“The Hospital Deal Tastes Good Like A Cigarette Should”: The Clinic's Big Lie

Here in Lakewood we have been presented with a false narrative. It is a narrative that is being told country-wide by what is called the Medical Industrial Complex. It is a narrative that is not motivated by what care is best for our population, but by greed. It is the same greed that has overnight increased the prices for life-saving drugs by 2000% and more.

To support the lie, it needs to be packaged and sold to the public. We see corporations sell their positions, true and false to the public every day. Radio stations always claim they play more music, less talk. It is rarely true. “Winston tastes good like a cigarette should.”  Remember that one? Who believes that today?

Like all corporations, The Clinic spends lavishly to support their narrative. We saw this in the past election. If what they said in their teleconferences, push polls and printed propaganda was true, they would have won 90% of the vote. You have to spend a lot more money when your message is false. 

The firm the Clinic hired to carry out this propaganda campaign has done it before. They look upon all of us on both sides of the hospital issue like pawns. Their desire is to use us in ways that spread the Clinic’s false narrative so the Clinic can make more money.

The truth is simple. The Clinic has violated our lease agreement.

Their plan to close our hospital will torpedo our community’s economy. This scheme to close our hospital will endanger lives. What they call an "emergency center" is a Doc in a Box. “We play more music, less talk.” "Winston tastes good like a cigarette should.” We’ve heard it before. We know the truth. The Cleveland Clinic is all about the money, not about what’s best for our community’s health.

Everyone in Lakewood needs to stand together and tell the Clinic that we are no longer going to allow ourselves to be pawns. We know that cigarettes will kill you. Call your council members and city officials and tell them not to believe the lie. Call the members of the Lakewood Hospital Association and tell them that we are not pawns, that we know what the truth is and we expect our lease to be honored.  

Let's stop the cold, dark corporate hand that intends to ruin our community. 

Kevin Young has been a Lakewood resident since 1986.