3 posts tagged “united states”
If the only way we compared the two systems – U.S. versus Canada – was with statistics, there is a clear victor. It is becoming increasingly more difficult to dispute the fact that Canada spends less money on health care to get better outcomes.
Yet, the debate rages on. Indeed, it has reached a fever pitch since President Barack Obama took office, with Americans either dreading or hoping for the dawn of a single-payer health care system. Opponents of such a system cite Canada as the best example of what not to do, while proponents laud that very same Canadian system as the answer to all of America’s health care problems…
As America comes to grips with the reality that changes are desperately needed within its health care infrastructure, it might prove useful to first debunk some myths about the Canadian system.
Myth: Taxes in Canada are extremely high, mostly because of national health care.
In actuality, taxes are nearly equal on both sides of the border. Overall, Canada’s taxes are slightly higher than those in the U.S. However, Canadians are afforded many benefits for their tax dollars, even beyond health care (e.g., tax credits, family allowance, cheaper higher education), so the end result is a wash. At the end of the day, the average after-tax income of Canadian workers is equal to about 82 percent of their gross pay. In the U.S., that average is 81.9 percent.
Myth: Canada’s health care system is a cumbersome bureaucracy.
The U.S. has the most bureaucratic health care system in the world. More than 31 percent of every dollar spent on health care in the U.S. goes to paperwork, overhead, CEO salaries, profits, etc. The provincial single-payer system in Canada operates with just a 1 percent overhead. Think about it. It is not necessary to spend a huge amount of money to decide who gets care and who doesn’t when everybody is covered.
Source: Denver Post
Not so incidentally, single-payer systems run by the U.S. government can approach Canadian efficiency. Medicare and Social Security run at less than 3% overhead.
Myth: The Canadian system is significantly more expensive than that of the U.S.
Ten percent of Canada’s GDP is spent on health care for 100 percent of the population. The U.S. spends 17 percent of its GDP but 15 percent of its population has no coverage whatsoever and millions of others have inadequate coverage. In essence, the U.S. system is considerably more expensive than Canada’s. Part of the reason for this is uninsured and underinsured people in the U.S. still get sick and eventually seek care. People who cannot afford care wait until advanced stages of an illness to see a doctor and then do so through emergency rooms, which cost considerably more than primary care services.
What the American taxpayer may not realize is that such care costs about $45 billion per year, and someone has to pay it. This is why insurance premiums increase every year for insured patients while co-pays and deductibles also rise rapidly.
Myth: Canada’s government decides who gets health care and when they get it.
While HMOs and other private medical insurers in the U.S. do indeed make such decisions, the only people in Canada to do so are physicians. In Canada, the government has absolutely no say in who gets care or how they get it. Medical decisions are left entirely up to doctors, as they should be.
I am the last person to ever defend Canada on anything. In fact, for some unknown and unwarranted reason, I hate Canada. Go ahead and blame South Park if you want, but that isn't the case. I will be the first to say that the healthcare system is better than what we have in the United States. It CERTAINLY isn't perfect, but I am saying that it is better than what we currently have.
For some perspective, it's important to understand that I hate the medical industry. I loathe going to the Dr. unless I am about ready to keel over. I had an interesting discussion recently with a friend in Thailand (originally from the U.S.) where we discussed this issue rather heatedly. I came to be of the opinion that unless you have to deal with the medical industry in a serious capacity (ie. some life-saving/changing/etc. surgery), then you can't truly see how broken our system is. I think that once you have that perspective, you can then toss aside any preconceptions you may have and begin to truly wrap your head around the issues at hand.
As I sit here in front of the computer, I realize that I have alot to reflect on this year. In many ways, absolutely nothing has changed from last year. I still live in the same apartment, still work at the same job, go to the same school, travel the same route all the time...my routine is well-established. I still don't see much of my family, and not near enough of my nephew. I marvel at the routine of my life sometimes. For example:
I get up and do the school thing. I then head to work, where I drone on in a job that I no longer enjoy. I don't work there much anymore, but it still is demoralizing. When I get home, I hop on the internet and open up a couple of saved sessions in Opera (Technology, Photography) and I peruse the same 9 misc. sites each night. I do this until midnight or so, then I do homework for 2-3 hours. If I am not tired, then I may watch some TV or play some Xbox 360. This routine is, rather sadly, what my life is like each day.
