Can Al Gore torpedo universal healthcare in ten seconds or less?
The debate over universal healthcare will be the #1 issue, sadly, in the presidential election cycle. Sigh. We got a glimpse into our future this week through the eyes, er, the teeth of the British,
People with toothache are resorting to pulling their own teeth because they cannot find a NHS dentist, a study out today says. Almost a fifth of those questioned in the biggest patient survey of its kind said that they had missed out on dental work because of the cost.
Ah, the beauty of government run healthcare. Well, Al Gore is speaking out now on how universal healthcare is a “right” for all Americans. Really? I don’t seem to see that anywhere in here?
Anyway, I digress. Al Gore is truly a political genius. In exactly TEN seconds, he demonstates why government run universal healthcare would be an unmitigated disaster.
“I strongly support universal single-payer government-provided or government-funded health care”
“Single payer” and “government funded”…sounds so nice…so inexpensive…unless you already know that anything that is “government funded” is actually funded by OUR TAXES. It’s not REALLY single payer OR government funded. IT’S OUR MONEY AL.
The upside of government sponsored univesal healthcare is that it does help the citizenry develop that can-do attitude, that “I can do anything I set my mind to” spirit that defines the American dream. I mean, if the Brits can learn that in order to have their teeth fixed, they just need to pull out themselves…This type of entrepreneurial, can-do spirit could really propel the USA forward in the new millenium.
Politics, health care | Kevin | 
October 16, 2007 12:43 pm
what a twat you are. Your making the finals of the weblog awards simply points out how fucking lame they are and how little surfing the judges do. You are the reason your country is almost listed up there with the rest of the 3rd world - you cannot see past your own inefficiencies far enough to even begin to understand solutions. My god, pundit? Fuckwit more like.
Dub,
Thank you for reaffirming almost everything we say about liberals in only a few sentences.
Kevin
Your post infers that somehow we are not currently paying for health care now. But we are. In fact, we are spending more per capita and as a percentage of GNP on health care by far than any other nation on earth. But are we receiving the best health care on earth for our money? Based on just about any metric you wish to consider, the answer is a resounding, “no.”
Logic would lead a rational, independendent-thinking person to conclude that we are not getting a good deal for our money.
Ultimately, the right wing ethos today seems to be that one should be compelled to care only for oneself, and that other members of our society should leave you alone and take care of themselves. But under our privatized health care system, this isn’t the case at all. No one at my small company has been seriously ill over the past several years (thank God) but nevertheless, our premiums continue to rise in the double digits, as they have for the past 10 years or so. We are paying for other peoples’ problems, whether we like it or not.
Average health care premiums have nearly doubled in the last 7 years alone, yet our standing in the world continues to slide when it comes to average life span, infant mortality, disease outcomes and more. Any business with a track record like that would have fired its CEO long ago.
The current health care system is broken in the US. It’s indefensible. By defending it, you illustrate the fact that the right wing today is driven more by blind faith — by a quasi-religious fervor in the belief of “free markets” — than by logic, reason, or practicality.
Welcome to the Dark Ages of political philosophy in the US.
Please help us raise awareness of the issues surrounding universal healthcare/socialized medicine. Add your articles or comments to:
http://www.zimbio.com/Socialized+Medicine
Dear Mr gore,
I am almost 70 yrs old and it seems like when the goverment gets involved we wind up paying more taxes. I would love to get free health ins. but there is no such thing as free is there? someone is going to have to pay and to allow them to pay they have to tax us again and again. I live on social security and I am having a hard time. the price of oil has sky rocketed making a tank of oil more than I am getting in social security.
I hear the politicians promising this and that.they forget to say but you are going to pay one way or another.
I can’t understand why we were not notified when the government started using the social security money that we paid for while we were working. who knows how long we are going to get social security. at one time we could afford health ins. now all I have is medicare.
the salaries keep going up. the cost of living is ridiculous. people are having a hard time. especially the elderly. but social security is at a standstill. no raises to help us cope with inflation.
when is this government spending going to stop? from the sounds of the candidates running for president the spending is going to increase and the people are going to get poorer.