OT: Jibjab, Politics, the Big Bang and more!

[Arryn]

Originally posted by Arryn:

quote:

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Originally posted by Graeme Dice:
You're completely full of **** Norfleet.

It's a medical condition known as a "bowel obstruction". It happens when one's head is stuck up one's ***.

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BTW, this painful, highly contagious, and potentially fatal malady (to others) is endemic amongst lawyers and politicans (the primary carriers of the disease), and it's severity is directly proportional to their strength of religious conviction.

[Huzurdaddi]

I assume you can provide statistics to back up this claim, and can also show that the portion of people who get their health care in the U.S. has even a statistically significant effect on the overall quality of out health care.

I guess I could google for such things if they exist. I mean who the heck would track such a thing. Perhaps it would be evident from the MRI scandal in Alberta about 10 years ago. Or it would be evident from what you see around you. I mean you do know people who go the the US for anything serious ... don't you? And they don't go there due to the FDA being quick to aprove treatments ... that's the reason some knuckelheads go to Canada.

The point of _any_ economic system is to create the most good for the most people. If your system doesn't do this, then there is a problem. That should also be the point of a health care system.

It seems that the point of capitalism is to create the most economic wealth. Pretty much period. As to how the wealth gets allocated that's how capitalism is messed up via some metrics.

Please outline the difference between U.S. and Canadian tort law that makes U.S. health care safer.

I guess you have not been involved with in a malpractice suit in Canada. The standards of proof are far greater on the defendant. The awards much lower. The end result is that malpractice suits are brought forward far fewer times in Canada. Call up a lawyer. He will be happy to tell you all about it. Or make up a case then call a lawyer in Canada and ask him what he thinks, then ask a US lawyer. You will be amazed at the difference.

Tort law does nothing to prevent this.

... right ...

Fifty years ago, the average doctor earned about 5 times the average person's pay. The average CEO made about 10 times his average employee's salary. Today, the doctor makes 50 times the average pay in his area; the CEO makes 500 times the average employee's pay.

Yep allocation of funds has gotten out of hand in the US I'll agree. Although I think that your numbers are slightly off. The average doctor does not make x50 times the pay of the average salary ( that would be over 1,000,000 USD. Which is quite high for a doctor ) and only the top small percentage of CEO's make x500 time average pay. However I do conceed that CEO pay has gotten really out of hand. We need some real reform in the US to stop CEO's from naming their own board. Arthur Levitt has some really good ideas on this topic. Too bad they kicked him out. Best SEC chairman 3var.

has gone back to giving the rich huge tax cuts.

Not at all happy about that. Let me tell you. Sure I benifited from it, but I think that the US works better with a proper functioning middle class. Which is why I made my donation to the DNC ( through my wife since I am not a citizen yet ), did you?

[Arryn]

Originally posted by Huzurdaddi:
It seems that the point of capitalism is to create the most economic wealth. Pretty much period. As to how the wealth gets allocated that's how capitalism is messed up via some metrics.

The point of capitalism is to create the most wealth for those with the capital, namely capitalists. That anyone else (such as workers) manages to benefit from this exercise in greed is incidental/accidental, and can be ascribed to democracy. Democracy is a tool that is beneficial to the capitalists only insofar as they can control it to better serve their goals. Thus you have what is seen in the U.S. today: a Congress that's a millionaire's club, beholden to corporate & wealthy donors, giving only lip service to the electorate's desires, and then only as much as is necessary to keep them in their positions of power and comfort. A Congress that is not subject to the same laws as the people who elect them.

There's a word for what we have: plutocracy. Or government of the wealthy, by the wealthy, for the wealthy. Not exactly what Abe had in mind in his famous Address.

BTW, speaking of the tools of democracy, and their usefulness to the plutocrats, you have only to look at Fox News. And anyone that ever doubted the propheticness of Orwell's 1984 only has to look at the Patriot Act, Echelon, Carnivore, John Ashcroft, (un)Justice Scalia, et cetera. I shudder to think what might come next. Truly scary.

[Skolem]

Originally posted by Boron:
[QB] in young years in general most people are quite healthy . so you can invest that money which you would otherwise have to pay as health care taxes and so get interest . this way you have more money when you are older and it is hopefully enough to pay for most medical treatment .

In young years you can't afford even a radiography if you broke your leg, so american system is quite supperior because you have to worrie it could happen and if it happens you can't afford a good treatment. Yes I see the point...

because that's the next problem :
medicine has improved so much in the Last decades that the average life-span is increasing and increasing . but because more and more ultraexpensive technic devices are needed for that treatment it can't be paid much longer from the state for everyone and not only the few who can afford it .
germany is almost bankrupt because or huge social programs like health care , pensions and unemployment benefit become unpayable .

We aren't as bankrupt as the american state are. It is sure that our system isn't optimal, but it doesn't mean we have to desolidarized from our fellow but poorer countryman.

so conclusion NTJedi : you are totally right and wait 10 years and many nations like germany will have abolished national healthcare and have a system similiar to the US system .

Thats what a certain (rich) part of the population wan't for sure, but I don't think so, or we would have to erase the "social" in the constitution, now (and I hope that it will be so in ten years) we are a social "marktwirtschaft" (sorry guys someone has to translate this one I can't).
And the problem in Germany are really different, what we need is a change in the mentality of the customers, who can afford and do (yes its true!!!),see three specialist for an illness.
I' still believe the German system is far superior not only in pure facts, but indirectly to, what is the reason of healthcare, education, etc... it is not to make a better economy, it is not to create greater profit for corps, it is only to assure citizen of the country that they can afford a life qualitiy without to worrie about the future, to make they have time to spend on interresting things in life (at least more interresting than planning how much money they need in case of illness, accident etc.).

P.S. are you affilied to the party known as the FDP?

[DLC]

we need a political forum methinkest.
Sätt på e kol o skapa ett

[Arryn]

Originally posted by DLC:
we need a political forum methinkest.

That would make too much sense, and thus ruin the perfectly good chaos that's reining here.

[Vicious Love]

Better than JibJab.

Discuss.