Communism stalks America?
August 6, 2009We've just returned from a 2 week trip to the USA. I have absolutely no idea what happened in the rest of the world because the news in the US is very introspective.
The big issue dominating the headlines at the moment is healthcare. 47 million people in the US have no health insurance and there is no universal state option like the NHS here in the UK. Personally speaking, I find this appalling and also disgusting when you consider that the USA has the largest singl-nation economy in the world.
For the life of me, I can't understand why average people are vociferously agitating against healtcare reform in the US? What's wrong with socialised healthcare when you have socialised police or firefighters or roads for that matter? Why were average people calling talkshows worried about losing a fundamental right of choice in healthcare reform when that choice quite often was to remain sick and die or become destitute?
I found this video on YouTube fascinating:
I believe the argument runs "only lazy and morally degenerate people will not be able to afford healthcare". The corollary being "I can't possibly say I can't afford healthcare as that means I'm lazy and morally degenerate".Of course there has to be social policing and fire services to protect the hard working and moral from the lazy and morally degenerate – did you hear a rustling in the yard?
In the UK it's also healthcare: and not just swine 'flu.It appears we have progress on euthanasia, with an interim ruling by the DPP next month which is expected to move towards decriminalising those who help in good faith.And there was a vote [before you went away] by the BMA, that praying over patients is not what doctors should be doing.But funding of health + social care desperately needs review. There's a Gov.t consultation: not welcomed by http://www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/news/latest-news/1091-100-days-to-save-dla-a-aa-from-the-axeAnd in London there are some significant staff shortages:www.ic.nhs.uk/statistics-and-data-collections/workforce/nhs-and-gp-vacancies/nhs-vacancy-survey–england-31-march-2009 22.8% "PHM & CHS group" doctors, [whatever they are],20.3% "Other Physiological Sciences",17.7% A&E doctors,17.1% Ambulance, 12.6% Other HCHS Doctors, [Hospital and Community Health Services],12.2% "Other Qualified Scientific, Therapeutic & Technical Staff", etc..
The majority of the public who are prepared to produce propaganda and demonstrate are the well off middle classes who can afford healthcare. The "choice" that these people want is to not share their hospitals with smelly poor people.Although I am a great supporter of the NHS, We are far from a utopia here – we still have a two tier system and inequalities between standards of care for the rich and poor.
Oh – and welcome back – I hope you get over the jetlag quickly!Just finished listening to the youtube – quite scary stuff about the concept about these demonstrations being corporately funded and organised to benefit big business (who of course are benefiting from the status quo).It's sad to think the old "if you don't agree with us you are a communist" is still being used in such a successful "democracy". McCarthyism is alive and well in America?