op2:
Listen, strange women lyin' in ponds distributin' swords is no basis for a system of government.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eSvJgRSiJSM&feature=related
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Why America can't have nice things...
- Thread starter arbygil
- Start date
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eSvJgRSiJSM&feature=related
America is spectacular!!
Come to Europe for one year, to really feel what its like... and you will be fleeing within months... On the outside it looks nice but once youre in - Youre stuck.
Come to Europe for one year, to really feel what its like... and you will be fleeing within months... On the outside it looks nice but once youre in - Youre stuck
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I think that a person has to live in a place before they can really decide which is the "better" system. There are ups and downs to every country on Earth.
ahh USA is Marvellous. I feel like an alien in my homecountry haha. I honestly think that if I had a former life, I was an American.
Anyway, nothing works properly in Europe, on the paper maybe, in reality, not so much!
Anyway, nothing works properly in Europe, on the paper maybe, in reality, not so much!
America is spectacular!!
Come to Europe for one year, to really feel what its like... and you will be fleeing within months... On the outside it looks nice but once youre in - Youre stuck
I lived in England as a uni student for a year, and traveled around Ireland multiple times...and I love Canada.
I wouldn't mind moving there, I really wouldn't. But I think it's a preference; we all find places we love. And there is no such thing as a perfect place, not at all.
BTW, Welcome back, PG!
Why thank you so much! You are right to an extent, there are good and bad sides to all countries. Irland and France are very nice in my opinion ^^. One thing I will abide though is that Sweden is exceptionally bad haha!!
You are right to an extent, there are good and bad sides to all countries. Irland and France are very nice in my opinion ^^. One thing I will abide though is that Sweden is exceptionally bad haha!!
Haha, I love that stereotype That's a very American idea.
I lived in the Netherlands for a year. It's not like the streets are paved in pot, trust me
That's a very American idea.I lived in the Netherlands for a year. It's not like the streets are paved in pot, trust me
Actually, you can't do that. You're only supposed to smoke pot in the coffee shops, from all that I gathered, and you can only have so much at any given time.
It's just a cheesy 70s horror flick (Wickerman) about a matriarchal pagan society. I couldn't find the clip with the sword dance though, maybe it would have made more sense then.
For once, I'd like to see a media representation of the opposition debating healthcare without bringing God, swatiskas, and racial slurs into the mix. I haven't been able to find one just yet.
And now, I ask myself, is this because everyone who is opposing healthcare simply is an idiot, or is it because this idiocy is the only thing worth representing to the American public?
In all seriousness, does anyone have a rational summary of arguments both for and against Healthcare Reform? I'm not trying to be snarky here, I'm actually pretty interested in this, and I haven't found one reliable source anywhere. Or if you're typing it up for me (thanks) if you could provide some links to your sources, I would be very much appreciative.
And now, I ask myself, is this because everyone who is opposing healthcare simply is an idiot, or is it because this idiocy is the only thing worth representing to the American public?
In all seriousness, does anyone have a rational summary of arguments both for and against Healthcare Reform? I'm not trying to be snarky here, I'm actually pretty interested in this, and I haven't found one reliable source anywhere. Or if you're typing it up for me (thanks) if you could provide some links to your sources, I would be very much appreciative.
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Maybe if they didn't call it "Reform" which to me implies changing everything. Even parts of what we have now that work.
I think there should be a public option as it is called.
If you become unemployed, or are under employed and don't have health insurance, there should be some type of plan out there you can turn to.
I have insurance through my employer. It currently costs $437.00 a month to cover myself, and my wife for both health and dental.
(Tell me, why is dental insurance separate from health insurance? I find dental plans to be mostly useless.)
Every August my yearly review rolls around, and I get a raise.
Come October our insurance carrier will raise the dues, negating any increase in take home pay.
This has been especially bad the past 10 years. I feel like despite making more in salary, in the end my wages have been flat because of increases in my health insurance dues.
I think most of us know from experience that the US government can't run a flee circus.
