Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

"Dick Cheney could have put out Sicko and I would still not be in favor of Socialized health care."
If Dick Cheney wasn't a multi-millionaire he would have been dead years ago in this country.

I agree with the effort as being necessary; however, I do not believe it was "well-spent", as Moore has his own agenda--to sell himself before he sells anything else to anyone.

Sean, the phrase "socialized health care" is meaningless unless terms are defined...it was an incendiary phrase invented by the American Medical Association's PR flacks back during the Cold War to manipulate public opinion. It's as outdated as the Berlin wall and has no real meaning in today's political climate, although its inflammatory ability continues unabated.

Just another example of buzzwords substituted for informed discussion. We are the only Western country without universal health care. That is abysmal, and buzzwords like "socialized" do nothing to address the issue, raising hackles instead.

So in place of discussion we have emotions running high, and the AMA sitting as cynical, but hardly impartial, observers.

"I fear that substance AND balance are becoming mutually exclusive in most public discourse."

Ain't that the truth!

And Paul got the gist of my MM comments right.

We are doing our best to stop the "americanisation" of our health system here in Aus, but it isn't easy, especially with those greedy "practitioners" that use avarice as their only yardstick to success, and suck the system as much as they can.

Fortunately, some of them are caught and hung out to dry.

It's a very fine balance between freedom and responsibility especially when big money is involved, and wherever any money is involved Mr. Greed has a tendency to raise his ugly head.

Ah, what can you do? ... except be eternally vigilant.

"I agree with the effort as being necessary; however, I do not believe it was "well-spent", as Moore has his own agenda--to sell himself before he sells anything else to anyone."

You are more than likely right Paul, however, who else has the guts to tackle this subject besides someone who thrives on pushing his own career which has been spent as a sort of modern day muckracker, what he did would be career suicide for many directors. With him it just furthers his credentials and cements his core audience, playing to his own just like politicians do. I happen to think he's funny but can understand how he could infuriate the other side and that part of him does not help the cause he's pushing, it detracts and gives the opposition fodder to attack him, but then again they are going to attack him at every turn anyway, so why not have a little fun.
But no matter what, it is still a very powerful film and I urge anyone with an ounce of open-mindedness to see it before you dismiss it as just another opportunistic MM film. There were MANY senior citizens in the crowd and the whole place stood up and clapped at the end, it was that powerful. I was surprised to see the mix of people there.
if nothing else this film will spark discourse and maybe ultimately make a beginning of getting the AMA and insurance companies's stranglehold off of medicine in this country.

Err... what has this to do with the most convincing tribute band singers?

By Socialized I mean gov't run. I'm not for it. I'm not for my taxes paying for it (amongst other things that I will keep silent about as to not raise too many hairs here).

Keep voting for the republicans and democrats though, they are practically one in the same now.

Vote to keep their hands out of your pockets. Vote to keep the gov't out of your life.

We are heading down a fast path to Socialism and I don't like it one bit. I love this country but don't like what I've seen since about 1988. I don't want the gov't coddling me. I want the country securing my borders.

"NOT YOURS TO GIVE"
http://www.house.gov/paul/nytg.htm

Hail Davey Crockett.

You people wanting national (read: socialized) health care are asking the gov't to steal more of what's not theirs in the first place.

Now, do I think that there's something wretched in the health care system of insurance and pharmaceuticals? Hell yes. Unfortunately the lobbyists have the ears of Washington, DC...no matter if they are republicans or democrats. I'd love to see some sort of reform, but not at my expense. Unfortunately I do not have a solution.

It's bad enough that most of us are paying around 30% of our hard earned paychecks to Uncle Slam for 1000s of unnecessary programs.

(*$(*)&#(*)&$)(*&#_($*&(*_&#(*^@&%#&%^#

I agree with one thing anyway, lobbyists should be banned but unfortunately reform in that area was shot down last year.

Good tribute band singer: Steve Augeri while filling in for Steve PErry.

Err... what has this to do with the most convincing tribute band singers?

In case they get a sore throat?

I've got a bad case of Thread Drift, but my stupid insurance company doesn't cover that.

Good link, Sean.

30% is just the tangible amount sent every April 15th - add the state, local, sales, gas, phone, cable, utilities, etc. taxes and fees, and it is an astronomical amount of your daily efforts. Everyone wants a piece of the "government's money", but folks, that money comes from you and me.

A hospital used to be a haven of life-saving medicine. It has become an expensive place to go to die.

Can't even do that sometimes--they send you to a hospice on your own nickel.

Hmmm...thread drift...

When I had lived in Brasil for exactly three weeks, I came down with the worst case of bug invasion I've ever had--every bacteria and a number of viruses indigenous to South America had established a beach head in my metabolism and were kicking my leukocytes around and driving out the North American indigenous bugs in the grandest microscopic Army-Navy game ever.

I found myself in a Brasilian emergency room with tubes, doctors poking and prodding, and general pandemonium all centered on--my relatively minor health problem.

I was released the same day, pumped full of stuff, prescriptions in hand, and on my own two much better feet. No Brasilian health insurance yet, and my entire bill was...$95.00 US.

No, they don't have nationalized health care yet, and it looks like they are going down the same path as the USA--they copy all of our BAD stuff. But the health care in that third world country puts ours to shame, because costs are still under control.

I suffered a parent's worst nightmare while living there--my five year old daughter was hit by a speeding cab and knocked onto the street a dozen feet. I still get chills because I witnessed it.

Without going into grim detail, within a half-hour we had her full X-rays and cat scans, and knew she was not seriously injured, although she looked terrible. An hour later she was eating ice cream in her own bed and ten days later she was completely healed. I often wonder what would have happened in the USA.

...now back to your regularly scheduled singer thread...

Glad she was/is ok, man.

In the USA, no emergency room could/would have denied her treatment, insurance or not. That's law.