Mythbusters 0
T. R. Reid demolishes Five Myths About Health Care in the Rest of the World. (I recently highlighted a radio interview with him.)
A nugget:
It occurs to me that, for all the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans provides a buffer of physical security, they also provide a buffer for ignorance of what the rest of the big wide world is actually about.
Then, again, that may be irrelevant. Americans seem able to believe all kinds of lies about Canadian health care, and there is no ocean between Canada and the U. S., except, apparently, one of USAian ignorance.
Frankly, returning to a theme I mentioned earlier, the issue for most of my leftie buddies as regards health care is something that works in a cost effective and equitable way. The current system doesn’t; it’s not cost effective and it’s not equitable. Indeed, those whom the right revile as “leftist” tend to be remarkably non-ideological. I haven’t stumbled across anyone who gets any notice who is arguing, say, for nationalizing the railroads or airlines or grocery stores (now that would be socialism).*
The ideology is on the right, which has convinced itself that “for profit” is always a better way.
And it’s not always the better way. It’s just most of the time the better way. Health care is not part of the most of the time. Nor is the army nor police work (imagine a speed trap run by Swampwater).
And while we are on the subject, take time to visit Kiko’s House and read this description of the effects of extracting profit from the sick and the helpless.
T. R. Reid story via Will Bunch.
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*Perhaps the lack of ideology is why the American “left” is such a notoriously disunited bunch.
