Recently, we hired a plumber who heard that we were from Canada, so he asked about the Canadian health-care system. We told him that we had always received excellent care there, but since living in the U.S. we have encountered ongoing problems with bureaucracy plus frequent interference in our health matters from insurers. To us, the "death panels" are the insurers who currently make all decisions.
The plumber said he was "afraid of government-run health care" and afraid that he would lose "his freedom." We recognized his rhetoric from right-wing propaganda, so we explained that in fact, universal health care was just the opposite from what he was being led to believe. He thanked us for the conversation, saying he'd buy the needed part and "get right back to us."
After we waited a week we began leaving messages — many messages — none of which were ever returned. Then, we realized that the plumber had been offended by our honestly in response to his questions and that his reaction was to avoid us entirely. We had accepted this person as a free-thinking individual, but his behavior made us realize that he had been spooked by the fear-mongering tactics being used to scare citizens who are afraid of change. Surely any thinking person should be able to discriminate between lies funded by greed and facts given by people with no vested interest.
We are thankful to have the police department, fire department, public universities, libraries, Medicare, Workman's Compensation, Unemployment Insurance, National Guard, Army, Veteran's Administration, etc. Imagine our country without these socialistic programs!
People do have the right to be stupid, but at what a price to the rest of us?
— Michel and Terry LaRiviere
Black Mountain
It is a testament to the power of propaganda which has allowed the wealthiest top percent of the Nation convince everyone else that “Government” is what is oppressing them. It is a uniquely American phenominon that plays well into your ‘wild-west/revolutionary war’ mythology.
But your plumber may just be a typical contractor who never returns calls and operates on his own bizarre time-schedule.
i recognize your rhetoric from left wing propaganda.
[b]i recognize your rhetoric from left wing propaganda. [/b]
Yes, everyone knows Canada is just a story made up by the Liberals.
If Canada is so great why are they here? And if they are unhappy with being with the Americans then why not return?
Chances are this letter is a figment of someone’s imagination.
Health care can be a good thing just not right now while the country is broke.
This Canadian couple offered their experience with health care as it exists in Canada. Perhaps it would have been appropriate to thank them for sharing the information; showing a little courtesy and learning from them. Rather than engaging our mouths in an attack without even considering that there may be something to learn from the story.
It is time for each of us to seriously consider how we can improve our system, rather than ignorantly holding that our health care system is the “greatest in the world”. Our system is broken, if you don’t already know this then you haven’t had the misfortune of having to need it. Perhaps it is time to learn lessons from other countries and design a system that all Americans, regardless of political perspective, can all indeed be proud of.
In the same way that our Founding Fathers tailored a new political system; whose starting point was the broken British monarchy, they embarked on a political experiment. A new republic–one more perfect than where it had started; where justice, peace, liberty and community would be guiding principles in helping us grow as a nation. They understood they didnt have all the answers and were open to learning from others. We must now come together to grow as a nation in this troubled time; rather than snip at each other like feral animals. We all deserve better than this and together we can achieve it.
‘asheville dweller’–
What part of them expressing their own opinion about their experience with Government-run health care implies “they are unhappy with being with the Americans” and that they should return to Canada?
Should people not live in America if they have had a positive experience with government run health care?
I’m sure you ‘splained the facts to him and he was offended by your recognition of his being a cog in the right wing propoganda machine … what stupid leftist bot progrm do you run on daily?
“We had accepted this person as a free-thinking individual, but his behavior made us realize that he had been spooked by the fear-mongering tactics being used to scare citizens who are afraid of change.”
Maybe that gave it a clue, and I still believe this story is made up, excluding Canada. So the plumbers opinion was different big deal everyone has an opinion.
I guess he was Joe the Plumber who was afraid his $250,000 would be taxed more by the Obama Administration.
[b]”everyone has an opinion. “[/b]
Yes, but some opinions are based on verifiable fact, and some opinions are based on fear, hyperbole, and lies. (death panels, denied care, free service for illegals…)
Are you really implying this letter is fabricated and that these people are fictional? You really might want to contact the MX about that.
Like you said everyone has an Opinion but it just sounds too perfect, and as matter of fact if it true it is, but at this moment I think its not, the key word is “I think” I don’t if it is or not.
