Sorry for making the pedantic point. The executive branch values life (say, in case of an Amtrak accident or a National Rail accident) so I used ‘government’ as synonymous to ‘executive’ branch hence the distinction.

Of course, technically those two and the legislative comprise the government but we were discussing that specific thing hence… Sorry.

“..courts are part of the govt. too”.

No, no, they are not.

The independence of the judiciary is one of the key cornerstones of the UK and the Indian ways of structuring constitutional governance. That politicians – not government, not parliament – try to influence them in India is very sad; that the judiciary gets influenced is sadder still. But courts are meant to be and in the UK, are independent of the government.

If the government disagrees with a court judgement, e.g in case of the BAE and Serious Fraud Office case in the UK, they can apply to appeal and if they are allowed, they can appeal the decision in a higher court.

The higher court can also reject the government’s appeal as happened here:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2005/dec/21/iraq.iraq

So the courts are very much _not_ the government, I am afraid..

PS: Let’s see if the Gravatar appears now. Thanks for your patience with my experimenting and thanks for the advice.

Shefaly: I agree that doctors have to treat everyone, in theory. There are ways that they can refer patients to others – for suspected other issues, for instance. For instance, lots of things, trust me, can be blamed on a suspected dental infection
Courts putting values on dead people is what I mean – courts are part of the govt. too
And hey, your gravatar seems to be working fine in my Dashboard, so I guess it will start appearing in future comments. Why it doesn’t show up already in the comments section is a mystery.

manuscrypts: Oh yes, the operating word being “business” of saving lives Like in every business, they follow the money

nefariousoutlook: Welcome, new commenter! Thanks for the compliments. Keep visiting:)

Kamini: The ex-wife does appear to be someone not easily swayed by emotion She knows our doctor well!

I am testing that new Gravatar advice from you. Please delete this message. Thanks.

This new measure will also interest you.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7520705.stm

There is no such thing as easy money or a free lunch (except at one’s parents’ house!).