May I suggest to you that many Americans (myself included) see the US as exceptional, and like it that way. One of the things we find exceptional is that we don’t have a nanny state. I don’t want to live like the Europeans. I don’t want the highest purpose of my government to be to ensure that I can sit in a piazza sipping espresso all day at age 55,at someone else’s expense.
About two weeks ago I had a dinner with about 6 folks in Wisconsin. Lest you think these were a bunch of yahoos, these are men who design the world’s largest super-computers. The level of anger out there right now (beyond the coasts) over this health-care legislation is extremely high, and these guys were not reluctant to express it. Moreover, the level of anger about the fact that this genius in the White House has done nothing to get the economy going is also quite high.
I think the democrats are going to find out about the level of anger, come this November. Maybe then they’ll finally get the message.
wasder, there was kind of an uncomfortable class/race thing going on with the nurses at LICH. It struck me that they weren’t all that happy to be serving a couple of white breastfeeding organic food buying yuppies from Park Slope.
As compared to Methodist, where white breastfeeding organic food buying yuppie slopers are their bread and butter.
Lechacal–I think public/private hits a lot of our issues here dead on. There are people in both US and OZ who can’t afford regular healthcare. We live in civilized nations and we have some kind of obligation to care for our own. In Australia its not just the down and out that utilize the public system though–its also people just out of college who are working in low level jobs, seniors on retirement pensions etc. They pay next to nothing for their routine healthcare and I think that is great (knowing people who do this). When they get better off they opt for their own healthcare with fewer restrictions but at the time when they needed it an affordable option was there. I just don’t understand why this can’t be worked out here. I am very willing to believe that the malpractice lawsuits are a big part of the problem and certainly not shocked by the concept that lobbyists from the legal industry make this reform near to impossible.
Perhaps the whole notion of lobbying needs to go the way of the dinosaur?
“CGar, I think one of the Ten Commandments is that we Jews must at all times try to convince ourselves and everyone around us that we have less than one week to live, even if we’re in perfect health.”
LMAO, Biff. “Suffering? You want suffering? 3,000 years of suffering!” –SOAP
And the Second Commandment for Jews is “Thou shalt not attempt do-it-yourself home improvement projects.”
“We had our second kid at Long Island College Hospital in Brooklyn Heights (HUGE MISTAKE – only went there b/c that’s the hospital our OB was affiliated with). The nurses had a really discouraging attitude about breastfeeding. They actually brought in formula after the birth even though we told them we weren’t doing that. Their attitude was “oh, well as soon as you have any problems just switch to formula.”
WOW–I could have written this exact same thing. We had both of ours at LICH and the nurses are the worst and push the formula down your throats.
And who would scoff at lactation consultants? Its not so damn easy to figure out at first…
wasder – The problem with a public / private system is the public part of it, not the private part, IMHO.
I am of the view that health care in America can never be fixed without first getting rid of abusive malpractice lawsuits. Plaintiffs’ lawers apply a ton of political pressure to keep reform from happening.
I spent a bunch of time on my recent vacation reading up on the health care legislation (like 10 hours or so). I realized at the start of the vacation that I knew almost nothing about one of the most important pieces of legislation of my generation (for better or worse, it’s important) and figured I had some kind of civic duty to educate myself about it.
quote:
the nurses much more sensitive and communicative
lol. ive never met a nice nurse in nyc. they are ALL SO ghetto!!!
*rob*
btw, LICH is in COBBLE Hill since it’s on other side of Atlantic.
no need to worry about those nurses there anymore since they dont do births there anymore right?
Wasder;
May I suggest to you that many Americans (myself included) see the US as exceptional, and like it that way. One of the things we find exceptional is that we don’t have a nanny state. I don’t want to live like the Europeans. I don’t want the highest purpose of my government to be to ensure that I can sit in a piazza sipping espresso all day at age 55,at someone else’s expense.
About two weeks ago I had a dinner with about 6 folks in Wisconsin. Lest you think these were a bunch of yahoos, these are men who design the world’s largest super-computers. The level of anger out there right now (beyond the coasts) over this health-care legislation is extremely high, and these guys were not reluctant to express it. Moreover, the level of anger about the fact that this genius in the White House has done nothing to get the economy going is also quite high.
I think the democrats are going to find out about the level of anger, come this November. Maybe then they’ll finally get the message.
wasder, there was kind of an uncomfortable class/race thing going on with the nurses at LICH. It struck me that they weren’t all that happy to be serving a couple of white breastfeeding organic food buying yuppies from Park Slope.
As compared to Methodist, where white breastfeeding organic food buying yuppie slopers are their bread and butter.
Lechacal–I think public/private hits a lot of our issues here dead on. There are people in both US and OZ who can’t afford regular healthcare. We live in civilized nations and we have some kind of obligation to care for our own. In Australia its not just the down and out that utilize the public system though–its also people just out of college who are working in low level jobs, seniors on retirement pensions etc. They pay next to nothing for their routine healthcare and I think that is great (knowing people who do this). When they get better off they opt for their own healthcare with fewer restrictions but at the time when they needed it an affordable option was there. I just don’t understand why this can’t be worked out here. I am very willing to believe that the malpractice lawsuits are a big part of the problem and certainly not shocked by the concept that lobbyists from the legal industry make this reform near to impossible.
Perhaps the whole notion of lobbying needs to go the way of the dinosaur?
“CGar, I think one of the Ten Commandments is that we Jews must at all times try to convince ourselves and everyone around us that we have less than one week to live, even if we’re in perfect health.”
LMAO, Biff. “Suffering? You want suffering? 3,000 years of suffering!” –SOAP
And the Second Commandment for Jews is “Thou shalt not attempt do-it-yourself home improvement projects.”
“We had our second kid at Long Island College Hospital in Brooklyn Heights (HUGE MISTAKE – only went there b/c that’s the hospital our OB was affiliated with). The nurses had a really discouraging attitude about breastfeeding. They actually brought in formula after the birth even though we told them we weren’t doing that. Their attitude was “oh, well as soon as you have any problems just switch to formula.”
WOW–I could have written this exact same thing. We had both of ours at LICH and the nurses are the worst and push the formula down your throats.
And who would scoff at lactation consultants? Its not so damn easy to figure out at first…
wasder – The problem with a public / private system is the public part of it, not the private part, IMHO.
I am of the view that health care in America can never be fixed without first getting rid of abusive malpractice lawsuits. Plaintiffs’ lawers apply a ton of political pressure to keep reform from happening.
I spent a bunch of time on my recent vacation reading up on the health care legislation (like 10 hours or so). I realized at the start of the vacation that I knew almost nothing about one of the most important pieces of legislation of my generation (for better or worse, it’s important) and figured I had some kind of civic duty to educate myself about it.
Are you guys talking about the guy who posted as “Aussie”?
That was it!! I was close when I said Andy.
No wonder we couldn’t come up with it so easily. Who would ever think and Australian would ever post under the login name “Aussie”?