“Where Being Conservative Means You'll Need To Keep It Secret.”
Use sex (or lack of it) to pass health care.
Question: What would you withhold from someone who opposes health care reform? Cookies, a Christmas gift, sex?
Wonder who thought this up. George Soros? The good thing is that this strategy will lead to less democrats being born.
Perhaps the worst spokesman ever.. on American Health Care reform.
The White House really needs to hire a czar to explain this Obamanation… their current spokesperson isn’t up to the job.
Let’s hope Americans kill it soon. The ramifications are huge for the world economy. And not in a good way, Joe.
Unions playing with people’s lives:
Following last week’s government-imposed back-to-work contract after a seven month strike….
Over 50 paramedics booked their shifts off right before they were about to start on Friday night, pulling 35 ambulances off the road.
On Saturday more shifts were booked off, and the BCAS said it will be down 24 ambulances, including 10 in Metro Vancouver, and 10 in the Fraser Valley. Boston Bar, Hope, Agassiz, and Pemberton will be without an ambulance all together and will rely on neighbouring municipalities.
Victoria sent Vancouver a few ambulances to help deal with the shortage:
Sending ambulances from Victoria to the Lower Mainland on the weekend was “extremely stupid,” according to a spokesman for the union representing the province’s 3,500 ambulance paramedics.
“That was a very ill-conceived idea and someone needs to be held accountable,” said B.J. Chute, director of public education for the Ambulance Paramedics of B.C.
Two ambulances and two crews travelled by ferry from Victoria to the Lower Mainland Friday and remained there throughout yesterday.
No, B.J., pulling a stunt like this is stupid.
John Strohmeier, the president of CUPE Local 873, said the union had nothing to do with the cancelled shifts.
Glad to hear the union isn’t behind this. They won’t mind if, as Ronald Reagan did, we just fire anyone that misses work without proof.
Someone needs to be held accountable.
As the body count starts to rise in Vancouver, hopefully our politicians will realize that an outright ban on the union actions in health care is a reasonable solution. Or, even better, it’s time to open up the service to private competition.
That would end the union’s playing with people’s lives.
photo credit: t-dot-s-dot
Came across this in the comments section in an article about Harry Reid and US healthcare… it’s about as close to fact as I’ve come across. It’s spreading across the net this month.
If a conservative doesn’t like guns, he doesn`t buy one.
If a liberal doesn’t like guns, he wants all guns outlawed.
If a conservative is a vegetarian, he doesn`t eat meat.
If a liberal is a vegetarian, he wants all meat products banned for everyone.
If a conservative sees a foreign threat, he thinks about how to defeat his enemy.
A liberal wonders how to surrender gracefully and still look good.
If a conservative is homosexual, he quietly leads his life.
If a liberal is homosexual, he demands legislated respect.
If a black man or Hispanic are conservative, they see themselves as independently successful.
Their liberal counterparts see themselves as victims in need of government protection.
If a conservative is down-and-out, he thinks about how to better his situation.
A liberal wonders who is going to take care of him.
If a conservative doesn’t like a talk show host, he switches channels.
Liberals demand that those they don’t like be shut down.
If a conservative is a non-believer, he doesn’t go to church.
A liberal non-believer wants any mention of God and religion silenced. (Unless it’s a foreign religion, of course!)
If a conservative decides he needs health care, he goes about shopping for it, or may choose a job that provides it.
A liberal demands that the rest of us pay for his.
If a conservative slips and falls in a store, he gets up, laughs and is embarrassed.
If a liberal slips and falls, he grabs his neck, moans like he’s in labor and then sues.
photo credit: Todd Ehlers
Vancouver Sun: A former president of the Canadian Medical Association declares in a new U. S. television ad that patients here are languishing, suffering and even dying on wait lists, as a conservative lobby group ramps up the debate over health re-form in the United States.
A pro-medicare advocate calls the $1-million ad campaign by Conservatives for Patient Rights (CPR) on CNN and Fox News an “outrageous” distortion of the reality in this country, and has drafted an open letter to U. S. President Barack Obama refuting its claims.
