Sicko
Politically speaking, I like to think that I dress neither to the right nor the left. I want the government to stay out of my face and I am more than happy to stay out of theirs. I pay my taxes and in return I expect certain services to be maintained. Michael Moore’s latest documentary is about one of the things I expect to be maintained. Health care.
As pretty much everybody must know Mike’s latest is called Sicko and is all about the US health care business. Mike tends to look at things with a liberal perspective and so as usually happens all the right-wing monkey-butts have come howling out from under their rocks in order to set the record straight on what Mike is saying. In this case that seems to mean that, sure, there are some problems, but when you get right down to it, the US has the best medical care in the world, and Michael Moore is fat. My answers to these points are; yes they do, if you can afford it, and so what?
The rightys also make the odd point that those of us who live in countries that have “free” (or ‘socialist’) medical care don’t actually get it for free. We pay, on average, higher taxes and are thus actually paying for our free medical care. Mister Moore deals with that thought in his internet letter dated July 17, 2007 where he says, “Don't patronize Americans by saying; "Well, it's not free -- they pay for it with taxes!" Yes, we know that. Just like we know that we drive down a city street for FREE -- even though we paid for that street with our taxes. The street is FREE, the book at the library is FREE, if your house catches on fire, the fire department will come and put it out for FREE, and if someone snatches your purse, the police officer will chase down the culprit and bring your purse back to you -- AND HE WON'T CHARGE YOU A DIME FROM THAT PURSE! These are all free services, collectively socialized and paid for with our tax dollars. To argue that health care -- a life and death issue for many -- should not be considered in the same league is ludicrous and archaic.”(my italics)
Frankly, if I have to pay higher taxes than our friends to the south do so that young women having babies can have some of the best pre and post-natal care in the world without busting the bank; so that families going through some medical tragedy don’t have to face bankruptcy on top of everything else; so that if somebody needs emergency care, it’s there, then I am happy to pay higher taxes. No problem.
It seems to me that a couple of Presidents ago a US President mentioned something about a “kinder and gentler society”. Wouldn’t a kinder and gentler society make sure that health care is affordably available to all of it’s citizens? Good care should not be just for the rich. Of course I could be wrong and if I am I am totally looking forward to the right-wing response to Sicko, which will no doubt be called Healtho.
Anyway… Humouroceros
PS: I heard a Canadian comedian say that he tells his US friends that he took some time off so that he could have one of his hands cut off and reattached, BECAUSE IT WAS FREE! Cool.
As pretty much everybody must know Mike’s latest is called Sicko and is all about the US health care business. Mike tends to look at things with a liberal perspective and so as usually happens all the right-wing monkey-butts have come howling out from under their rocks in order to set the record straight on what Mike is saying. In this case that seems to mean that, sure, there are some problems, but when you get right down to it, the US has the best medical care in the world, and Michael Moore is fat. My answers to these points are; yes they do, if you can afford it, and so what?
The rightys also make the odd point that those of us who live in countries that have “free” (or ‘socialist’) medical care don’t actually get it for free. We pay, on average, higher taxes and are thus actually paying for our free medical care. Mister Moore deals with that thought in his internet letter dated July 17, 2007 where he says, “Don't patronize Americans by saying; "Well, it's not free -- they pay for it with taxes!" Yes, we know that. Just like we know that we drive down a city street for FREE -- even though we paid for that street with our taxes. The street is FREE, the book at the library is FREE, if your house catches on fire, the fire department will come and put it out for FREE, and if someone snatches your purse, the police officer will chase down the culprit and bring your purse back to you -- AND HE WON'T CHARGE YOU A DIME FROM THAT PURSE! These are all free services, collectively socialized and paid for with our tax dollars. To argue that health care -- a life and death issue for many -- should not be considered in the same league is ludicrous and archaic.”(my italics)
Frankly, if I have to pay higher taxes than our friends to the south do so that young women having babies can have some of the best pre and post-natal care in the world without busting the bank; so that families going through some medical tragedy don’t have to face bankruptcy on top of everything else; so that if somebody needs emergency care, it’s there, then I am happy to pay higher taxes. No problem.
It seems to me that a couple of Presidents ago a US President mentioned something about a “kinder and gentler society”. Wouldn’t a kinder and gentler society make sure that health care is affordably available to all of it’s citizens? Good care should not be just for the rich. Of course I could be wrong and if I am I am totally looking forward to the right-wing response to Sicko, which will no doubt be called Healtho.
Anyway… Humouroceros
PS: I heard a Canadian comedian say that he tells his US friends that he took some time off so that he could have one of his hands cut off and reattached, BECAUSE IT WAS FREE! Cool.
posted by humouroceros at 10:36 pm
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