Go ask an African in Africa and Mexicans in Mexico and ask them if they would rather be a citizen of their country or a citizen of America. The blood of MANY white men flowed from Vicksburg to Gettysburg, over 500,000 men to be precise, so that the sin of slavery would come to an end. AND MANY white people marched alongside Dr. King and others on Washington and at Selma and other places to combat civil rights abuses. Native Americans were treated wrongfully for sure, but today they enjoy no taxes, political sovereignty, and many are living prosperously due to the many casions and resorts they have built on their reservations. I have friends that work for the Indians and they are paid very well and have great benefits.
Our system isnt perfect, hasnt been perfect will never be prefect, but you name ONE country you would rather be a citizen of! You want to live in Rwanda or Congo and watch your children's and wife's bloated bodies float down the river due to genocidal tribal warfare? You want to live in Robert Mugabe's Zimbabwe? Why are the Latinos flocking here, willing to risk imprisonment or arrest at the border EVERY DAY? Why arent we losing our citizens to mass exodus to the borders of Venezuela, Cuba, or Nigeria? You know why---I dont have to tell you---its because America, in spite of its errors and failures still stands as a beacon to the whole world that if you want to work, if you want a better way of life, if you want to find peace and security and a better future---its here. There are millions upon millions of people who are living testimonies to this nations greatness and they are white, black, yellow, red from all over the world!
There have been a lot of horrible things done by whites to others, for sure. But what about the many wonderful things that white people have done to end those injustices? A white President pushed the Civil Rights Act, JFK. A white President signed it into law, LBJ. Some white people were bigots and hateful. Not all. And I have experienced racism coming from blacks toward me, toward my children, I have experienced it from Latinos and others because I am white. But I don't judge an entire nation for it. I dont judge entore races for it. Im not bitter about it. I still do my best to live for God and forgive my enemies and live responsibly.
I'll put America up against any other nation in the world any day. Warts and all. God bless America!
DB, I understand what you are saying and I do agree that I would rather raise my son here than in any other country. I love America and am very concerned about the direction all politicians seem to be taking it. There are also things that people of all races need to do to make it a better place today and going into the future.
To Lights point, I think that his response to your statement about 233 years of freedom and democracy does deserve a second look. There have absolutely been 233 years of freedom and democracy...just not for everybody. With the great nation that America is, it is still not accurate to ignore that. I can't speak for Light, but my impression is that he is saying that that line is not true for everybody...that is not a criticism, just a fact.
__________________
There are no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, Chuck Norris lives in Houston.
Either the United States will destroy ignorance, or ignorance will destroy the United States. – W.E.B. DuBois
There are people who DIE because they are uninsured and can't get the help they need...how much more desperate does it have to be for you to believe the system needs fixing?!
I'm not sure I understand every bit of all this., really.
Maybe its too simple. I thought people were responsible for their
own care, for paying medical bills, etc. WHY is it the gov't system's fault,
that some people do NOT have insurance? Which then evidently leads
to expecting said gov't to "fix it"?
btw my FIL is, right now as we speak, dying from stage 4cancer (liver/lungs/brain)., he had NO insurance and was always hesitant to go to a doctor for THAT reason, [along w/other typical reasons most MEN won't go see a doctor, lol ] although I remember 3yrs ago he had gallbladder surgery (he paid cash for that over time) therefore this might've been discovered and treated long ago, IN TIME for it to be treated., It'd been great if he had had a regular family doctor with regular
visits, too, over the years. Why are most men so 'chicken' about going to the doc?
Irregardless, his time is up any day now. He at least has some life insurance
policies
I do believe that he could have bought health insurance long ago (he owns a business)., he made lots of money, still has various properties, but he threw much of his 'wealth' away on vices, and just CHOSE not to see about health insurance, back when it could very well have been affordable. *sigh* yeah, we are all human and fail in so many ways..but time does keep on ticking and invariably, we get called on our choices.
__________________ You can tell more about people
by what they say about others...than by what others
say about them.
i am not going to insert myself so far into your system.... it takes enough time to educate Americans on what can be done for our system that doesnt include letting our government with its terrible track record from running ours....
I will say this, regarless of the things you and others say about your system, it must have some serious challenges when there is an abslolute fact that Canadians come to America for treatment. If the article posted in this thread starter is to be believed, there are now companies that match Canadians with treatment they cannot get in the Canadian Health System.
In a Canadian National Population Health Survey of 17,276 Canadian residents, it was reported that only 0.5% sought medical care in the U.S. in the previous year. Of these, less than a quarter had traveled to the U.S. expressly to get that care.
