Rube, I’d love to prove it to you. But it is a bit hard for me to prove reality to somebody that discards the bits of reality that doesn’t fit his ideology. What do you want as proof? Longer life expectancy? Surgeries per capita? Lower obesity rates? Cleaner hospital beds (joke)? We got it. Best thing would be to teleport you here (or to Canada) so that you will see for yourself how the dreaded “socialist” health care systems really work, instead of hearing it from Republican speech writers.

CNN!!!

Shock horror.

Hey, Rube – you do realise that all of your ‘American-Only’ news channels have websites? Do you realise that the internet is all like, global and shit?

Donna, you rawk. Like, hardcore. Please come back again!

Kinni, you rawk too, for raising the rawkin’ Donna.

I, famed #1 Daughter-San of Kinni, believe that Rubicon is correct. RIGHT ON THE MONEY. Everyone else is talking nonsense. Sweden not a part of Europe? Ideologue spelled without a u? Canadians fleeing to the safe haven of the American healthcare system? ALL TRUE!

Obama’s like a Communist Hitler! So powerful is he, all oxymorons quiver at his feet! Propoganda schmnopoganda! This is America right now: WHERE AM I GOING AND WHY AM I IN THIS HANDBASKET?!?!

No, no. Rubicon is right. POOR people do not deserve healthcare. LAZY people do not deserve healthcare. OLD people do not deserve healthcare. CHILDREN do not deserve healthcare! Especially children, those fucking drains on society. I mean, they don’t even pay taxes!

In fact, it would be really ideal of these “people” who can’t afford healthcare and would rely on this new socialised plan would just DIE OFF NOW! Think of all the money the American government would save! Money that could be put into schools and national parks and into research for a source of clean, renewable energy!

HAHAHAHAHAHA – I’m just kidding! Oh my god, did I scare you there??? Did I sound like a pinko tree-hugging queer? HAHAHA – no, I’m joking. Fuck trees, too. LET’S INVADE BRAZIL! Free-loving bastards.

Just the other day, I was watching our state run television channel, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, and after being bombarded for a full HOUR with outrageous falsehoods about my life and country, I decided to broaden my horizons and check out how Canada was being portrayed south of the border, (in the REAL North America) so I put the TV to one of the US
news stations we get… I can’t remember which one… CNN? FOX? ABC? CBS? NBC? MSNBC? PBS? Wait… maybe it was the radio. NPR? Talk shows? Oh, I can’t remember! We get SO many of them, it’s hard to keep track. Anyway! Finally, in Glenn Beck’s dulcet tones, I heard the truth. CANADA SUCKS. Our “universal healthcare” is a JOKE! Now, I know you know that I am disabled and so very, very familiar with our healthcare system. I cannot even tell you how much time I’ve wasted waiting for consults and appointments with specialists. Do you know how much money we’ve spent on tests?! X-rays? CT scans? NOTHING! It’s ridiculous! Out there, some hard-working, tax-paying citizen has to foot the bill for all this! I’m positively outraged on their behalf. I am a BURDEN TO THE STATE and no one seems to care!!!

Do you know how long I’ve had to wait for surgeries?! Once, it was 4 days. FOUR DAYS! A lot can happen in four days! I was THISCLOSE to just packing my bags and going to Seattle for the operation. I mean, sure. It would have cost about $150,000 (US, of course. This Canadian funny money isn’t even worth the paper it’s printed on!) but that’s a small price to pay for no wait times. I mean, I know usually only wealthy people can afford to do this, and it’s typically for elective procedures, but if the Canadian government can’t put my needs ahead of some 50 yr old in need of a hip replacement due to an old hockey injury, then I don’t even want to live here anymore.

I really hope the readers of your blog see this reply, because the way they are jumping down your throat after your reasoned, well-thought out and impeccably researched post is simply reprehensible. I hope my support has allowed them to see some of the issues from a different perspective and maybe made them see the situation in their own countries a little more clearly.

God bless you, Rubicon, and God bless AMERICA!!!!!

“I also don’t do proganda. But since you don’t believe me, I reserve the right to not believe you.”

That’s a pretty strong statement…especially considering that it’s untrue and incorrect! I thoroughly enjoy and appreciate your views, beliefs, and even your ideals. And I defy you to show me any inkling that I ever stated that I don’t believe you!

I don’t know what you mean by “quoting Rudd.”

I consider Japan to be a free-market capitalist society.

Wealth distribution here has nothing to do with health care. It’s taking from the wealthy, from the successful corporations, and any other profitable entity, and spreading that income around to the poor, the needy, the less fortunate, and anywhere else the government deems necessary through massive government programs. More tax and spend. And that my friends is the first step toward socialism….

Again Bitz…that’s a very strong statement. And I’d like for you to prove it if you can.

Really? I think you refer to freedom from persecution because of religion. Considering that Jefferson and Franklin were atheists. Also, the “Founding Fathers Intended” is a bit odd considering that they were all slave-owners. It is therefore OK to depart from some principles of Founding Fathers, but for some reason it is not OK to depart from others. I fail to see the consistency of that.

I included Japan because it is also a free-market capitalist economy. I was wondering if you are condsidering it to be capitalist or socialist.

My argument was purely social economical. I am not sure why you quoted Rudd. After all the issue here is not outsiders refusing to adjust but extending health care to American citizens.

I also don’t do proganda. But since you don’t believe me, I reserve the right to not believe you. Because your views are very in tune with those of insurance CEOs.

Aiel, this is exactly the difference between Americans and Europeans. Over here nobody considers providing universal health care a “wealth distribution”. It is a right of all citizens, simple as that. Some European governments are very averse toward wealth distribution (although none to the American extreme) but universal healthcare is outside that scope.

No one has made it sound like a horror story, except that some people didn’t want to remain on a long waiting list for a certain surgery, some felt that they would get more of the care that they wanted, although I know for sure that Canada has some of the finest hospitals and doctors in the world. Toronto’s Sunnybrook/Womens Center for one.

I can only imagine what you go through with lil’ Miss Donna…so your health care has to be a Godsend! I would hope that something similar could be created here in the states for parents in the same position. But certainly you can testify that not all children medications fall under the health care umbrella…making them out-of-pocket expenses.

I’ll try to work on finding some of the news sources that I can link up for you…

Droves? Really Michael?? I’d like to know where you are getting your information. Is this more right-wing propaganda to instill fear into the hearts and minds of Americans? Tell me what you actually know about the Canadian health care system.

Obama has 5 different plans, (currently on the table), that only he, ultimately, could sign into law. Most are authored by the Dems and supported by liberals, but it doesn’t mean that things won’t change. American’s are getting a taste of a future possibility and are speaking out against it…that’s the democratic way. And if Obama is listening and paying attention, which he’d better be, he’ll see just how passionate people are about all this and push for more clarity and transparency, and he will start to fulfill one of his campaign promises of stopping the status-quo in Washington, and being completely transparent. He needs to be because his poll numbers are slipping…across the board.