A B. C. medical broker who is also working with the U. S. group, however, says Americans must know the pitfalls of “single-payer” systems like Canada’s.
This is sure to get a rise of our ‘Free Health Care’ supporters.
Here’s how I explain our health care to Americans:
Free means we pay high taxes – if Americans are willing to pay an additional 20-25% income tax, they too can have free health. My premuim in the US for my family was just over $1,000 a month (employer paid) – working out to 10% on an average family income of $80,000 (yes $80K… I lived in a rich state). The plan gave me access to specialists but had a yearly deductible of $1,500 for hospital.
In Canada the way to skip the waiting lists is to call an ambulance. This way they have to get you in a bed, and they put you in emergency status. My mother in law was bumped 3 times for open heart surgery and almost died. She wouldn’t take the emergency route because she was afraid she’d get a bill for the ambulance.
If you don’t have a family doctor, you’ll have to go to a walk-in clinic. Getting a family doctor is all but impossible as they have capped their earning. A hard working doctor is only allowed to work so hard. We’ve spent a year trying to get a family doctor.
Our hospitals are nice, clean and well run. If you need an operation, they put together the team. In the US you have to find and arrange each specialist for surgery.
We have cheap drugs. And very little drug research because of it.
The US already has free health care – it’s called Medicaid. I did a marketing program for a medicaid enroller in new York. My job was to get people signed up – illegal immigrants, low income and people whose companies didn’t offer insurance. These programs, referred to as Medicaid managed care, allow private insurance companies or health maintenance organizations to contract directly with a state Medicaid department at a fixed price per enrollee. The health plans then enroll eligible individuals into their programs and become responsible for assuring Medicaid benefits are delivered to eligible beneficiaries. It costs between $7 and $50 a month. To qualify all you do is take a means test. It also includes full dental and vision which is better than Canada. And it is bankrupting the states.
Having experienced both systems, I much prefer the current US one. But I’m a white guy that works for a living…
Or has it just begun… Obama shows his logic in this interview.
C-SPAN INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT
President Barack H. Obama
Host: Steve Scully
Tape Date: Friday, May 22, 2009
Air Date/Time: Saturday, May 23 at 10:00 am ET
SCULLY: Yet, it all takes money. You know the numbers, $1.7 trillion debt, a national deficit of $11 trillion. At what point do we run out of money?
OBAMA: Well, we are out of money now. We are operating in deep deficits, not caused by any decisions we’ve made on health care so far. This is a consequence of the crisis that we’ve seen and in fact our failure to make some good decisions on health care over the last several decades.
So we’ve got a short-term problem, which is we had to spend a lot of money to salvage our financial system, we had to deal with the auto companies, a huge recession which drains tax revenue at the same time it’s putting more pressure on governments to provide unemployment insurance or make sure that food stamps are available for people who have been laid off.
So we have a short-term problem and we also have a long-term problem. The short-term problem is dwarfed by the long-term problem. And the long-term problem is Medicaid and Medicare. If we don’t reduce long-term health care inflation substantially, we can’t get control of the deficit.
So, one option is just to do nothing. We say, well, it’s too expensive for us to make some short-term investments in health care. We can’t afford it. We’ve got this big deficit. Let’s just keep the health care system that we’ve got now.
Along that trajectory, we will see health care cost as an overall share of our federal spending grow and grow and grow and grow until essentially it consumes everything. That’s the wrong option.
I think the right option is to say, where are the game changers, the investments that we can make now that are going to reduce costs, even if they don’t reduce them this year or next year, but 10 years from now or 20 years from now, we are going to see substantially lower costs.
So if his “trajectory” shows that health care will consume everything – the answer is more?
Obama should look to Canada and how our government run health care has evolved – the Canadian Government used to cover 50% of the costs, now it’s around 25%…
In BC, health care costs are now 41% of the provincial budget – predicted to rise to 70% in the coming years.