A 2002 study by Katz, Cardiff, et al, reported the number of Canadians using U.S. services to be "barely detectible relative to the use of care by Canadians at home" and that the results "do not support the widespread perception that Canadian residents seek care extensively in the United States."
I'm not sure I understand every bit of all this., really.
Maybe its too simple. I thought people were responsible for their
own care, for paying medical bills, etc. WHY is it the gov't system's fault,
that some people do NOT have insurance? Which then evidently leads
to expecting said gov't to "fix it"?
btw my FIL is, right now as we speak, dying from stage 4cancer (liver/lungs/brain)., he had NO insurance and was always hesitant to go to a doctor for THAT reason, [along w/other typical reasons most MEN won't go see a doctor, lol ] although I remember 3yrs ago he had gallbladder surgery (he paid cash for that over time) therefore this might've been discovered and treated long ago, IN TIME for it to be treated., It'd been great if he had had a regular family doctor with regular
visits, too, over the years. Why are most men so 'chicken' about going to the doc?
Irregardless, his time is up any day now. He at least has some life insurance
policies
I do believe that he could have bought health insurance long ago (he owns a business)., he made lots of money, still has various properties, but he threw much of his 'wealth' away on vices, and just CHOSE not to see about health insurance, back when it could very well have been affordable. *sigh* yeah, we are all human and fail in so many ways..but time does keep on ticking and invariably, we get called on our choices.
Sorry to read about your FIL, however, to suggest that the rest of the country is in the same boat as he (able to pay for insurance, but choosing not to) is not true and unfair.
Millions would have insurance if they could afford it!!
"Obama's Plan"? He hasnt submitted anything. The Congress has. He is not leading the way here, the House and Senate are. We really dont know what are the details he is favor of or against.
The answers you submit above have one caveat: it is run by the government not the free market. Your support goes for higher taxes and trillions of new debt to our nation. Ferds proposals can be enforced into the market without heavy taxation and adding to the national debt.
Free market hasn't cut it. The greed in the free market is a disgrace.
Free market hasn't cut it. The greed in the free market is a disgrace.
"the greed of the free market"
I really dont know what to say about that.
But I will start with the fact that the health industry has so much regulation that it can hardly be called a "free market" so if you are going to complain about the greed in the system, please balance that with an understanding that the market is hardly "free"
the LACK of a free market is the real problem.
__________________ If I do something stupid blame the Lortab!
This is absolutely true, in my experience. I'm on numerous message boards with people from Canada and Australia, and 100% of them say that they are extremely pleased with their health care system. I've not come across one single person who said they are unhappy in any way. They tell anecdotes of sickness they or family members have experienced, and tell of the treatment... quick and well done.
We really need to stop using the "Canada's health care stinks" argument. For every anecdote you can find detailing a bad experience in Canada, you can find one here in America, stemming from insurance companies. Just as many people are denied treatment, or the treatment is delayed, because of insurance companies.
We can find plenty of horror stories right here in America. I'm a horror story. If I find a lump in my breast tomorrow, I will stay home. I have no health insurance, and don't have enough money to even begin to pay for the testing.
I don't know what the answer is, but we need to start arguing 'just the facts' and quit trying to use the argument that Canada's health care system stinks. Most of its residents don't think so.
Would you say that currently your health care would be rationed to provide services for those who can pay for it?
The Post Office is a mess and anyone using that as a reason to have government run healthcare is not going to get a lot of support.
Social Security is bankrupt and most folk my age dont even believe it will be around when we retire.
The fire department isnt run by the federal government Barb. What a silly notion to include that in this discussion.
and you could not be more wrong about why Republicans dont want this. If a republican proposed a government run healthcare option, he would be run out of the party.
Republicans have offered MANY market based solutions to many of the problems we face with healthcare. NONE of those offerings include a gov. option.
Many local agencies such as police, fire, and even housing inspection receive assistance from federal funding.
Many local agencies such as police, fire, and even housing inspection receive assistance from federal funding.
LOL!! In doing a rushed google search yesterday before leaving for work, I found several sources that agree with this.
I just have too much respect for Ferd to belabor the point, so I let it go at the time.
I did find some interesting info on this subject of health care from an article in AARP Bulletin. Perhaps when I come in tonight I can post some of it...
Many local agencies such as police, fire, and even housing inspection receive assistance from federal funding.
The only money the federal government has is what they take from the citizens of the states. So saying local agencies are funded with federal dollars is a joke, that money just passes through the federal government which returns less than it took.
__________________
"Beware lest you lose the substance by grasping at the shadow." ~Aesop
Linear Mode