It may be more exciting than that, but it doesn't feel like it. There are some differences as well. What is interesting, to me at least, is that the differences are (generally) improvements in my life.
Let's see...I am now a college professor. Those who know me may scoff, and joke that since I have been going to college for 10 years, they figured they might as well hire me, and they may be right. But I really do enjoy teaching. I am still enrolled in grad school (yes, still...I collect degrees), and that is where all of the money that I make from teaching goes towards. The downside is that given my current situation, I really could use that money to pay bills. I am forced to make a choice between dropping out and going back on the waiting list and being able to pay my bills. I have been applying for other jobs like crazy (24+), but I haven't had any luck. I seem to be getting alot of "If you are a college professor, why do you want to work for $10 an hour?" How about because I have to make ends meet!? Grrrr....
The Muffins are gone. While we had our differences, I do miss them. My place isn't as lively without them around. And it is quite large for one person. Even a geek like me. That fucking retard Jason is finally out of here (I hate him!!!), and I don't miss his slobby/don't pay bills ass. I apologize for cursing, but its been quite the day already today. I lost a few people in my life this year that make me sad: Sam, Lori, Jody, Doug...
Nee is back down south. She has known me for what is essentially my whole life. There was a familiarity there that I don't have elsewhere. Her and I were the same person, just in different shells. I miss having her around terribly. (Especially now woman! I have a major problem, and I need your advice! hmph...)
I met a woman who makes me feel better than I ever have before. I can think about her and nothing else matters. She makes me so happy. At the risk of jinxing things, I would be happy if she and I were to grow old together. That would make me the happiest person alive. It isn't an entirely rosy picture, as she doesn't feel the same way however. It could just be an issue of bad timing, it could just be that I am living in a fantasy land once again, or it could just be that I want it so bad...but she definately doesn't think of me that way. I had said something, not intentionally, something just slipped out, and she made it quite clear that she doesn't like me thinking long-term about this. Wow...when I write it out like that, it really just kinda hits me...
Bah...I can't do anything about what she thinks or feels about me. But I truly do love her. I am actually in love with someone. And I am going to celebrate that fact.
As I look forward to 2009, it is with cautious optimism, both in my personal life, and in our society as well. I am hopeful that Obama will make positive changes for our country. He has shown great initiative already, and while everything may not be a choice that I agree with, I am truly amazed that we may actually have a government that does SOMETHING. I just hope it is something positive. I hope that he hasn't inherited a situation that is too grave to dig out of.
I hope for reform of Wall St. practices, our education system, drug education policies, and a return to a focus on infrastructure in our country. It is unfortunate that half the world wants to kill each other, but I think it best if we focus on our citizen's for the time being. The concept of a world police, cannot be something that is dragged into war-type conflicts. Nor should it be something used for political posturing and agenda-realization.
I hope that our economy turns around. I know too many people without a job, and their situation is grim. While my own is fast approaching their status, I truly hope that a rebound is fast approaching. With my economic understanding however, I wouldn't anticipate this. It is with this grim realization that I feel our situation will get worse before it gets better. I wish us all the best.
With that in mind, I truly hope that we can come together as people and take advantage of something that no entity, government, or person can ever take away from us: the human spirit. Humans are capable of tremendous things when we come together. I hope that we can all come together, form a fellowship and work to help each other. If we are able to do this, then perhaps we will emerge much stronger, both as individuals, and as a people.
Best of luck to everyone in the New Year.
Not until a year after Lexington did the Continental Congress muster the resolve to declare the 13 colonies free and independent states, no longer subject to Parliament or Crown.
Not for five years after July 4, 1776, did George Washington's army truly attain America's independence at Yorktown.