Michel and Terry,
I visited Abbottsford in BC in ’86 and due to my own carelessness – sprained ankle – got to see first hand how the Canadians do health care. In one simple word;
RIGHT!
Thank you for taking time out of your busy day of slavery to educate one of us stupid, unenlightened, uncooperative, provincial, disobedient hicks. We here in America sometimes don’t realize that our government absolutely loves us and only wants the best for us.
History proves that governments ALWAYS know what’s best for their people. The tens of millions of people who were killed by their own governments in the 20th century? Well, sometimes the government needs to eliminate huge swaths of the population to help whoever they decide will be left (usually the good-meaning dupes who bought the lie “it can’t happen here”)
Come on, people! “Canada”? I mean, it doesn’t even [i]sound[/i] like a real country. Just more liberal lies about the outside world. If these people like it in Europe so much, why don’t they just move back there?
“Canada”. Ha! Next your going to try and claim “Norway” is a real country, too. You liberals.
Matt-The problem with your premise is that no one is saying that only the government should supply health care, or that by supplying health care, they will somehow be able to ‘eliminate’ portions of the population.
You see, that’s what the military does. Not Doctors. Currently, for example, we are spending over $650 billion dollars, just this year, on eliminating ‘huge swaths’ of the population in other countries.
But your right-wing paranoia is adorable.
Right wing paranoia…uh oh, you got me. I was a HUGE Bush supporter, and I love them wars in Iraq and Afghanistan (you know, the ones Obama said he’d end?).
I’m also a racist who is paid by big drug and healthcare companies (who actually want Obamacare) to leave messages in chat rooms.
This isn’t even about healthcare, Asheville Dweller. It’s about our republic being strip mined by global banking cartels. When they’ve done this to other countries in the past, millions of people end up dying at the hands of whatever puppet dictator they install. Every president after Kennedy was a puppet.
I feel sorry for you that you are so emotionally invested in our current Liar-in-Chief. I’m not saying I’m perfect or know everything, but there are things going on in our nation today that should be obvious and terrify us all, regardless of the divide-and-conquer political labels many of us accept.
aahhh, character assassination and the denial of ever supporting Bush. the new hallmark of the Amnesiac Right.
it’s pretty funny that you speak of “divide-and-conquer political labels” in the same paragraph that you try and label anyone who disagrees with your premise as being ’emotionally invested’ in Obama (even though the person you are arguing with didnt even mention him)
And yes, the country is indeed being bankrupted to put us into debt to the IMF. But Health Care isnt going to bankrupt us ([b]although not having it obviously is–the majority of individuals declaring bankruptcy in this country do so because of Health Care costs[/b]). But a couple Trillion spent on the Military just this decade certainly will.
[b]Right wing paranoia…uh oh, you got me. I was a HUGE Bush supporter, and I love them wars in Iraq and Afghanistan (you know, the ones Obama said he’d end?).[/b]
Boy, you really latched onto last last sentence, and avoided the bulk of my argument, didn’t you?
[b]I’m also a racist who is paid by big drug and healthcare companies (who actually want Obamacare) to leave messages in chat rooms.[/b]
More of your own straw-men. Where did I bring up race or Obama? I just pointed out the absurdity of your claim that Health Care is a plot to euthanize the population.
As for the notion that you are ‘paid… to leave messages in chat rooms”–You’ll notice the only accusation of that nature was one made above implying this letter was the product of the “Health Insurance Lobby”.
I’ve spoken with many people from countries with national health care systems. Canada, UK, Australia, Germany, they have all speak well of their systems and are stunned by America’s lack of one.
The only people from industrialized nations I’ve heard speak against national health care have either been on insurance company or Republican Party commercials.
Some of those insurance companies are the same Wall Street companies that brought on the recent economic downturns.
As far as Obama and the wars, he has proved one thing. It is easier to get in a war than out of one.
[b]Like you said everyone has an Opinion[/b]
Actually, i didnt say that. i was quoting you.
[b]but it just sounds too perfect, and as matter of fact if it true it is, but at this moment I think its not, the key word is “I think” I don’t if it is or not. [/b]
and now your just re-iterating the same point about your right to your opinion, regardless of its connection to any factual accuracy. and not very well, either (“as matter of fact if it true it is”?).