Wise Old Mechanic

In a remote town along a lonely stretch of road miles deep into the desert of Nevada, there was a single service station tended to by a friendly older gentleman who happened to be an exceedingly great automotive mechanic. This man, always making a habit of making friendly conversation with each person that stopped in by asking what they did for a living and so on, had on occasion been known to really help individuals out when they mentioned that they were out of work or having a hard time keeping enough hours. By "really helping them out," I mean he would often do their repairs free of charge only charging them the price of the parts required.

One day there was an individual that stopped in at his quiet little shop complaining that his engine light had been on for several miles. He also explained that this was the only service station he had seen since it first lit up. The old man began to examine under the hood when he asked the customer, "So what do you do for a living?"
The man explained that he was a doctor.

Upon hearing this, the old mechanic closed the hood, looked at the man and explained, "Well, your check engine light is on and you will need to schedule an appointment with a specialist. Now this visit will only cost you $850 although the interest rates will be rather steep. On a side note, I can almost promise you the car will die before you make it to the next town with a garage."

At this the doctor was extremely surprised at the sudden change in demeanor from the old man and this rather ridiculous charge for simply stating back what he already knew. So he looked at the old man and in a serious tone he asked, "why on earth should I pay you so much money for you to just tell me what I already know and furthermore why are you sending me away from here without fixing my car for me?"

Then the old mechanic explained the whole situation. You see some years back, the old man had driven his wife many miles from this remote location to a hospital. The doctors took a look at her and then told the old couple that she needed to go see a specialist that she would need to schedule an appointment for one. These doctors were unable to offer any sort of a diagnosis other than the fact that she was pretty sick. Well the old man made the appointment however, his wife passed away before the appointment date came. Later a bill came in the mail from the one hospital visit for $850 and the man nearly lost his small garage over the outrageous interest that was charged.

Realizing there was no hope in the man having a change of heart the doctor drove off in search of another garage. His car indeed did break down before he reached one. The old man's wife had an infection that a few shots of antibiotic could have cured and the doctor only needed a couple quarts of oil added to his engine. Although this story is not technically true, it is a true representation of the blight that our current health care system is under. Blue collar Americans will never stoop to their level but this is what it would look like if they did!