Yep I have seen similar on the news. Not that I want to denigrate America nor Americans (some of my best freinds are American, ;¬) ) but it does seem a little crazy to me.
To me it does seem that there is a fear of socialism in the USA, okay I guess a health service free at the point of entry for all is rather a socialist idea, but to my mind I see nothing wrong in goverment making provision for thoese less able to help themselves, in fact I see it as duty of goverment to do so. I wonder how much of it has to do with the cold war, but surly now those days are behind us? On 17 Aug, 14:22, Ian Pollard <[email protected]> wrote: > I was driving to work listening to Radio 4 last week and they had sent > their reporter to a meeting/rally against these health care proposals. > (A rally! Against free health care!) The reporter was typically polite > and BBC-like, but the insane vitriol of the people he interviewed made > me wonder whether these colonials were confused about what was being > proposed. Somewhere down the line had they misheard "health care for > everyone based on need, not ability to pay" as "anal defilement of > your first-born with a baseball bat"? > > One guy's objection was that he would have to wait "over a year" for > priority cancer treatment for his wife. When challenged on this and > asked where he got his information, he obviously flapped. The fact > that there is no waiting list for such treatment did not deter him > from his anger. Another interviewee said that the UK had statistically > the most ineffectual health care in Europe, unlike the countries with > exclusively private health care "like Germany". When it was pointed > out that Germany does have national health care, he said "it would be > even better if it were private". > > They also played a few American television adverts designed to drum up > fear in the populace about the dangers of a British-style health > service. I found one's description of a "death committee" to decide > which people were too old to spend money on helping particularly > scandalous. I was actually embarrassed for America. Very embarrassed. > > I feel bad for my American friends who struggle to pay for health > insurance for themselves and their families. Why should health care be > a privilege? It shouldn't, obviously. All people should have access to > unlimited resources based on their need, irrespective of whether they > can pay for them. Wealth shouldn't come into it. > > You can only conclude from all this crap that the endlessly > perpetuated idea of the United States as a meritocracy is a sinister > lie to keep the poor poor and the rich rich. Really, the only question > about all this should be whether or not Obama is granted the right to > run for a third term if he pulls this off. > > Ian --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups ""Minds Eye"" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/minds-eye?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