It’s a great model to follow if you want to cripple the American dream and tax the incentive out of prosperity.
And from Kate:
So I had an interesting experience yesterday.
Like Amsterdam, you have to get a prescription for sudafed here… so I went to the hospital, at reception I answered their questions::
yes, I’m from the US
yes, I have body aches
yes, I have a cough
yes, symptoms have lasted a few days
yes, I think I had a fever the day before
After which they promptly escorted me out of the hospital and told me to wait. Shortly thereafter, a nurse appeared in full gear. She escorted me into the back of the hospital, through an empty hallway. We stopped at a large metal door with big red sign with some kind of warning written in Swedish. Once inside, I was told to disrobe and wait.
After a bit, she came back, took some blood samples and told me to wait again. A man appeared some minutes later in full protection gear and explained that I was now in quarantine and that I would need to stay in this room for the next few days until my results came back… I was a swine flu suspect and I was not allowed to leave. “Do you have internet?” no… “is there anyway I could get internet access? My business depends on it” no…
I waited a minute after he left… jumped off the bed… took off the hospital gown and quickly put my clothes back on as best as I could since I still had the blood sample valve thingy in my arm. With my clothes mostly on, I closed the bathroom door thinking that would buy me an extra minute or two.
Popped my head out the big metal door to make sure the hallway was clear. Near the end of the hallway a couple of nurses noticed me and stopped what they were doing. I had distance though and decided it was now or never. Quickly through the door, closing it behind me, I was through the hallway and out of the hospital.
To my left there were some trees and a path, so I headed there first to button my shirt and regroup. As I was finishing, 4 orderlies came flying out of the door I had exited from… they were clearly looking for something, probably me.
I followed the trees down to the street and walked till I found a little store. Bought some alcohol and some band-aids. I removed the blood valve thingy from my arm in the bathroom of a pizza shop… was shocked how long the little tube was in my vein. Applied alcohol and band-aid, pretty simple.
After the pizza shop, I got lost for a bit but eventually made it back to the subway.
I am feeling better today but would still like some sudafed…
Shows what happens when you visit a country coming from Los Angeles… and also when faced with the Internet being taken away…
One of the game’s greats wife is the latest high-profile person to fall victim to breast cancer. Amy Mickelson is among the most visible wives on the PGA Tour, a former Phoenix Suns cheerleader who regularly walks during the rounds and mingles easily with the gallery.
According to a release from Mickelson’s management company, his wife was to have more tests but begin treatment with major surgery as early as the next two weeks.
Six years ago, during the delicate delivery of the couple’s third child, she almost died after suffering a torn uterus, lapsing into a coma and experiencing massive blood loss. As Phil paced in the hospital hallway, he overheard a nurse say it was sad that if their baby boy, Evan, pulled through, he would have to grow up without a mother. She was rushed into surgery and survived.
And thrived.
In an era when some wives of prominent players practically flee the course when identified by fans or media — Elin Woods is notoriously guarded and eschews all interviews — Amy Mickelson is the polar opposite. She gladly gabs with strangers and spectators, often cracking self-deprecating jokes about herself and her husband. She even knows the names of some lowly media scribes and treats us like something other than a walking O.B. stake.
Here’s wishing the best for Amy.
COULD actress Natasha Richardson’s tragic death have been prevented if her skiing accident had occurred in America rather than Canada?
Canadian health care de-emphasizes widespread dissemination of technology like CT scanners and quick access to specialists like neurosurgeons. While all the facts of Richardson’s medical care haven’t been released, enough is known to pose questions with profound implications.
Richardson died of an epidural hematoma — a bleeding artery between the skull and brain that compresses and ultimately causes fatal brain damage via pressure buildup. With prompt diagnosis by CT scan, and surgery to drain the blood, most patients survive.
Could Richardson have received this care? Where it happened in Canada, no. In many US resorts, yes.
In the US we had direct access to specialists, and a family doctor. No waiting, and confidence in the service.
