All-purpose news and politics thread

[USArmyParatrooper]

Surprise, the Russian presidential election is dodgy!



On the plus side, we're hearing about this because 30,000 people have volunteered to be independent election observers and were trained to identity dodgy activity.

It's a shame Gary Kasparov isn't President.

[Cavemold]

See, that's a load of nonsense as every single day in the NHS doctors perform complicated surgeries, and they don't do it for personal profit.

So, again, why does every developed country have some form of national health plan and the US just have people bankrupting themselves, or becoming even more unwell because they can't afford to pay for their problems? Why are Americans dying because of some insane worship of free markets by those in power?

Your precious NHS is not so gold after all
http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/m...ion-probe.html

To answer your question , that evil free market allows Entrepreneurs to risk captial .As you can tell Americans are more than willing to pay for the goods they enjoy.

http://www.econlib.org/library/Enc/FreeMarket.html

[Sabrina_Fried]

Do you not get it? In Canada the federal tax for someone in my bracket ($85k and under, which I'm absolutely sure you fall in as well) is 15%, compared to our 25%. They pay nearly 50% less AND get free health care. That means they get more money to pay credit card bills because they don't pay as much in taxes, and then they get EVEN MORE to pay credit card bills because they don't spend several hundred dollars a month on health insurance, if they are lucky enough to even have it. They pay less and get more. Probably because of a combination of less military spending, more corporations and wealthy people actually paying their taxes instead of spending that money on lobbying, campaigning, and hiding it offshore.

I feel the need to say this every few months: Health Care in Canada is NOT (repeat: NOT) free. It is a single-payer system supported primarily by taxes.

A very significant portion of our taxes funds the system. And even still there are things that are not covered, including most prescription medicine. If a doctor gives you a scrip your private/workplace/etc health insurance either coves it (fully or partially) or you pay out of pocket. Though if you do end up paying out of pocket, it can be written off as a medical expense on your income tax. But you are correct that I don't spend several hundred dollars a month on health insurance. Some people I know in the USA spend more just on their health insurance in a month than I used to MAKE in a month at my old job. Beyond whatever portion of my taxes funds the healthcare system, I think the health plan I get through my school to cover prescriptions and dental and stuff like that is costing me about $300 for the entire year (including the summer months when the school is closed).

We pay less and get more because the health care system encourages people to use it preventatively. For non-emergency things they'd rather treat an ailment in its early stages when the treatments are fairly cheap than wait until it becomes serious and requires more expensive treatments. We do have a smaller military and we spend less per capita on it, we also have far tighter regulation on our banking and credit card industries which helps to prevent a lot of the debt insanity that is troubling so many people in the States. Even so, many Canadians are up to their eyeballs in debt (mostly from buying more house than they need or could afford though, not because of medical expenses), and our Prime Monster would love to break the entire system if we turned our backs on him long enough.

[Cavemold]

Fucks sake, of course it would help, but it's not going to help if you suffer an accident or pick up an illness under your system.

So you agree it's a factor in the US capita.

[thehod]

Your precious NHS is not so gold after all
http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/m...ion-probe.html

No-one said it was perfect. Don't mistake better for perfect.

[Cavemold]

No-one said it was perfect. Don't mistake better for perfect.

Your right it's not. People complain about corruption in the US, imagine a system that enables such behavior.

[Cavemold]

The NHS (again, ignore current government plans) already operates like this. If you're not happy with a GP, etc you can request and get another one to see you. What the Tories want is to do that still, but you'd pay a premium for it on top of what you already pay in taxes.

That doesn't sound free at it all.

[king mob]

Your precious NHS is not so gold after all
http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/m...ion-probe.html

And?

Labour allowed the NHS to privatise parts of itself beyond what the Tories had previously done in the 80's, and what the Tories want now is a privatised system along American lines which would involve people's health being risked.

There's a lot wrong with the NHS, but if you dig up one article from 2009 about a part of the NHS (oh, do you actually grasp what the NHS actually is?) being investigated about corruption in order to bodyswerve answering a question then I really shouldn't be surprised.

To answer your question , that evil free market allows Entrepreneurs to risk captial .As you can tell Americans are more than willing to pay for the goods they enjoy.

http://www.econlib.org/library/Enc/FreeMarket.html

You have your fellow Americans on here saying how their healthcare costs are bankrupting them. People are being ruined because private companies are fleecing human beings when they become ill, so at what fucking point is that even remotely the act of a civilised society?

The free market should be kept firmly out of people's health.

[king mob]

Your right it's not. People complain about corruption in the US, imagine a system that enables such behavior.

Do you understand a remote thing about what the NHS is and how it's been structured over the last 20 years?


When you do, you can come back and talk about it.

[king mob]

That doesn't sound free at it all.

Well you can have your system and the one the Tories want, which sees people suffering because they can't afford to visit a GP.


And really, you've got some serious brass neck talking about 'freedom' when you've been a vocal advocate of imposing restrictions based on your religion upon women's wombs.

[king mob]

No-one said it was perfect. Don't mistake better for perfect.

And this is the thing. It's not a perfect system and even in it's golden age of the 40's, 50's, 60's and early 70's, it had flaws, but it's still the best system we're ever likely to have in that in benefits everyone, not just the wealthy and the middle class who can afford BUPA or private healthcare.

[Tadhg]

Well you can have your system and the one the Tories want, which sees people suffering because they can't afford to visit a GP.


And really, you've got some serious brass neck talking about 'freedom' when you've been a vocal advocate of imposing restrictions based on your religion upon women's wombs.

Not to mention the very unchristian sentiment of "Why should I pay for another man's health?" Added to the fact that he is actually paying for another man's health since he has private insurance.

[USArmyParatrooper]

Not to mention the very unchristian sentiment of "Why should I pay for another man's health?" Added to the fact that he is actually paying for another man's health since he has private insurance.

Even though I'm not a Christian, I have met and known countless Christians who actually attempt to emulate the portrayals of Jesus Christ in the bible. It's a shame the religious right has hijacked Christianity and that's mostly the only public face we ever see.

[Cavemold]

http://campaign2012.washingtonexamin...-greece/391576

Now explain to me in economic terms how the US plans to pay for free health care don't give me the same old tax the rich BS.

The NHA is not reasonably program for the US .

[Cavemold]

Do you understand a remote thing about what the NHS is and how it's been structured over the last 20 years?


When you do, you can come back and talk about it.

The NHS is a government program that is paid through general taxation .