across the US, and experts say that number has risen dramatically in recent years in part due to the opioid crisis.
More than 115 people die from opioid overdoses each day, and the most affected populations are those in lower income groups who are less likely to leave money behind to cover burial costs.
Funeral homes across the US have been overwhelmed by the number of bodies that need to be taken care of as they shoulder the cost and wait for government reimbursement.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
The symbolism is very bad for a Christian. It seems wrong to me too, although I can’t point to a specific Biblical prohibition. Many people who wouldn’t otherwise consider cremation are opting for it now due to cost, a traditional funeral and burial is well into five figures now.
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The oppiod crisis in particular is mainly due to the fact, doctors and drug companies INTENTIONALLY turned these people into addicts. These aren’t kids who experiment and get beyond their ability to control, these are people prescribed some of the most addictive substances known by doctors... and the drug companies flat out lied about the addiction risks... Then when the prescriptions run out, they fall back on street drugs if they aren’t wealthy enough to buy a doctor to write them more scripts...
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Intentionally? No culpability to the ambulance chasers\judges? The iron fist of GOVT?
IMO, it’s a re-take on the govt 1-2, like the home lending: “Lend more to the ‘poor’ or we’ll do bad things to you”. Banks lend to the ‘poor’, ‘poor’ can’t/won’t pay back, govt goes “Look! Predator lending. Now we’ll have to do XYZ to ‘fix’ the problem”
Lather, rinse, repeat.
‘Poor’ (favored class) get what they don’t deserve
Banks get the shaft coming/going
Govt gets bigger\more involved in life
Rights\Freedom\etc. suffer
As for ‘education’, when did that become anyone’s problem but the PATIENT/user??
Does nobody have any responsibility anymore? Maybe 2 brain-cells to rub together and go “Doc says these are for pain. They MAY be more than I need. Maybe I should try 1/4 or 1/2 and see what it does”
Or, heaven forbid, *ring* “Hey doc, I followed the directions, but, you know, after the single dose, I don’t feel right/I didn’t like what it did to me. Anything we can do?”
But, ya, maybe we do need an ‘act of Congress’ to give We the People another ‘one fits all *solution*’....all the others have worked SO well. ‘Cuz nothing solves ‘problems’ more than a bill from the brain-trust within D.C., right? Hint: THEY too get kick-backs, I mean ‘contributions’ *wink*. Let alone WRITE their own bill, or read, or debate, or follow...
I'm as addictive as they come. I was a daily drunk for more than 20 years. Tobacco user as well.
But I'm not completely stupid, nor uninformed.
I recently had a shoulder replaced, my arm and body hurt, the doctors gave me one Oxy pill on the way out the door, and a full bottle to take at home.
I put the oxy aside, took a half-dozen Tylenol a day for a few days, soon had it down to four, then to two.
Every story is different. But I could just as fairly say to you: Blaming the doctor or the pharmaceuticals speaks to the condition of your brain, not theirs.
Tell that to the millions burned when the Black Death stalked Europe.
Again, I contend the Bible’s New Testament has no prohibition against cremation.
But, please, should you find one be sure to pass it along.
New York City maintains a "potter's field" on Hart Island, a little island in New York Harbor where they do exactly that, for every corpse unclaimed by relatives within 30 days. And they use jail inmates to dig the graves.
“This is incorrect. “
Thank you for that clarification.
My Catechism predates the change:)
The Opioid Crisis is also backdooring a soft form of gun control.
Many parents and probably grandparents are housing their recovering sons and daughters - and are being forced to move their guns off-site to satisfy probation and parole requirements.
On the surface, this may seem well meaning and for the safety of the visiting officers.
But given the scope of this crisis - taken as a whole - that’s a lot of people who committed no crime at all - who are now restricted.
Is it a problem? - Im not sure - but something I hear more and more about.
There were probably a minority of physicians who were unethical and had pill mills. Most likely .01% of the physician population. However, the vast majority of opioid addicted people would be addicted to something else if they could not get their drugs. Heroin users are in a younger age range, too young to have chronic pain requiring a physician interaction.
It is the “ blame someone else” mentality in this country that cannot accept personal decisions as their own and take responsibility for their own poor choices.
As for what I have seen, heroin abusers are low life losers. They are not the cuddly sob story the media trots out.
Don't forget the cardboard body boxes. They are stacked 3 wide and 2 high.
I wonder if they are still paying the inmates $24 per day?
End loader.
Ditch.
Problem solved.
L
“Christians could never be creamated or ever encourage it.”
They’re not supposed to be drug addicts, either.
L
“The fact is, while the Catholic Catechism forbids cremation, “
It has NOT forbidden cremation for many years.
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Come to think of it, we can start whiteman sacred burial grounds around the indian casinos. That’s get em!
You make an excellent point. I would only add that each corpse designated for cremation have a DNA sample taken and filed prior to shipping out for service. That way, any future claims or potential claims of relation can be tested properly.
Institute drug laws such as Indonesia’s (death penalty,life in prison) the “problem” will fade away. The fight of addiction is a separate winnable battle and easier if the “pushers”/dealers are dealt with. This is another sickness that there are those who have no inclination to solve the problem.
Nowadays people who want to grow government for right-wing purposes claim they're "conservative." They're not.
...too young to have chronic pain...
Sorry, but there is no age requirement to be a chronic pain sufferer.
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My RA pain started when I was about 8, my back pain when I was about 12, and severe nerve pain about 2 weeks before my 26th birthday. About 75% of my life in pain, mostly untreated and when it was treated the medications caused a lot more problems and did nothing for the pain. These were NOT pain pills but other medication used “off label” because “some” people had relief but caused me nothing but grief.
the hell with “funerals”: spend the confiscated drug money on a small number of regional, government owned/operated crematoriums in each state and get rid of the unwanted bodies quickly and cheaply that way. Put the ashes in cardboard boxes and store for a year, and if not claimed within the year, then toss them in the trash.
“Christians could never be creamated or ever encourage it.”
what about folks who are not Christians are not known to be Christians, would cremation be OK for them?
“they have nothing left and no family who wants to claim them when they die”
to me, that tells me their value to society isn’t worth us paying extra tax dollars to dispose of their sorry remains ...
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