The latest example is this cash for clunkers program (a subject for another thread!) that has paid out very little money to the car dealers because of bureaucratic red tape.
They made what could have been a simple process cumbersome.
Something needs to be done, but can the government pull it off without making matters worse?
I think there should be a public option as it is called.
If you become unemployed, or are under employed and don't have health insurance, there should be some type of plan out there you can turn to.
I have insurance through my employer. It currently costs $437.00 a month to cover myself, and my wife for both health and dental.
(Tell me, why is dental insurance separate from health insurance? I find dental plans to be mostly useless.)
Every August my yearly review rolls around, and I get a raise.
Come October our insurance carrier will raise the dues, negating any increase in take home pay.
This has been especially bad the past 10 years. I feel like despite making more in salary, in the end my wages have been flat because of increases in my health insurance dues.
I think most of us know from experience that the US government can't run a flee circus.
The latest example is this cash for clunkers program (a subject for another thread!) that has paid out very little money to the car dealers because of bureaucratic red tape.
They made what could have been a simple process cumbersome.
Something needs to be done, but can the government pull it off without making matters worse?
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America is spectacular!!
Come to Europe for one year, to really feel what its like... and you will be fleeing within months... On the outside it looks nice but once youre in - Youre stuck
Can I stay with you?
Nothing works properly in the United States in reality or on paper.
It is called Switzerland as long as the anal-retentiveness doesn't count. At least, this is what I've been told.
I think smoking pot in New Mexico gives a person a much more negative status than some other states. They really look down on people for in in NM, whereas in some other places it seems to be just a thing people do even if it is illegal in both places. Might just be my experience though.
Unfortunately, I don't even know what the arguments for and against it are. All I know is that Obama is a Nazi-Socialist-Commie-Anti-American.
I don't think the public knows how to have a debate without it involving god, swastiskas, etc... I mean, it wasn't that long ago that it was the McCarty era. People are very uniformed. You can tell that they don't read news papers, or else things like warrentless wiretapping and extraordinary rendition would be common knowledge. Most people don't seem to have heard of those things though.
The level of ignorance and insensitivity is very sad. I don't know how to improve it except by improving schools, but I don't know how to realistically get the schools improved.
Mind you, I just wanted to offer a Canadian perspective on healthcare. At least from a citizen's point of view.
Frankly, Canadian Healthcare isn't running all that smoothly. At least not the way its being handled here in Ontario. Every couple of years, they keep cutting back on what is covered under OHIP and what isn't. For example, not too long ago, eye exams were free. Now, if you're between 19 and 65, you have to fork over over the $60 - $70 for an eye exam. You're only covered for one eye exam once a year if you have glaucoma or other another medical condition requiring regular check ups. And that list excludes a lot more of those conditions than it includes.
Eyeglass and prescriptions aren't even partially covered anymore either. And for some one who's prescription keeps changing every year, that's roughly about $200 with no relief coverage. Nevermind if you want to get some contact lenses.
And don't get me started on dentists. Dental surgery is only covered if its in hospital. The most common surgeries, such as wisdom teeth extraction, are all done in the dentist's office and can run anywhere from $300 to $450 per tooth. Your regular check ups at the dentist aren't covered either. That's roughly around $60 - $80 too if you aren't covered by an insurance plan.
The only thing that you basically don't have to pay for is your family physician, and Ontario probably has the worst reptuation concerning their doctors. Ever since the gov't put a cap on their salary, most of them rush to fulfill their quota and go on two and three week sabaticals. And when you do see them, they're often swamped with patients and you get five minutes to explain your problem before they rush away. It's getting increasingly difficult to find a GP that really takes the time to examine you.
Not all specialists are covered by OHIP. Psychiatry, for example, is only covered 30%. You get to foot the rest of the $150 per session bill. The most common prescriptions aren't even covered either--and you're hit with a fine dispensing fee too.