We’ve been in Vancouver for 14 months and still haven’t found a family doctor. I guess that clinic in the mall isn’t so bad. At least that’s what I keep telling my wife.
photo credit: Glynnis Ritchie
With the recent news about Canadians dying because of Listeria, it might be helpful to explain exactly what the disease is… 15 people have died already from Maple Leaf Foods deli meat.
What is listeriosis?
Listeriosis, a serious infection caused by eating food contaminated with the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes, mainly in Maple Leaf Deli meats. The disease affects people of advanced age, pregnant women, newborns, and adults with weakened immune systems.
What are the symptoms of listeriosis?
Fever, muscle aches, and sometimes gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea or diarrhea. If infection spreads to the nervous system, symptoms such as headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, or convulsions can occur.
Infected pregnant women may experience only a mild, flu-like illness; however, infections during pregnancy can lead to miscarriage or stillbirth, premature delivery, or infection of the newborn.
How great is the risk for listeriosis?
How does Listeria get into food?
Listeria monocytogenes is found in soil and water. Vegetables can become contaminated from the soil or from manure used as fertilizer.
Animals can carry the bacterium without appearing ill and can contaminate foods of animal origin such as meats and dairy products. The bacterium has been found in a variety of raw foods, such as uncooked meats and vegetables, as well as in processed foods that become contaminated after processing, such as soft cheeses and cold cuts at the deli counter. Unpasteurized (raw) milk or foods made from unpasteurized milk may contain the bacterium.
Listeria is killed by pasteurization and cooking; however, in certain ready-to-eat foods such as hot dogs and deli meats, contamination may occur after cooking but before packaging.
How do you get listeriosis?
You get listeriosis by eating food contaminated with Listeria. Babies can be born with listeriosis if their mothers eat contaminated food during pregnancy. Although healthy persons may consume contaminated foods without becoming ill, those at increased risk for infection can probably get listeriosis after eating food contaminated with even a few bacteria. Persons at risk can prevent Listeria infection by avoiding certain high-risk foods and by handling food properly.
How can you reduce your risk for listeriosis?
How do you know if you have listeriosis?
There is no routine screening test for listeriosis during pregnancy, as there is for rubella and some other congenital infections. If you have symptoms such as fever or stiff neck, consult your doctor. A blood or spinal fluid test (to cultivate the bacteria) will show if you have listeriosis. During pregnancy, a blood test is the most reliable way to find out if your symptoms are due to listeriosis.
Can listeriosis be treated?
When infection occurs during pregnancy, antibiotics given promptly to the pregnant woman can often prevent infection of the fetus or newborn.
Babies with listeriosis receive the same antibiotics as adults, although a combination of antibiotics is often used until physicians are certain of the diagnosis. Even with prompt treatment, some infections result in death. This is particularly likely in the elderly and in persons with other serious medical problems.
Hope this helps…
Yahoo.. free health care.
No more co-pays, HMOs and high priced drugs.
Now if we could only find a doctor that’ll take on new new patients.
There are some, but in Canada, you can’t go to a specialist without a referral – this means two things:
It’s no wonder why this problem exists. Health is now 50% of the provincial budget. And it’s a big chunk.
On average, family doctor’s incomes in BC are already 40% lower than those of other specialists – and this discrepancy is increasing.
Plus doctors are capped at how many patients they can treat. Probably cause we don’t want a hard working doctor making too much money.
So by limiting the amount of patients a doctor can see, they can control costs.
Until we show up in the emergency room.
Interesting Canada Health Care Stats:
4 million people (approx. 12% of Canadians) lack a family doctor.
86 per cent of those who were born in Canada or immigrated more than five years ago have a doctor; just 65 per cent of more recent immigrants can say the same.
That means me. And now my family has to wait 3 months before they can get on the “free” health care, even though I have been paying my taxes for 7 months. At least they’ll have time to find a doctor.
Hey! Health care in the US wasn’t bad.
Michael Moore – can you look into this for me?
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