Friday there was a healthcare reform protest in downtown Greenville … healthcare is a hot topic being debated across the US … it is good that contrasting opinions can be expressed and considered … maybe there will be a pro healthcare rally in the near future.
*** Please, lets keep the comments civil and respectful. ***
With all due respect, the protesters are not protesting “healthcare reform”, but the proposed socialization that will reduce overall level of care and cost well over 1.5 trillion. Much more effective proposals are on the table that address only the needs of the uninsured without forcing everyone else into governmentalized care which has been proven to be highly ineffective.
Alan O. makes great points. Socialism fails every time. Government has no business in the private sector.
Alan and SAM, thanks for your comments and involvement in a national debate.
Ok, how about some mild fact checking here. There is NO portion of the proposed health care reform bill that would require anyone to go to a government controlled healthcare system. I find it interesting that these individuals who are so adamantly opposed to the reform either a. don’t have a clue what they are talking about, or b. aren’t willing to really debate what is in the bill so they resort to scare tactics. I would encourage individuals before they start crying “the sky is falling” to at least spend a few minutes and get the facts!
Thanks Ed for your comment and for bringing up facts .. it would be great if the debate remained civil and focused on the facts.
As a Canadian living in Greenville, I am surprised not only to the opposition to health care reform but also but the vast amount of misinformation about universal health care. While I will admit that health care in Canada needs some work such as embracing nurse practitioners and other measures to reduce the numbers of non-emergency patients in the emergency rooms, my family and I have been well served by our system from birth to seniors care through cancers, broken hips, childhood illnesses, trauma situations – the whole gamut without any complaints about the system or its employees.
Thanks jmf, for sharing your experience participating in the Canadian Healthcare system. I have multiple clients in Canada who are healthcare providers and I’m pleased your family has experienced quality care and professional/friendly employees.
jmf, i wonder if where you lived in Canada your healthcare experience was much better than my friends who live in Canada. They lived here in the US for about 10 years, but returned to live in Canada to be near family. However, they have had bad experience with healthcare there.
It took them a few months to even be “accepted as patients” by a doctor. They explained to me that it is required to fill out an application for the doctor office you want to try to be able to use their services. Then the doctor looks at the application, decides if he wants to let you come in for an interview, and only after that decides if he wants you as a patient. Also, they told me that because the doctors there get paid by the government they don’t have to take any patients they don’t want. That doesn’t sound so great to me. But I may be wrong :-)
I have never heard of such a thing. Granted, in some rural areas it can be hard to find a doctor who is accepting any new patients but I think that is the same for any rural area – young doctors tend to want to be in the cities. Also, remember Canada is a big country and each province has slightly different approaches to the health care system so what holds true for one place may not for another.
Thanks jmf for the information. My friends live in their home cottage on Lake Erie and even the nearest small town is certainly not a block away :-)
For those who like government involvement in the private sector, I hope you enjoy it if we get it. A closer look at economies that have had much more history in the government arena isn’t too encouraging. Russia sure isn’t the bastion of research in the medical field. China seems to be fairly inept also. The entire continent of Africa seems to be behind the times in this area also. Where is someone to go to for help? The Middle East? No, that can’t be right. I believe they try to get over here to get our doctors and Universities to help them. Their economies are controlled by their government.Hmmm..Let me see, the French have a medical history as do the English. I read about what a wonderful system their people enjoy almost daily. It just seems that I haven’t seen the planes and boats filled with people trying to get medical help there.The Germans have grown a lot in this area from ,say sometime in the last twenty years or so. Something about the fall of some structure they call the Berlin Wall. I think you can read about it online somewhere. People come here for our knowledge because we have the incentive to be knowledgeable. This would be referred to in some closely knit circles as, dare I say it, Capitalism.For those of you who haven’t heard of it, look it up in Wikipedia sometime.This debate is about more government control of our choices. Someone in DC thinks they know more about what you need than you or your doctor does. A broad -brushed system that tries to be one and the same for all will not work. Humanly speaking,there is a reason we have grown to be the most powerful and independent nation on the face of the earth, and it isn’t because we let the government manage our private sector economy. The main reason we are what we are is not by human actions though.
Thanks for the forum and I enjoy the pics.
..sentence removed by denton .. We have been letting “Capitalism” do its thing to our healthcare system and what have we gotten? The most expensive, least-efficient system in the entire world (of advanced nations). This fear-mongering that you repeat can not be allowed to prevent reform to this horrible system. The government has been heavily involved in our economy since the 30’s. The government accounts for 25% of the economy. Medicare spends 2-3% on overhead, while your private health care system spends 30% of “our money” on a private bureaucracy that has made many people wealthy beyond belief on the backs of the rest of us. “Capitalism” has had its chance and is a miserable failure in terms of health care in the U.S. If the “free market” is such a great way of providing health care, I am sure it will crush any “public option” that is enacted.
Isn’t wonderful we live in a country where these issues can be debated! I for one can’t wait to see a comprehensive health care reform take place in our country. As a single, handicapped individual, soon to be 61 year old, I am still working for health benefits. I can not afford to buy health insurance in the private sector. I am one of the lucky ones that has a job that pays health benefits…but it was only on May 22nd that i knew that my job was funded for the fall. (Washington state is having some hard times) It’s a hard call. Who knows if this is the perfect solution? However, something needs to be done. Thank you Denton, for sharing this photo…even if I don’t agree with their position.
Thanks for speaking up … I also look forward to a comprehensive health care reform.
Come on cts, lighten up! Your guy won. We lost.You have the majority in both houses. Just pass it and enjoy it. Why is there so much debate in your own party? I agree with and appreciate the fact that the government has been spending our money since the 1930’s. Believe me, they do spend it. Actually, they re-distribute the wealth don’t they? They take it from those who work and give it to those who don’t work as much( in terms of earning power). It is a sad fact of life that they are in control of 25% of the economy. Actually, it is probably closer to 50%. In essence, they are taking the place of private sector and delivering, in your words, a very inefficient model.Do you like the way they control it now? And another thing. Do we detect a bit of jealousy and envy on your part of people that make more money than you? Shouldn’t you be glad they are making money? When has penalizing someone for making money helped you? Is it a zero sum gain?They have to give more to the government to help more people that don’t pay any taxes to start with. Then we help them out a bit more and give them more money when they don’t even pay taxes.
But, hey, I can’t believe you didn’t read the last line of my first post. Don’t tell me you didn’t?Must have really slipped under the radar. I continue to enjoy the discussion.
PS.Denton, thanks again . I want reform, just not the way it is being sold now. The reform we need is less government interference, not more. So, I guess we are just a bunch of reformers. Also, I appreciate the civility note you post at the top.
I know I should let this thread die peacefully, but Sam mentioned something that really is at the crux of the entire health care and overall economic debate. This President and our democrat Congress have waged full-fledged class warfare. I think this is very harmful to our nation. This concept that wealthier folks should be demonized and punished is premised on a false notion that successful citizens have somehow procured their wealth at the expense of others. I’m sorry, but that is completely wrong, IMO. Wealthy people should be given a big hug… as they generate the majority of jobs for so many others. I have been blessed with a successful business and I am very proud of the fact that our enterprise provides a handsome living wage for all our employees.
The liberal philosophy of class warfare is built upon the flawed ideology that we are operating with finite amount of money… and that one person making a lot is, in effect, taking it from someone else. Of course, the economy does not work that way. When a number of Americans are prosperous, that benefits us all. But if we tax those prosperous Americans beyond their means, there will be no one left to help expand and rebuild our floundering economy.