Here’s a transcript of a chat I’ve been having on a Facebook thread belonging to an American conservative. I think it’s a demonstration of a) how little some Americans have actually thought through this issue and b) how little some Americans are able/willing to hold an intelligent debate about the subject. They would prefer to rant, bully and abuse. It’s the typical response I’m used to when discussing religion with similar people. When they can’t put forward an intelligent argument, they just attack like rabid dogs.
The battle for your health care is going to be fought on Tuesday. We need to melt the phone lines and stop the takeover of our health care.
1. Please contact every member of the Senate Finance Committee
2. Send 2 free faxes at: http://www.gotfreefax.com
3. Send emails to your representatives: http://www.capwiz.com/freedomworks/issues/alert/?alertid=14115176-
No, Mandates For Insurance-
No, Penalties For Not Buying Insurance-
No, Government Option-
Yes, Tort Reform-
Yes, Take Care of Abuse-
Yes, Free Markets
Pass this on to your friends. I cannot stress the importance of action. We need everyone to make calls, emails and faxes. If you are near a Senate office, please visit it today!
Comments:
3 cheap reforms needed to the current system:
1) Tort reform (loser-pays)
2) Legalize interstate medical insurance sales… Read More
3) End employment-base group insurance
These 3 ideas are no-cost to the taxpayer. We can’t afford $900 billion with 10% unemployment and a seriously declining dollar. We can’t trust this government either.
Damon, what a load of nonsense. Is Australia a “socialist state”? No. Yet we have far superior healthcare to the USA. And nobody in Australia would swap our system for your system. You folks need to pull your heads out.
U.S. Population 304,059,724 – Jul 2008 — 304,059,724 vs 21,600,000
Cameron – there is a “slight” difference in total population; Australia does not have “land borders’ with illegals flowing into your country.… Read More
This health care insurance/care bill that they are trying to RAM through against the majority of American’s wishes, will reduce care, cost more and they absolutely, in “their own words” are trying to force the US into a “single payer system” run by the Federal Gov’t. Single payer is filled with corruption, cost over-runs (Medicare and Medicaid). Our Gov’t states if this bill passes they will fix the corruption? If that is true, then they should have fixed the corruption long ago.
NO THANKS!
What data do you have that says the majority of Americans are against it? Wasn’t Obama voted in BY the majority of Americans on a platform for change?
And single payer is NONE of those things you are suggesting. In Australia we have had a single payer system for 35 years and nobody complains about it. It works. … Read More
While I’ll agree that the US govt is corrupt, that’s got nothing to do with single payer healthcare. On the contrary – it’s the corruption in your system that’s trying to spin single payer healthcare as bad.
I would love to see those Americans who are against improving healthcare to compare the US system with Australia and tell me what’s so wrong with our system.
WHO cares what you think of Obama, or the latest rounds of still unreleased healthcare legislation? Stick to what you know and can quantify with some actual experience. You’ve probably never set foot in a U.S. hospital, but again, NO ONE CARES IF YOU HAVE.
Joanne has gone to great lengths to share the ramifications of the last published healthcare legislation (which most of us here actually read and now understand) and you jump in here like an imbecile looking for attention. That’s what TROLLS do. … Read More
We don’t have the time or the inclination to educate you.
Perhaps if some Americans, such as yourself, took the time to actually educate yourself about what citizens of other countries, who already HAVE a single payer healthcare system, think about such systems, you might cure … Read Moreyourself of your delusional attitudes towards the Obama legislation. Despite Joanne’s analysis of the theoretical ramifactions, there are 100 million people living in democratic, capitalist countries, such as Australia, Canada and the UK, who actually live quite happily under a single payer healthcare system and have for decades. If American’s current approach is to superior to a single payer system, you might ask why the people of these other countries aren’t demanding changes to THEIR healthcare system.
I can totally see why you might want to get involved in this debate Cameron. I’m in New Zealand – we have state funded health (and like Australia you can supplement it with insurance). It is so frustrating when Americans seem to think there is a necessity for insurance in health. Taxes are a fair way of insuring us, it distributes the cost.
However I can also see why it might be different in the US, why they have a dillema. Can you trust the state over there to run health? As Marxists say: the state is the executive committee of the ruling class. That is more nakedly obvious over there. The do war, not health, they are run by corporates & bribery lobbies. Obama employs companies like Blackwater.
The sad thing is that even in Australia and New Zealand where we have a seemingly more benign state it may just be a veneer. Our (NZ) rather good ACC state managed, world leading, no blame accident compensation scheme is heavily under attack by the Nats. They want to privatise it, but keep that as a secret agenda while they try to destroy it.
It’s not all Americans, Walter, although I’m sure it seems like it is. I live in New Jersey, USA, and most people I know are pro-state funded health care. These are all people who work full time whose employer does not provide health care or like myself whose employer does but it is nowhere near as good a system as in Canada or also probably in Australia. I’ve never been, but you guys have your heads on straight down there.
A main problem though is that those that aren’t refuse to listen to any kind of reason. They don’t want to go near it in this country at this point in time. It is insane. I’ve lost friendships over this debate once I find out someone’s vehemency towards a public option. I mean it’s like a combination of no reason and disgusting meanness. Our government and media has effectively created a situation where no one wants to help another person at any expense, no matter how small.
The worst part is having to listen to these idiots call Obama a Socialist and at how mad they get at the idea. This is terrible for me because I’m really a socialist, for the most part, and think Obama is pretty much as right-wing as one can get. He is a bit better than Bush, as a person, but policy wise I don’t see much of a difference. Liberals in the US think Bush was some mad Christian out to ban gay marriages and outlaw abortions. Yet, even with the largest backing of christian supporters he didn’t do either of those just like Obama. What’s really dangerous is portraying yourself as some kind of far left liberal and not even try to introduce or support anything remotely liberal.
Anyway, I’m on a rant. I love your podcasts. I stumbled upon the Napoleon podcast and have since gotten into No Illusions and many of your others and plan on donating once I come across some extra cash. Never quit debating though, Cameron. You never know who else is watching and what kind of hope you may be instilling in people.