Pay your own way for a better life.

     In December of 1997, I was released from a hospital to live in Westmont, Illinois.  I had about $15,000 in the bank; but, even so, I faced a dilemma.  I could go to the government health center that the hospital had insisted on "linking" me to.  Or, I could pay my own money to see a private psychiatrist.  The public, government system would hand out "free" medicine, but force me to attend gatherings of incompetents called "groups".  The top of the line drug that I had sampled in the hospital (Zyprexa) would be excluded because it cost more than $600 per month.  And, Depakote might be restricted as well.

I knew that if I paid for: a private doctor, Zyprexa, and the lower cost Depakote, I would have almost no spending money--even with maintaining a full-time job.  I chose the path less traveled, and have not regretted it since.

Over the years, as I begged for extra hours at work, I would go through the ritual of driving over to the pharmacy to pay my $600+, then $900+, then over $1000 per month for psychiatric medicine.

In 2005, I began blogging in Usenet News.  I opened up about the Zyprexa medication in 2007.  I thought I could use the mind that Eli Lilly & Co. (LLY) had enhanced to think of ideas that would help the company.  As an Objectivist Capitalist, I allied with Big Business; but, I never thought that my online efforts would produce a significant economic return for me.

I started showing the private psychiatrist my blogs.  Every two months, I would hand her a folder with everything I had posted.  One day, she brought up the topic of Zyprexa samples that the Eli Lilly drug rep brings when he visits her office.  At first I refused because I took pride in supporting myself; and, besides, I was skeptical that it would work out becoming a free-rider.  A couple sessions later, I approached the doctor with an offer.  I said that I would focus my blogging on helping Eli Lilly in one way or another (much of my writing is political) in exchange for accepting samples of Zyprexa.

Thus, despite the fact that government forced me to consume psychiatric medication that whole time, I was self-responsible in earning money in a private job, paying my own way for medicines, and finding a second job as an Internet blogger.  I am proud of my history and the fact that I stand by my own effort.  After the years of physical and mental abuse by the government, I never thought that life could be this great!

Paul Wharton
Objectivist Capitalist Medicine Promoter