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As we discuss this, can we keep in mind that involving the government in improving our health care system does not automatically mean we have to give it to them to run?
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Moore 1 Blitzer 0
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Why is the news story that preceded Moore's reaction so horrid? Why should that provoke such a reaction of anger?
I'm not trying to ask rhetorical questions, I'm serious. I've never quite understood the angry reaction to debate, whether that be on Iraq, health care, gun control, or global warming. For example (and I haven't seen the movie), apparently Moore cites the WHO ranking of the US as 37th in health care. He praises Cuba's system. Cuba is ranked 39th on the same list. What's the problem in pointing that out? It's as if he doesn't want to engage in debate, he wants his position accepted without question. |
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And, not that I support the Cuban style of just about anything, but criticizing Cuba for being 39th is kind of like scoffing at the talking dog because it can only say five words because your teenaged son can say six.
Considering all the disadvantages it operates under, Cuba being 39th is quite an accomplishment where the United States being 37th is somewhat embarrassing. |
In case anyone is curious, here is the complete list oh WHO's rankings:
1 France 2 Italy 3 San Marino 4 Andorra 5 Malta 6 Singapore 7 Spain 8 Oman 9 Austria 10 Japan 11 Norway 12 Portugal 13 Monaco 14 Greece 15 Iceland 16 Luxembourg 17 Netherlands 18 United Kingdom 19 Ireland 20 Switzerland 21 Belgium 22 Colombia 23 Sweden 24 Cyprus 25 Germany 26 Saudi Arabia 27 United Arab Emirates 28 Israel 29 Morocco 30 Canada 31 Finland 32 Australia 33 Chile 34 Denmark 35 Dominica 36 Costa Rica 37 United States of America 38 Slovenia 39 Cuba 40 Brunei 41 New Zealand 42 Bahrain 43 Croatia 44 Qatar 45 Kuwait 46 Barbados 47 Thailand 48 Czech Republic 49 Malaysia 50 Poland 51 Dominican Republic 52 Tunisia 53 Jamaica 54 Venezuela 55 Albania 56 Seychelles 57 Paraguay 58 South Korea 59 Senegal 60 Philippines 61 Mexico 62 Slovakia 63 Egypt 64 Kazakhstan 65 Uruguay 66 Hungary 67 Trinidad and Tobago 68 Saint Lucia 69 Belize 70 Turkey 71 Nicaragua 72 Belarus 73 Lithuania 74 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 75 Argentina 76 Sri Lanka 77 Estonia 78 Guatemala 79 Ukraine 80 Solomon Islands 81 Algeria 82 Palau 83 Jordan 84 Mauritius 85 Grenada 86 Antigua and Barbuda 87 Libya 88 Bangladesh 89 Macedonia 90 Bosnia-Herzegovina 91 Lebanon 92 Indonesia 93 Iran 94 Bahamas 95 Panama 96 Fiji 97 Benin 98 Nauru 99 Romania 100 Saint Kitts and Nevis 101 Moldova 102 Bulgaria 103 Iraq 104 Armenia 105 Latvia 106 Yugoslavia 107 Cook Islands 108 Syria 109 Azerbaijan 110 Suriname 111 Ecuador 112 India 113 Cape Verde 114 Georgia 115 El Salvador 116 Tonga 117 Uzbekistan 118 Comoros 119 Samoa 120 Yemen 121 Niue 122 Pakistan 123 Micronesia 124 Bhutan 125 Brazil 126 Bolivia 127 Vanuatu 128 Guyana 129 Peru 130 Russia 131 Honduras 132 Burkina Faso 133 Sao Tome and Principe 134 Sudan 135 Ghana 136 Tuvalu 137 Ivory Coast 138 Haiti 139 Gabon 140 Kenya 141 Marshall Islands 142 Kiribati 143 Burundi 144 China 145 Mongolia 146 Gambia 147 Maldives 148 Papua New Guinea 149 Uganda 150 Nepal 151 Kyrgystan 152 Togo 153 Turkmenistan 154 Tajikistan 155 Zimbabwe 156 Tanzania 157 Djibouti 158 Eritrea 159 Madagascar 160 Vietnam 161 Guinea 162 Mauritania 163 Mali 164 Cameroon 165 Laos 166 Congo 167 North Korea 168 Namibia 169 Botswana 170 Niger 171 Equatorial Guinea 172 Rwanda 173 Afghanistan 174 Cambodia 175 South Africa 176 Guinea-Bissau 177 Swaziland 178 Chad 179 Somalia 180 Ethiopia 181 Angola 182 Zambia 183 Lesotho 184 Mozambique 185 Malawi 186 Liberia 187 Nigeria 188 Democratic Republic of the Congo 189 Central African Republic 190 Myanmar |
When is the last time you watched an interview that was preceded by a short film essentially disputing everything the interviewee was about to discuss? (Short of that person being a neo-Nazi.) It was a dirty trick.
But I guess it backfired. As so far as Cuba being 39th ... well, the news channels like to make a big deal of this, as if it would somehow prove Moore's claims wrong. How could free healthcare be so great is Cuba is 39 overall! Well, we're 37th. What that says to me is that Cuba has the same quality healthcare as we do but it is FREE. Lord, if only our politicans were as bloodthirsty, things could change for the better. Go get 'em Moore. |
Part of the debate I see but don't care for is viewing "health care" as a standalone, societally isolated subject.
Living the fancy life in Paris would be great, but I would not want to try and live the life I now live in France. They have better health care but they have a working environment that I'd not enjoy (and that many successful Parisians apparently don't enjoy based on the number I've worked with who escape as soon as they can). Castro's healthcare might be great, but I don't want to live in his country for many other reasons. I still haven't seen the movie but I have seen several lengthy segments. And Michael Moore definitely raises many good points. Insurance companies dodging out of coverage they've agreed to is not a good thing and should be stopped. But I also don't agree with his solutions. I'd quibble with some stuff but I overwhelmingly agree with this guy's view of things. It isn't just a matter of changing an isolated black box that is health care it is changing a whole social fabric and that is both more difficult to do and causes in me more trepidation than if it were possible to just unplug the current system and put in a new one. |
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And the health care is rationed just as under the American system. All that is different is who does the rationing. |
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