Hi Ralph,
On the one hand, you are right...the reason there is no more Socialist
Party in the United states is that every plank of the Socialist
platform of the early twentieth century is today established government
policy. Everyone you ask will tell you they are "middle class" and
none will admit to being Socialists.
On the other hand...in Britain socialized health care is via the
National Health Service. It's a national program.
In the U.S., we had a National Postal Service that is now a private
monopoly with ever increasing costs and ever diminishing service. We
have Amtrack, which is not exactly a success story either. We have
FEMA, the FAA and the IRS, none of whom seem a desirable administrative
model for any "national health care".
Our VA (Veterans Administration) is the closest thing the U.S. has to
socialized medicine. You've probably heard of the crumbling facilities
at Walter Reed Hospital in Washington that some of our returning
wounded troops were being assigned until someone blew the whistle.
Then there's the current "shortage" of psychiatric help for returning
soldiers...we didn't think they would come back with problems? They
have in every other war, even if the need was ignored then, too.
Systems like this do not serve the people...they serve the system.
I have VA coverage, and found out that my $25 co-pay for a monthly
medication (30 pills) would buy 200 pills from Costco by mail order
that I could split for over a year's supply. My VA physician was not
licensed to practice in my state, could not write an "outside"
prescription, and would not ask another physician who COULD to do so
for me. I changed physicians. They still won't write me a
prescription for 100 pills (better deal) of double dosage (so I could
split them) like a private doctor will. So yes, the VA probably
negotiates good prices from the pharmaceutical companies; but I don't
get the benefit...the VA system does. Ask how many veterans have
received the Shingles vaccine (that Medicare covers).
If one comes down with the Swine Flu, the tape recording you get when
calling to make an appointment tells victims to stay home. If they
insist on an appointment, none will be available within the 48-72 hours
that the antiviral Tamiflu is most effective; even though my tax
dollars paid for "government" stockpiles of it. If I suffer
complications and die as a result no one is personally accountable,
criminally or financially.
We do already know that current proposals to "insure everyone" do
nothing to contain future increases in costs. They are the same old
scheme that "covers" the uninsured by eliminating current services and
raising current taxes. The number of uninsured children of legal
residents that will come onto the rolls of the insured will be far
fewer than the number of illegal aliens and their exploding families
that will be given coverage. The bill for same will be paid by...(drum
roll)...existing taxpayers. Why am I not surprised?
I respectfully disagree that local police, fire, schools, roads, water
and sewage systems are "socialized" in the manner that a national
common denominator of tax support would produce. They are much more
like the traditional agricultural "co-op" supported by local funding
with local leadership and local accountability.
I'm all for freedom of choice, but the choices that will likely emerge
will not be honestly represented nor honest financially. Any fool can
"contain" Medicare costs by lowering payments for services until no one
in private practice will participate. Somehow I just don't happen to
see that as "change" I can live with.
Regards,
WRB
--
On Jul 24, 2009, at 00:42, Ralph Finch wrote:
Hartmut doesn’t have to imagine, he lives in a country with government
organized health care. Hartmut, can you tell us how it is? And you
lived in the USA for a few years, how do you compare it to here?
It’s a sincere question. Actually the USA has socialized police,
fire, schools roads, water systems, sewages systems….the list goes on
and on. And those are all government employees! The “socialized”
medicine the neo-conservatives try to scare us with is not on the same
order at all: it’s simply letting the government act as an insurer
along with all the for-profit, high-salary, private insurance
companies. Why do the neo-cons want to deny freedom of choice?
Ralph Finch
From: [email protected]
[mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of heavensounds
Sent: Thursday, July 23, 2009 8:33 PM
To: Techlist Ercoupe
Subject: Re: [ercoupe-tech] Model C or D
Harmut
You are correct. That's yet one more example of the imbecility
of government bureaucracies. Illogical regulations that make no sense
whatsoever. Imagine when government starts controlling health care !
Eliacim