Even then, Washington and his aide Alexander Hamilton knew that the 13 states, while politically independent, were dependent upon Europe for the necessities of their national life. Without French ships and guns, French muskets and troops, the Americans could not have forced Gen. Cornwallis' surrender at Yorktown.
Cornwallis would have sailed away, as Gen. Howe had from Boston.
Indeed, absent the 1778 alliance with France, our Revolution would have been a longer bloodier affair and might not have succeeded.
At the Constitutional Convention of 1787, both Washington and Hamilton were determined to make America's political independence permanent, and to begin to cut the umbilical cord to Europe.
In the Constitution that came out of that convention, the states were prohibited from imposing any tariffs on the products of other states, thus creating the greatest common market in history, the United States of America. Second, the U.S. government was empowered to raise revenue by imposing tariffs on foreign goods, but explicitly denied the power to impose taxes on the incomes of American citizens.
And as Hamilton set the nation onto a course that would ensure economic independence, Washington took the actions and made the decisions that would assure our political independence.
First, he declared neutrality in the European wars that followed the French Revolution of 1789. Second, he sought to sever the 1778 alliance with France, a feat achieved by his successor, John Adams.
Third, in his Farewell Address, the greatest state paper in U.S. history, Washington admonished his countrymen to steer clear of permanent alliances and to stay out of Europe's wars. Rarely in the 19th century did the United States divert from the course set by Washington and Hamilton.
In 1812, however, James Madison, goaded by "war hawks" Henry Clay and John Calhoun, and ignoring the counsel of the Farewell Address, declared war on Britain and came near to seeing his nation torn apart.
Had it not been for the Duke of Wellington's preoccupation with Napoleon and Andy Jackson's rout of a British invasion army at New Orleans, America might have been split asunder. In 1814, New England was on the verge of seceding, and the British had in mind splitting off the vast Louisiana territory. As it was, Madison had to flee the Washington, when a British Army came up the Bladensburg Road to burn the Capitol and Madison's White House.
After peace in 1815, however, Madison signed the Tariff Act of 1816 to prevent British merchants from dumping goods into the United States to kill America's infant industries that had arisen during the war and to prevent British merchants from recapturing the U.S. markets they had lost.
For most of the 19th century, the nation followed the economic policy of Hamilton and the foreign policy of Washington -- and was richly rewarded. By the first decade of the 20th century, America was the most independent and self-reliant republic in all of history.
And by staying out of two world wars of the 20th century until many of the bloodiest battles had been fought, America emerged in 1945 economically and politically independent of all other nations.
During the Cold War, however, Americans came to believe that a temporary alliance, NATO, was necessary to prevent Joseph Stalin's empire from overrunning Europe and turning the balance of power against us. To help our wartime allies and former enemies Japan, Germany and Italy to their feet, we set aside Hamilton's policy and threw open the American market to the goods of Free Europe and Free Asia.
These should have been temporary alliances and temporary measures. Instead, they were made permanent.
No longer free of foreign entanglements, as Thomas Jefferson urged, we now have commitments to defend 50 countries. The old Hamiltonian policy of "Prosper America First" has given way to worship of a Global Economy, at whose altars we sacrifice daily the vital interests of our own manufacturers and workers.
"Interdependence" is now the desired end of the new elite.
And so we have become again a dependent nation. We borrow from Europe and Japan to defend the oil of Europe and Japan in the Persian Gulf. We borrow from China to buy the goods of China. We are as dependent on foreign borrowing as we are on foreign oil.
And the questions arise: If the men of '76, who led those small and vulnerable states, were wiling to sacrifice their lives, fortunes and sacred honor for America's independence, what is the matter with us?
Do we not value independence as they did? Or is it that we are simply not the men our fathers were?
Happy Independence Day.
http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=27360#continueA
I have felt that America, while still a great nation, really needs to focus on itself rather than become involved in unstable world conflicts. Many would argue that this would affect trade, our standing as a superpower, and our relationships with other nations. They may also argue that it would harm the countries of the world in need of aid. I think that this is a very misguided view. After I get some sleep...I will tell you why.
