Obama The New President - About Time Commonsense Hits the US

[Deleted member 541]

I am really happy with the outcome of the election... But I will say that the millions spent of both campaigns was way over the top. The money could have been better spent, feeding the hungry and homeless, doing reacearch for chronic and life threatening illness, providing homes or shelters for the homeless, providing healthcare for everyone, starting new business so people can go back to work.

Yes, I am glad that it is over as I really think in many ways it has become circus like, and IMO Palin was the best clown ever....:rofl:

I know that the next 4 yrs will not be easy for this new administration, but I truly hope that things change...

As far as we the people having a voice Anthony.....Yes, we can voice our thoughts and opinions to our congressmen, but in the end THEY vote the way that THEY want, so in reality I personally don't feel that *We The People* actually do have a voice....

 

[anthony]

Greed needs to be regulated if you ask me.

I concur with that... well said. Healthy political discussion is ok...

 

[anthony]

Agreed RD... I would take the Canadian / Commonwealth / European healthcare system over the US any day also. Yes, you can still have insurance... but all that really does here is maybe give you your own room, likely two people though, and it speeds up your time to be operated upon for elective matters. Notice elective... because anyone suffering anything life threatening, or even possibly life threatening is seen and given the same medical care as someone with insurance. You still even get the top doctors under the free system, it just doesn't really matter here.

If you're unemployed your given unemployment benefits, training, assistance and help to get a job. If you have a family you will be given money to ensure you have food on the table, a roof over your head and clothes. You will always be assisted here to ensure you have the basics as a minimum, even Government housing if you cannot afford to rent privately, etc. All covered by taxes which everyone pays for as a nation. If you want more money than the basics, then you work here to have it and get ahead in life, to build wealth.

 

[Nicolette]

You still even get the top doctors under the free system, it just doesn't really matter here.

I needed to see a specialist and one of the best ones operates privately but still does some public work. I went to him and I was put through the public system (no charge) under his care. He did say he wasn't sure if he would be able to do my operation as it was purely roster based for the public system but he was there on the day and operated on me. The time frame I waited for my operation was only a matter of weeks (no longer than anyone with private insurance)...if you are sick over here you are sick and get attended to.

 

[FlameTachiku]

Healthcare

It is true that we have a long way to go. I too love parts of the Cuban system. We have Health Care Summits to attempt to work through the challenges. An advantage to this is that communities come together meaning doctors, nurses, students, employeers, community reps, social services, imigrants, employees, insurance companies, and so on. In prep for this we have many groups in communities within places of employment, with the unemployed, legal and illegal workers, retired, students, and as many people as we can and we talk about the issues to be worked on at summits.

To try to include as many voices as possible. Oregon has an inovatative healthcare system to meet peoples basic needs. We are excempt from Federal mandates that many states face in order to recieved Medicare and Medicaid (type of Federal insursance). The problems is if people are not insured they will need to use the ER.

No one is turned away and too often it is illegal workers. This has basically bankrupt the our system. I really to not think I can go to Canada for my surgeries and basic healthcare needs and have it all paid for. Even if I could, this is a unique challenge to us for the numbers and the cost. Because not enough Americans will run to Canada for healthcare compared to we have coming through our borders. The cost is genuinly staggering.

The ER is overused by the unisured or for those who are not able to obtain care for other reasons. This is because we have too many uninsured. Individual states are stepping up to the plate to address these needs. Oregon works hard as other states have to provide free state insurace. But our challenges our not the same as others countries as we all have our unique problems. We have been working toward public healthcare policies but it is complicated. There are reasons to continue to try to keep the best of our system and meet peoples basic needs. Reasons the socialist approach is not working, here. California is trying, Mass. and other states.

One way we do work together is to bring Canadians and Cubans into the Summits and hear about their positives and negatives to their healthcare systems. Work to integrate the good. It is not all doomsville here, ya all. Sixty percent of our popualation is not going without healthcare, that is an overstatement. It is not black and white and we have a long way to go together.

I never stated that I do not support Obama. I spent a day in line with my son to hear him speak and it was well worth it. Obama will also work to keep the good of our system, I believe. I do not however think socialism is the answer for our healthcare system.

It is good to hear and listen to all voices.

Flame

 

[linasmom]

Ask the Cuban's who swim here.

Flame

As someone who grew up in South Florida, and has a lot of Cuban friends, let me make a comment regarding this specific statement.

The rule of Castro in the early 80's was terrifying. Since then, we have halted all trade with Cuba and refuse to sit down with Castro and work out a reasonable agreement - this is stripping the Cuban people of any wealth because we refuse to lift the trade restriction. Americans need to STOP telling other countries how to run their governments.

If we want to talk about immigrants coming to the US - let's talk about those individuals who swim here from Haiti, a country that is devastatingly poor and yet we have all but written them completely off the map, do nothing with regards to humanitarian aid - this is a country that is completely stripped of TREES - trees!!! We do nothing because they have nothing we want. Shame on us.

I have no problem living in socialist society. I am staunchly pro-universal health care. It is time that the American people stop being raped by insurance companies. It is time that doctors become doctors for the right reasons. It is time that we put more money into education and creating clean energy manufacturing jobs in this country because the only thing the US manufactures now is an idea - the idea that we can sustain a healthy economy based only on a service based system funded by credit card debt. An idea that was purely an illusion: that you have money, when you don't.

Please, sell your stupid SUVs, cut up your credit cards, and love your neighbor.

*rant over*

- Rach

 

[nic]

Well said, Rach.

 

[midi]

Speaking of loving your neighbours, we have all kinds of plots of land sitting here covered in grass, doing nothing (abandoned or waiting for 'develop'). Why can't we grow vegetables on these pieces of land for the poor?

Ah, gotta love insurance companies, where they take most of the payout for written off body parts, as deductables.

 

[Auburngirl]

I am also rapidly pro-socialised healthcare. The US spends the most per capita of any country on the planet and yet millions are not insured at all.

The Cuban system has basic health indicators that are almost as good as Canada's.

Just a note to Frankie- don't forget Kim Campbell! It was brief, but we did have a female PM!

 

[Frankie]

Hi Auburngirl,

My Gosh ! lol.....sorry, I did forget about Kim ! We sure did have a female PM !

To Midi, here in Montreal, there are community gardens available all over the city and anyone can rent a "lot" for the season for a minimal amount of money (I think it is something like $5.00) and they can grow their own produce.

 

[midi]

Frankie,

We have a worker's center here. Maybe I can check into how to contact property owners? That's fantastic to hear!

Isn't Kim Campbell a prof now? Or is she in law? What's she doing?

 

[Auburngirl]

I just looked her up on wikipedia, last I remember she was consul general in LA, but yes looks like she went on to academic appointments, and now lives in France.