We watch the news and of course USA news is big here because the USA is a big deal around the world. So much so that i think we should be included in being allowed to vote for your President.
But I digress. The big news story is Obama's attempts at reform of your medical system, where so many either don't have medical care or go broke paying for it.
What really puzzles us, makes our mouths drop open, is people banging on about 'if we provide health care for all we will be like Russia.'!!!!
Huh? Are the Americans so paranoid about communism still? Just what are you taught about the rest of the world? Are you taught anything other than to fear and hate? Have the Right so contaminated the system that people truly believe that socialized medicine is evil and next to Communism? That it is only a short step from there to being overrun by the Russians or Chinese?
I am well aware that the news shows what it wants and of course hearing these xenophobes and ignorant twits screaming abuse at those who are trying to take care of ALL people makes for more interesting news.
I also know enough Americans to know that not all think this way. Enough though do otherwise you'd have a civilised health care system. Plus I read enough blogs where this type of twaddle is written. Honestly, there are those who still believe that Obama is really a Muslim terrorist out to undermine the USA. (Those that do undermine the USA are those people who say he is etc)
I recall back in 97 when I stayed in a farm B&B in Maine that the two people who owned it did not have medical insurance and not eligible for Medicare. I was astounded and just hoped they wouldn't get sick. Being humans, I am sure they did and I am equally sure they were stuffed when they did having no means to pay for treatment or for insurance.
I know that were I a USA citizen,I'd be up s**t creek without a paddle. I don't' pay for my treatment or my drugs. If I had to, I'd have to go without. I can't get private health insurance here because of my health. Only well people get it.
As with so many things, only the wealthy get their needs and rights met. This is simply unconscionable.
Fear of Russia is no reason to allow 50 million people to not be cared for. Once the medical system is overhauled, perhaps they could do something about education and get religion out of it! Religion is where this nonsense stems from and I find oh so strange that a country that purports to follow the Prince of Peace (and Love and Compassion and Forgiveness) is a country that allows this wicked state of affairs to exist and also has the barbaric death penalty. I think it no wonder hatred of the Middle East is so strong. The two are much alike.
I mean, so many millions say they believe that a man lived inside a whale? That a man who believed this, (and that we all sprung from a man and woman who only had two sons, one of which was slain), was voted President, leader of the world's most powerful nation, not once, but TWICE!!!
Equalled, almost, by our own Blair who lied and lied and played poodle to your man, who now becomes a RC because he thinks that confessing to a priest and then saying a few prayers absolves him. You only have to see his drawn and haunted face to know that not even he believes this.
The fact that both men purported to be followers of Jesus Christ, and all he stood for, did what they did is astounding. Although nothing new of course.
EDIT: IF YOU ARE GOING TO COMMENT, DO MAKE SURE YOU ACTUALLY READ THIS FIRST!!! THE DISSENTERS CLEARLY DIDN'T READ THE POST AND SHOT OFF THEIR COMMENTS WITHOUT READING PROPERLY. THE POST MAKES IT VERY CLEAR THAT THE WRITER KNOWS NOT ALL AMERICANS THINK ALIKE. DUH! YOU SHOOT YOURSELF IN THE FOOT BY YOUR SLOPPY READING.
Another long stretch, but hoping to be more regular
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11 comments:
You are so right on about all this. There are people who are still, not only saying Obama is a Muslim, but saying he isn't a U.S. citizen, that he wasn't born here, despite having had his birth certificate plastered on the TV screen. There are people here who think, "I've got mine, I don't care about anyone else." There are people here who ARE so paranoid about Russia and they equate allowing the U.S. government to provide anything or control anything with becoming a communist country. Of course, they DO accept their Social Security and Medicare and expect the government to protect them from every kind of fraud or malfeasance at all.
They fall back on the "great" founding fathers. Of course, Benjamin Franklin was a philandering jerk, Thomas Jefferson (and others) thought owning other human beings was just dandy, and there are other juicy items in almost all of their backgrounds. Oh my, oh my. They were human beings, not gods. I also believe that, were they there today with the state of the world, the economies, the technologies, the reality of today's world, their thoughts about exactly HOW this government should be formed would very well be different. Those men were writing and planning for a very different world than the world today.
