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Hardheaded Socialism Makes Canada Richer Than U.S.
And this is coming from a guy who's lived on private insurance AND government health coverage.
When I was in the military, the healthcare coverage was comprehensive, but terrible. Try sitting at the Army hospital pharmacy for 5 hours waiting on a simple prescription for anti-biotics, because the waiting room is packed and the pharmacists have either been on break or lunch for the better part of 2 hours.
When you get ANYTHING from the government, you're not a paying customer. You're a number. You're a piece of paper. Don't like it? Tough. You ain't got no choice, so sit down and shut your mouth and be happy with what we give you. THAT is government healthcare.
For someone who cannot afford ANY healthcare, I guess that's an improvement.
But show me the person who cannot afford healthcare and I'll show you someone who owns a color television set, drives a car that's beyond their needs, lives in a house that's beyond their needs, spends money on cable television, cell phones, cell phone plans, Red Bull, cigarettes, buys clothes from the mall and department stores rather than low cost retailers or even goodwill, spends money on soda and junk food, lottery tickets, etc, etc, etc.
There are VERY few people in America who are truly impoverished. Only in America can someone claim to be in poverty, but be overweight and own a color television set and have a working cell phone.
The problem with America is that we have a generation of entitled/spoiled citizens with no concept of individual responsibility or priorities or even the concept that the system doesn't owe them a living (let alone a comfortable living).
I see people all the time who claim they can't afford to pay their bills, then they turn around and make the dumbest, most extravagent purchases ever.
And why? Because the SYSTEM makes it that way. JP Morgan Chase loves food stamps. They make a bundle off of them. So does Wal Mart. Wal Mart makes up to 40% of their annual revenue from food assistance. 40%!
Here in Florida, there's big debates ongoing about the limitations that should be placed on food assistance, and why people who are supposedly needy should be able to buy coca-cola, or candy bars, or energy drinks, or junk food, etc. Do those sound like the purchases of someone who's starving or needy? And you get Democrats and big government proponents who come out of the woodwork arguing against limiting purchases for food assistance cards.
THEN, in an even more SINISTER twist, you get Republicans who feign to support such restrictions, but behind closed doors, get lobbied by said companies (like Coke and junk food manufacturers) and the like, to let the whole thing slide.
The whole system is corrupt because we don't follow our Constitutional principles. We abandoned this notion that freedom and liberty were all that you need and the rest is up to you (or those willing to voluntarily help you).
Capitalism isn't the problem. We don't live in a capitalist system. We live in a basterdized version where capitalism whores itself out to corporate interests disguised and veiled by the notions of social interest and general welfare.
"A dumb man never learns. A smart man learns from his own failure and success. But a wise man learns from the failure and success of others."
2. I pay for my own insurance, but if they repeal the Affordable health Care Act .. no one will sell me insurance.... at any price ... and you will be deprived of these informative posts...
3. Wait ... what ... you are in Florida ... Dang ... I thought you were in Austin ... now I understand ....
I'm just a simple man trading a simple plan.
My daddy always said, "Every day above ground is a good day!"
I moved back to FL, just haven't updated the futures.io (formerly BMT) profile yet.
There are valid parts of the PPACA. I don't think insurance companies should be able to simply and arbitrarily "drop" people, especially those that have been loyal customers for some time.
I think that if we're going to do public and forced charity, then children up to age 18 ought to be covered.
But I see the rest of the PPACA is simply an extension of this....
"Much of the social history of the Western world over the past 3 decades has been replacing what WORKED with what sounded good."
"A dumb man never learns. A smart man learns from his own failure and success. But a wise man learns from the failure and success of others."
It's not that I'm not sympathetic or empathetic....but what's worse? Allowing sick or dying people to go without coverage....or allowing the sick or dying to rob someone else at gun point to pay for their care?
If you vote for a law that allows the government to confiscate one person's property in order to pay for benefits for yourself, it's no different than walking up to a random stranger and robbing them at gunpoint....it's simply less personal. If the government passes a law that forces people to subsidize others, then they must do so, or eventually face violence from their own government (inprisonment if they refuse, or even violent death if they refuse inprisonment).
You should also checkout a recent article I read about how the top 10% of medicare consumers are eating up over half the medicare expenditures. There were cases where the state spent $2M+ on a single person. How much is too much to spend on a single person? Who decides that? You? A group of people like you? "Death panels" are real.
