Canadian Healthcare System

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Wednesday September 16, 2009 · 9:13 AM PDT

2009/09/16 · 09:13

This past summer a friend from Canada was in the area on business. We invited him and a group of other close friends over for a cookout. One of the couples in the group are very conservative, for example; listen to Fox News on a regular basis, believe global warming is a fallacy, and believe that our current US healthcare system is fine. Needless to say, we have had many a healthy debate, and have managed to still remain close friends. As the party went on, it was inevitable that the discussion would eventually turn to the Canadian healthcare system. And, as anticipated, their questions were founded on the distortions and fallacies as presented by Fox News and Repbulican congress people.

EMBA30

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Sunday September 13, 2009 · 5:44 AM PDT

2009/09/13 · 05:44

I don't know, maybe it was just me, or maybe my TV, but in watching the news coverage of the Teabagger March yesterday, all I saw were angry white people. I did not see a single non-white person in the crowd. This march was the end of a disgraceful week in our nation's history that began with the controversy over the President's speech to school students, sandwiched in mid-week with President Obama being called a liar in a joint session meeting of Congress and ending the week with Angry White Teabagger Parade in DC. Anyone on the right, any conservative, well hell, anybody that tries to deny that this Astroturf movement is anything but racially motivated is an idiot, demented, or both.

EMBA30

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Friday August 28, 2009 · 11:35 AM PDT

2009/08/28 · 11:35

I remeber a skit from the David Letterman show that featured Bill Murray. Bill would go up to people on the street, put his arm around them, look around to make sure that no one was eavesdropping, then ask the person if they "would prefer a hard punch in the stomach, or a swift kick in the butt? Your choice." Bill Murray is a comedy genius, so the skit was rather funny. The insurance company that provides the healthcare coverage for my employer pulled a similar stunt yesterday. But it was not nearly as funny as the one that appeared on David Letterman.

The "hard punch in the stomach, swift kick in the butt" version from our insurance provider was in the form of us being able to re-new the plan we currently have, however it would mean a 76% increase in my contribution to the plan - the punch in the stomach option. The swift kick in the butt option was to select a plan with a higher deductible, higher co-payment for doctor's office visits, reductions in other benefits, etc., with my contribution increasing by "only" 48%. My employer selected the swift kick in the butt option. Adding to the pain of the swift kick in the butt is the fact that wages have been stagnant, well more like a dry creek bed, because raises have been frozen for almost two years.

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Canadian Healthcare System

Angry White People March In DC

A Hard Punch In The Stomach, Or A Swift Kick In The Butt?