It would make me absolutely delighted if folks who want the U.S. to completely follow the edicts of the long dead and imperfect founding fathers could, somehow, be transported back in time to enjoy the life under this "perfect" regime.
By the way, we have health insurance, good investments and an OK future. I still think others deserve health insurance and I'm even willing to help pay for it. Shocker that.
They're not just using the British health system as an example, they're also using the Canadian one. Apparently they hired one Ontario woman who said she had to go to the States to get the life-saving care she needed, but when pressed by a Canadian journalist, she admitted the care she needed was not urgent, and merely for an improvement in quality of life. She was on a waiting list I believe.
I bet they're not pillorying the French public health care system, which I have heard is considered the best in the world!
I agree with you all the way. For the "modern Right", fear of China is en vogue, Russia is out (the Chinese already own the USA, they are buying all of our industry, they are going to destroy the USA and so on), Obama not only is a terrorist, he is the new Hitler and the Antichrist, he was not born in the US and his so-called birth certificate is forged (people who believe that are "birthers"... lol), the legislature has Excellent Health Insurance and no interest in giving all Americans the same (with 40 million uninsured pushing into health insurance, we won't have enough Doctors for all), and the "Public Option" (governmental health insurance) is communism, while listening in on phone calls and reading email and observing you via GPS is All American. Meanwhile people camp out for 5 days to get into a health clinic to see a doctor or a dentist, the number of people who rely on food stamps as well as the number of soup kitchens has multiplied, when you lose your job, you lose your health insurance, and if you have a job, you work all year (I get 13 days off per year - 3 sick days and 10 days vacation. This spring I had a flu and a bad bronchitis - guess how much off my vacation is left).
Tell you what: If I had known all this 5 years ago, I would still be writing from Austria.
Glad to see you up and blogging... was the swine flu the swine flu or just the Nasties?
Brigitte
Well i guess I am the disagreeing voice. I wish people would stop thinking that all Americans are afraid of others, I personally don't consider anyone my enemy. I believe in live and let live and I am not afraid of Russia or China, or any other country. And yes Iris they DO accept social security and Medicare, they did pay for it after all with TAXES and should be allowed to receive it, I don't know what country your from but if you are a US citizen and paid Social Security and medicare taxes you will be eligible to collect when you become eligible for them, and I'm sure that you are going to collect them. I don't want universal healthcare for the simple fact that the "middle class" is going to have to foot the bill, as the old saying goes "the rich get richer and the poor have babies and the middle class pays for everything". I didn't vote for Obama and don't care for him at all. He lied to the people in his campaign and what we got was the same old, same old crap. No difference.
Colin didn't generalize and neither did I. He made it clear he was speaking of SOME and so did I. SOME people also like to ignore the "separation of Church and state" whenever it suits them and SOME people think their religious beliefs are the only correct ones.
Operative word here, people: SOME, SOME, SOME
And, the U.S. is NOT perfect. It never was and it never will be. No country is. No man is. No woman is. A wise old man once told me, "Perfection is in the realm of Diety, my dear." I don't know anyone in that realm. Do you?
The last administration fought very hard to create a climate of fear in this country. People are easily led astray if they can be convinced there is something to be afraid of.
It still goes on today. And probably will for a long time. Most people that rant about communism don't even know what it is. It's just that for a few generations it's been a "bad word."
And unfortunately those that are afraid can be whipped into a frenzy of shouting and hatred and blame.... ::heavy sigh:::
Hot topic! Wow. Full disclosure then: I am an American, but I live in Massachusetts and its about as liberal as it gets here. Mass. is a bit different as we are the only state that mandates every citizen have medical insurance. To that end, we have a large number of citizens who receive free/subsidized insurance and the world hasn't spun off its axis yet.
I believe Obama was born here in the U.S. and I do not care whether he is a Muslim, Catholic, Buddhist, Wiccan or Voodoo priest. I wouldn't care if he was gay, straight, bi-sexual, white, tan or any combination of the aforementioned. I judge him soley on his voting record, his decisions he has made and his dog. ;0)
I am however not in support of fully government-controlled medical care/insurance. Our government has a tendency to royally screw up pretty much everything it tries to control...so no, I don't want them taxing me on my health or granting me care based on whether I smoke (I don't), how much I weigh, how much I exercise. The current bill being debated includes this and I find it terrifyingly intrusive and un-American. I believe in privacy and individual rights... but that's just me and culturally how I was raised. It doesn't make it better or superior to any other way of thinking: its just my opinion and my vote.