The next logical progression, is that if the state is responsible for the cost burdens of high healthcare consumers...and those recipients do not bear the burden of their own choices, then the state, has a vested interest in curbing unproductive and bad behavior.
This naturally leads to the mayor of NYC wanting to ban soda and soft drinks. Next will be laws about how much TV you can watch. Whether or not you can use a tanning bed. How much exercise you MUST perform each day. What you can and cannot eat. How much fast food you can eat in a prescribed period....etc...etc.
People ought to have the liberty to make their own bad choices (like eating too much, or smoking or having unprotected sex and contracting HIV, etc) and also bear the consequences of those burdens.
I'm not saying YOU are in your position because of bad choices, but you have to admit that a good majority of unhealthy Americans are unhealthy not because of circumstance, but bad habits and choices.
Furthermore, the baby boomer generation is going to bankrupt this country so that they can live an extra 2 or 3 years on average, with little to no consideration for what quality of life they will live in those final 2 or 3 years. Is it worth spending $300k on an elderly person to get both hips and both knees and both shoulders replaced? So that they can spend the rest of their days in physical therapy? Is it worth the toll it takes on a person who's in need of dialysis? Transfusions?
Then there's the next input which is the conflict of interest with respect to patient choice and doctor diagnosis. It's easy for a doctor to prescribe things like gastric bypass and total knee replacement and all these expensive things when it's the state (aka the taxpayer) who has to pay for them. Do you think they'd be handing out all these procedures and doing all these expensive tricks and prescriptions and what not if the recipient had to pay for them? No, most patients would say...."I can't afford that...."
Which brings you to the final consideration....what did people do before all this expensive healthcare was available? What was their quality of life like? I recently lost both of my grandparents and I can tell you from watching one of them in a hospice/nursing home for awhile...I'm not sure that modern medicine has considered dignity and quality of life in their efforts to extend someone's life. What use is it to live longer if you're totally dependent upon others and machines and medicines that have worse side effects than the ailments...etc?
These are all tough questions.....and probably not many easy solutions....but I do know that if I was sick, I wouldn't rob someone else to pay for my care.
Lastly, the "system" before the government became so involved was cheaper and more accessible. Charity had much greater and further applications.
"A dumb man never learns. A smart man learns from his own failure and success. But a wise man learns from the failure and success of others."
There's absolutely no difference fundamentally between robbing someone at gun point and voting to have the government force them to give their money to you and others. The only difference is that you're using the services of an armed thug called the government to do it....so it seems removed and less personal.
"It’s amazing to me how many people think that voting to have the government give poor people money is compassion. Helping poor and suffering people is compassion. Voting for our government to use guns to give money to help poor and suffering people is immoral self-righteous bullying laziness.
People need to be fed, medicated, educated, clothed, and sheltered, and if we’re compassionate we’ll help them, but you get no moral credit for forcing other people to do what you think is right. There is great joy in helping people, but no joy in doing it at gunpoint." -Penn Jillette
"A dumb man never learns. A smart man learns from his own failure and success. But a wise man learns from the failure and success of others."
When who comes for me? I'm not killing anyone. If you think it's right to help someone who's sick or needy, it's your American liberty to do so. We have families, communities, charities, etc.
The better question is that if it's okay for a group of citizens to decide that other people have too much money and we should take some of their money to give to those the mob deems as more worthy, then what's to stop them from taking MORE money, for other popular ideas that are less compelling?
"Beware of the government that's large and powerful enough to give you everything you want, it's also large and powerful enough to take everything that you have."
Beyond the philosophical debate, the pragmatic and practical issues are simply overwhelming. It's how we got ourselves into the current crony-capitalist state we're in. People thought it would be a good idea to open the door and allow more government into their lives....
"When government officials decide what's to be bought and sold, the first thing to be bought are government officials."
"A dumb man never learns. A smart man learns from his own failure and success. But a wise man learns from the failure and success of others."
One day ... you too will need a helping hand ... when that day comes... I hope someone extends one ... instead of stepping over you and keep on walking ...
Now I am humble who once was proud... now I am silent who once was loud ...
I hope you find peace one day my friend ... and I wish you the best ...
Regards,
TMFT
I'm just a simple man trading a simple plan.
My daddy always said, "Every day above ground is a good day!"