Re: OT Atlas Shrugged.

[tourman <robercampbell@xxxxxxxxx>]

On Aug 27, 9:04=A0am, "Robert L Bass" <Sa...@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:
> "Jim" wrote:
>
> >> Hmm. Obama has been President of the United States for less than one s=
chool
> >> year. When did this course take place?
>
> > Yeah, I was wondering the same thing.
>
> Apparently, Snopes has debunked the story though it was a good way to
> illustrate your point, even if we disagree on the matter.
>
> > Also, if he's so much for the achiever being rewarded and the slackers =
not,
> > how come he never failed anyone? Sounds socialistic to me.
>
> I was not aware that he never failed anyone. =A0Is that something he said=
 or
> something someone else said about him?
>
> > But anyway, even if it's hypothetical ..... =A0I thought it was a good =
example
> > of how socialism affects the populace.
>
> Maybe so, but we disagree about Obama being a socialist. =A0Our society i=
s a mix
> of capitalist and socialist systems. =A0We have Social Security, Medicare=
 and
> Medicaid, all of which are designed to keep people in need afloat at the
> expense of the rest of the taxpayers. =A0We also have unemployment insura=
nce,
> which is borderline socialist but which no one denies is an important
> government run system. =A0None of these systems are perfect but all are h=
elpful
> and IMO necessary.
>
> The idea of universal health care does not mean single payer / single
> provider. =A0It means that those who are currently to obtain health care =
in the
> private sector will have a public option. =A0I know you feel that it is u=
nfair
> for taxpayers to foot the bill for those who can't or (worse) won't pay f=
or
> their own coverage. =A0But there are two sides to every argument. =A0Due =
to
> declining health very soon I will have to stop working. =A0My insurer is
> anxiously waiting for the first day that I miss a payment so they can dro=
p me.
> I've worked all my life, paid taxes every year and dutifully paid for hea=
lth
> insurance. =A0Now, as the end of life draws near, I may be unable to get =
medical
> treatment. =A0I don't think that is fair either.
>
> Somehow we have to come up with a compromise. =A0Obama is at least willin=
g to
> dialogue with Republicans and try to find common ground. =A0Rather than m=
ake him
> out to be a socialist, terrorist or whatever other "ist," why not encoura=
ge
> both sides to sit down and do some honest work to find a solution?
>
> --
>
> Regards,
> Robert L Bass
>
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RHC: Bob, I don't normally jump in to any threads that are not about
security in some manner; however, given what is going on in the media
about health care, I have to say something. That something is that I
am totally amazed at how the US coverage of Canadian health care has
been almost totally incorrect. Clearly those with a bias either for or
against have slanted their arguments in favour of what they believe
with little or no regard for the truth.

Living in Canada, we are a country which has good health care for
anyone who needs it. No one is turned away for lack of coverage, and
you can be absolutely sure you will be looked after well in any real
emergency. But like any system, priorities have to be made and
surgeries which are not vital can take longer (in some cases much
longer) than in a private health care system. But my wife got her new
knee; my father got his quadruple bypass operation, and we have no
huge bills to contend with.  Both my brother in law and mother in law
spent their last days in a hospital bed which we received no bill for.
Sure the system has it's problems (like doctor shortages in some rural
communities). But no one gets turned away from public clinics because
of costs. It's far from perfect, but it works well.

As much as I love the US, it has always amazed me how many people
there are adamantly unwilling to contribute to any public system which
in their eyes provides something for people who are generally seen as
the "have nots" of society. If a society can't look after it's
citizens to at least a certain degree, you have to wonder if there
isn't something terribly wrong about that.

Again, I'm going to get shot to hell here for saying this, but if the
US would actually cut down on the gargantuan costs of their military,
and stopped trying to be the "world's policeman", maybe there would be
enough money left over to provide basic health care for all it's
citizens....