America.....Views from the Road. - Page 4

It's good that you bring up some negative story about the British NHS. I have British friends who, before the current groupthink in America of late that a national healthcare system like Canada's, Britain's or even Cuba's is great, complained that the public "free" healthcare often meant that you went on a long waiting list for anything more than minor treatrment, and most people who could afford it, went private in any case. The NHS end product was often not that great as well (hearsay again).

Since this has become a big political issue, and since Michael Moore's (of whom I don't have a personal opinion either way) movie, you'd think that government healthcare meant free great healthcare for everybody for no expense.

IMHO, instead of an NHS, the current system needs to be tweaked to take out the self-reinforcing weaknesses, rather than throwing the baby out with the bathwater. Of course the whole healthcare industry is against what "needs" to be done IMO because they benefit from the status quo.

Same problem exists in America with the legal system and tort reform as well as Specialists (guys who provide liquidity) on the floor of the NYSE. The powers-that-be have a vested interest in a flawed, innefficient (and lucrative to them) system.

__________________

That's precisely why I get on my soapbox over immigration. The NHS is in trouble because they're treating both illegal and legal immigrants but in huge numbers. So, those who may have paid taxes all their life wind up stuck at the back of a queue in some cases. There are too many people using the NHS and basically our population is set to go up to close to 70 million. The sad reality is you can't accommodate the whole globe. There needs to be some international charity organisation set up to treat refugees funded by all European countries, as opposed to the current chaos.
I agree health care in the U.S. is said to be quite good, although it's costly.

__________________
"Everybody has a philosophy. However, what philosophy you have is a matter of choice, and most people don't make a conscious choice with regard to what philosophy they accept."

Are you sure that's why the NHS is "in trouble", Carrera? Does that mean, if the NHS didn't treat illegal immigrants, it wouldn't be in trouble? Are you sure that you don't get on your soapbox because it makes you look taller?

NHS is 60 years in existence, this year.

__________________
.."But finally the last thing I’ll say to the people who don’t believe in cycling, the cynics and the sceptics. I'm sorry for you. I’m sorry that you can’t dream big. [I]I'm sorry you don't believe in miracles. You should believe in these athletes, and you should believe in these people. I'll be a fan of the Tour de France for as long as I live. And there are no secrets - this is a hard sporting event and hard work wins it" - Armstrong 2005 TDF
morelike hypocrisy.

G'day, Lim.
I'm sure there are many who would hold that the NHS has done a mighty fine job over those 60 years of ensuring that health care is available to all. Judge a society by how it treats those at the bottom of the heap.

G'day Eoin.

Newsnight (public affairs prog.) on the BBC have been doing a series of features on the NHS.
Founded by Minister for Health, Bevan, in 1948, NHS was created to bring affordable healthcare to every citizen in Britain.

The BBC's feature interviewed people who had received treatment under NHS, the doctors/nurses who work in the NHS and the administrators who operate the NHS.
Billions has been spent on the NHS - some of it beneficial, some of it wasteful.
But overall the opinions expressed were supportive of the retention of the NHS.

I agree with you.
Any society calling itself civilised has to take care of it's most vulnerable people, first and foremost.
i think the NHS fits that criteria.

Hope all is well where you are

__________________
.."But finally the last thing I’ll say to the people who don’t believe in cycling, the cynics and the sceptics. I'm sorry for you. I’m sorry that you can’t dream big. [I]I'm sorry you don't believe in miracles. You should believe in these athletes, and you should believe in these people. I'll be a fan of the Tour de France for as long as I live. And there are no secrets - this is a hard sporting event and hard work wins it" - Armstrong 2005 TDF
morelike hypocrisy.

I'm sitting in New Jersey at this moment. I have to sit here and wonder why does Jersey exist? This place is horrible. The thing is, the people here have to have a really low quality of life. And so my thoughts go this way ............ How does the enviroment we choose to live in control the quality of our lives?

Since I am relocating somewhere other then the area I now live in, this has been on my mind. So I have been trying to observe people. The thing that jumps out at me most often is that small town [rural] people seem to be far happier.At least in the sense they seem to take a more casual approch to life. The large city people seem to take more interest in their own personal lives, and are not so concerned with others.
Larger city people take the argument that they are exposed to far more culture and a progressive lifestyle. I may argue that. With the state of communictions such as the internet and cable TV, instant communication is always available to anyone. A argument I have with my daughter is that while larger cities have more "coffee shops", the small town people live the coffee shop lifestyle. Let me explain............. The purpose of the coffee shop is to find a moment in a hectic lifestyle to relax. But what if your day already is a relaxing one, and you don't have to pay $4.00 for a bad cup of coffee?

I know as I get older the slower paced life seems really desirable. Sitting out here knowing tomorrow at 4 in the morning I will have to go over the Geo Washington to beat the morning traffic just to get a few miles up the road seems so time consuming. Back home my budddies will be riding in the morning on rural roads before their 10 minute drive to work. They will sit at McDonalds for a half hour after a hour ride , then head home for a shower before heading to work. As I pass thru the Bronx, will I see anyone doing that?
What's it all about?

__________________
"Since we started [selling the Livestrong wristbands], we've sold 75 million of these bracelets," said Armstrong. "What's different this year, is that anybody who buys a bracelet during the Tour, all the money stays here. I think it's important for people to understand that the money they spend - 1 Euro - is not going to Texas or the United States, it stays in France."

I thought I had found heaven yesterday...I was in the citrus country north of LA. Beautiful place.

I was thinking what a great place to ride...............Then I saw some cyclists coming.......... Followed by huge trucks........ The illusion was over. I decided that the views are not worth getting run over.

Then I went up to the coastal highway....... Parked my truck [legal ] and headed over to the other side of the road........ A CHP [California Highway Patrol] pulled up. threw me against his car and yelled "hands behind your head, interlock your fingers."
He proceeded to check me for weapons, threw me in the back of his car, and was calling me a idiot..............
He told me that he was going to fine me "more then I can afford."

He then released me w/o fine and told me to move on. [ Even though he did not talk to the other 5 trucks parked there.........]
My crime........"Standing too close to the road."

Californians............. When you use the word "Nazi's, facism, and kooks, you need to know that the majority of the them are your neighbors. The rest of America is far more stable.

__________________
"Since we started [selling the Livestrong wristbands], we've sold 75 million of these bracelets," said Armstrong. "What's different this year, is that anybody who buys a bracelet during the Tour, all the money stays here. I think it's important for people to understand that the money they spend - 1 Euro - is not going to Texas or the United States, it stays in France."

Don't blame him, Viagra doesn't work for everyone I hear.

__________________
Dope,when training and talent just aren't enough.