Do changes need to be made? Absolutely. The poor in our country have better healthcare than our seniors and its ridiculous. The expenses are killing our small businesses and precluding young Americans from trying to break out and start businesses of their own.
Everyone deserves good care and this country can certainly afford to provide that. Its a matter of priorities... another area I am way out of sync on with the current administration.
My mother is Canadian and I have lots of family still in Canada. While their healthcare system is pretty good, I prefer the care that I have. I have an uncle who at the age of 87 has gone blind while waiting for a needed surgery to the one eye he has left. He lost one eye in war. His option? He was considering mortgaging his house and paying out of pocket here in the states for it. He decided against it as his docs told him it wasn't urgent and he would be fine if he waited. They were wrong. He was waiting for laser surgery to stop a bleed behind his eye. It ruptured, now he is blind. My father had this surgery done a few months ago: surgery was within 48 hours of them finding the bleed. So yes, I'm a bit leary of socialized medicine. What it does well, it does great. The other parts scare me. But of course, there are many scary stories here in the US as well.
Stepping off my red, white and blue soap box! Lovely blog, I just found it!
One explanation, though certainly not for every instance, is that the 'health care industry' (yep, that's what they call themselves) is spending a LOT of money to produce TV commercials ramping up the fear and disinformation. The latest message is that a provision in the health care bill which would pay the doctor to give counseling on end of life issues, like living wills, hospices, etc., and making a record of the patient's preferences is actually a government plot to kill old people. I suppose if I truly believed that someone wanted to kill off my mother that I'd be up in arms as well.
Some people seem to be easily led or don't engage in critical thinking. If everyone followed the money trail, they'd see who would be benefit from keeping the status quo, the fat cat CEOs and not regular people.
(stepping off soapbox now.)
Hi,
I am an American without health insurance. Here, too, only the healthy can get private insurance, and if you do get some, it precludes all pre-existing conditions. So if one has chronic conditions, up creek, no paddle. I am currently unemployed and have found many creative ways to get the meds I need for my "pre-existing conditions". Currently knitting socks for my father-in-law, toe up, upside-down flap heel, orange and black for Halloween. He loves my hand knit socks.
Julie
Colin,
Thank you! I'm from the US and I think we need to be practical as you Brits have been for decades now! The bottom line is that no matter how you frame it, we all pay for it when our fellow human beings do not receive the basics of humanity, be it healthcare, a living wage or simply justice.
When our fellows can't pay for healthcare after receiving it, the cost gets raised to make up the difference- except that instead of the hospital, dr or patient benefitting, the money goes to the insurance company that- very crudely put- has an incentive to give us as little real healthcare as possible- in some cases even if that means death.
So, which do we prefer? Business as usual which cleat isn't working, or a relatively fair and orderly way to provide one of the basics of human existence to our comunity?
And, BTW, rendering medical care to those referred to as "illegal aliens" protects us all from illness! So let's not even get on that xenophobic soapbox!!
There are good ideas in capitalism and socialism alike- why not make use of them?
Oh I could go on and on!
Colin, I have to agree with you. As an aged Canadian, I could tell you some pretty disgusting things about our health care so-called free system. However, having a couple of recently diagnosed conditions, and my age (71), and a history of cancer, all mean that I am using the system much more than I did just a few years ago. No way I could afford to pay for it all, so in spite of the long waits, hard to get appointments, etc. etc., I must say it's better than no care at all, which is what I could afford now that I am retired.
Having said that, the main problem with our system is the over population of governmental bureaucrats in the health care system. Should we decide to allow business administrators to take charge, people who have experience in managing such a large scale undertaking, rather than a group of doctors who know nothing about it, and pare down the dead wood who are costing us millions and pulling in salaries just for showing up on occasion, then our system would finally be one that everyone wishes to imitate.
You are such a wise person, you put into words what I am thinking and every time I read your blog I find myself nodding yes, yes and yes! You manage to put into words some of the ideas floating around in my head, and I thank you for that!
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