In my area things have a slightly different twist. When I moved here 8 years ago the ER wait wasn't bad - there might be 1-2 other people there. My wife got seen within an hour when she had to go. But then our town became a destination for illegal aliens...

Last year I tore a muscle in my chest and did some other damage. I was in extreme pain - I couldn't stand up straght and my daughter had to drive me there. When we arrived I was told that i would be waiting 4-5 hours... and there were no chairs empty. A quick evaluation of the situation revealed that one would have had to speak spanish to have gotten a conversation in that room even though I live in North Georgia. The room was full - standing room only - of Mexicans and similar, and it's a fair bet that very few if any of them were here legally because that is the actual situation in our town. The next time you think illegal aliens aren't hurting anyone, try going to an ER in a place where illegals gather. They don't bother with the laws and they don't bother with insurance so any health care issue results in a trip to the ER.

Just a week ago I broke a toe - it was sticking 90 degrees left - at 3:30 in the morning. I quickly thought it over and, knowing that I HAD to be in the office by 9:00 for a presentation, I realized that I didn't have time for a 4-5 hour wait for my toe to be reset and treated while the Mexicans got cough syrup and ointment, so I finally made the decision and (before I could talk myself out of it) I grabbed my toe and reset it myself. I taped it up, took a leftover pain pill, put an ice pack on it and went back to bed, and was at work on time. %$#@! thing still hurts...

Now let's see how many people howl and call me intolerant or something similar for telling the truth....