As for hospitals... well, the wait times are a nightmare. Unless you're in labor or about to die, you might as well get comfortable... you're going to be in that waiting room for several hours. My grandmother had fallen down the stairs the other year, and was suffering from a severe head wound. Wait time? 2 and a half hours.
Meanwhile, despite the decreases in quality and health care coverage in general, taxes are sure as hell not dropping. They're hiking higher. And health insurance rates aren't all that pretty either. Despite having a wonderful reputation for health care, the average Canadian household is paying an average of $30-40 a month per person for additional insurance for health care coverage. And if you've got an existing medical condition, you're just plain screwed.
It's not exactly a utopia up here either. I don't know how well that compares to other countries, but our system isn't ideal, that's for sure.
Frankly, Canadian Healthcare isn't running all that smoothly. At least not the way its being handled here in Ontario. Every couple of years, they keep cutting back on what is covered under OHIP and what isn't. For example, not too long ago, eye exams were free. Now, if you're between 19 and 65, you have to fork over over the $60 - $70 for an eye exam. You're only covered for one eye exam once a year if you have glaucoma or other another medical condition requiring regular check ups. And that list excludes a lot more of those conditions than it includes.
Eyeglass and prescriptions aren't even partially covered anymore either. And for some one who's prescription keeps changing every year, that's roughly about $200 with no relief coverage. Nevermind if you want to get some contact lenses.
And don't get me started on dentists. Dental surgery is only covered if its in hospital. The most common surgeries, such as wisdom teeth extraction, are all done in the dentist's office and can run anywhere from $300 to $450 per tooth. Your regular check ups at the dentist aren't covered either. That's roughly around $60 - $80 too if you aren't covered by an insurance plan.
The only thing that you basically don't have to pay for is your family physician, and Ontario probably has the worst reptuation concerning their doctors. Ever since the gov't put a cap on their salary, most of them rush to fulfill their quota and go on two and three week sabaticals. And when you do see them, they're often swamped with patients and you get five minutes to explain your problem before they rush away. It's getting increasingly difficult to find a GP that really takes the time to examine you.
Not all specialists are covered by OHIP. Psychiatry, for example, is only covered 30%. You get to foot the rest of the $150 per session bill. The most common prescriptions aren't even covered either--and you're hit with a fine dispensing fee too.
As for hospitals... well, the wait times are a nightmare. Unless you're in labor or about to die, you might as well get comfortable... you're going to be in that waiting room for several hours. My grandmother had fallen down the stairs the other year, and was suffering from a severe head wound. Wait time? 2 and a half hours.
Meanwhile, despite the decreases in quality and health care coverage in general, taxes are sure as hell not dropping. They're hiking higher. And health insurance rates aren't all that pretty either. Despite having a wonderful reputation for health care, the average Canadian household is paying an average of $30-40 a month per person for additional insurance for health care coverage. And if you've got an existing medical condition, you're just plain screwed.
It's not exactly a utopia up here either. I don't know how well that compares to other countries, but our system isn't ideal, that's for sure.
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Er. I don't know about that, but I'm sure you have your reasons for thinking so.
I don't know about wire-tapping or grand gov't conspiracies, but I do agree with you when you say that the general population is rather ignorant of how easily they can be manipulated by the media, for better or worse.
How to improve schools? I think if most schools would stop catering to the lowest-common denominator, and start reinstating a more demanding curriculum, I think a quality education might make a comeback. I'm generally optimistic when I say that if you raise the standard, people are going to rise up to meet it.
Furthermore, instead of closing the doors to students who do not have the capital means to pursue a post-secondary education, they should make tuition free. Most European countries have this system in place, and the best students are admitted into universities. In theory, this would will allow for more social mobility, affording the students in impoverished families to focus on their education instead of dooming them to juggle their education with a part time job or involving them with dangerous and lofty means of getting the money they need to educate themselves. Of course, it wouldn't apply to all kids in this situation, but it would open up the doors to a greater number of them.
It's a far better system than just having the JAP's and WASPS and other stereotypes with money dominating the ivy league campuses, anyway.
But that's just my two cents.
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