We Have It So They Want It .... Maybe

Last night I was watching Real Time with Bill Maher. I don't normally watch it as it normally consists of a panel being moderated by Bill Maher. The discussion usually deteriorates to mindless bickering and name calling. Near the end of the show it often reminds me of a wrestling schmoz. A lot of confusion to distract the audience from realizing that nothing is really being accomplished. However from time to time Bill has one guest on at a time. Usually these shows are quite good, of course this is dependant on the guest that he is speaking with and about what they are speaking about.

Last night he had Bill Moyers as one of his guests. He is an author and newsman. He came across as a very intelligent man and had some very key points to bring up. For a considerable part of the the interview he spoke on universal health care.

Being a Canadian I know it is easy speak on the subject. In my country we have it and have had it for a long time. We also have to pay for it, and here is what is holding up Americans from adopting a universal health care system.

I will admit that I am comforted with the knowledge that if I or, anyone in my family, get sick we go to the doctor and it is taken care of. I am comforted knowing that no Canadian will not be treated because of how much or how little money they make.

I would like to believe that in a Utopian world people would only use public health care when it is truly warranted.

If this were the way it is, I think Americans would be on par with the rest of the western democratic world and have a universal health care system.

I think there are two big fears that Americans have:

They believe that their ability to choose to spend their money on better health care will disappear. This may or may not be true, depending on how they set up their system. This is the easier flag to wave as it has undertones of capitalism of democracy.

They also believe that the system can be easily abused and can become very costly if it is.
This is true and a real cost of universal health care.

It is difficult to control abuses of the system. There are many. It can prevent people from getting the care they need faster. It can cost a lot of money. It provides very little incentive to live a healthy lifestyle, (like preventative maintenance on your car.) although Americans as a group live the least healthy of any western democracy, even tough they have the most to gain from it. It can lead to under staffing and resource deficiencies since you cannot use the market forces of the demand of a few to provide opportunity for many.

America is about democracy and capitalism, which really means it is about choice. With any choice you make there are benefits and costs. With universal health care the benefits and costs are clear.

It is up to Americans to decide if, for them, the benefits outweigh the costs.

All Roads Lead to....

I spent most of Thursday and Friday driving in Saskatchewan. I have done this trip before and will do it again. As I was travelling through my neighbouring province I remembered something that I had noticed in the past.

The directional signage at major intersections very often indicate that highway that the one you are on is intersecting leads to Prince Albert. I have noticed this in other areas of the province as well. I have noticed this leaving Swift Current, Moose Jaw, Saskatoon, North Battleford, and Regina.

It seems rather quirky that Prince Albert is always the city on the sign. I'm sure these roads go to other communities. They never seem to be mentioned. When you are leaving Moose Jaw for Saskatoon, you have to take the Prince Albert exit. There is no mention of Saskatoon. Seems strange to me.

I have never been to Prince Albert. It may be a very nice place. I quite a few know people who have lived there. I believe they have all moved away. It is just rather peculiar that so much directional signage leads you to Prince Albert.

Maybe they are trying to convince people to go to Prince Albert. Maybe the person who planned this signage was from Prince Albert and felt it was important to tell everyone how to get there. Maybe it is somebody's idea of a joke. I really don't know.

I just find it strange that when you are in Saskatchewan all roads lead to Prince Albert.

I'm Back

Summer is a very busy time for me. I work a lot and I don't blog about work. That's too easy. I'm done with the busiest part of the year and should have more time to look at the world around me and write about it.

Regular observations and commentaries are resuming.

Enjoy

This Dude is Smart

I was just watching an interview with a Peruvian economist named Hernando de Soto. He was brilliant to listen to. His ideas on solving the global credit crunch were spot on. We should be listening to him.

This raises a point to me. How come I had never heard of him?

We know everything about Michael Jackson and Brittany Spears. They are good at what they do, or did, as the case may be. We don't even know about some of the smartest people on the planet. They should be recognized and recognizable. They will fix the big problems. They will make the world a better place.

I think to be an informed member of society we should seek out smart people and find out what they have to say. When it is a good idea we should take heed and do it. We should promote their ideas.

I don't know if society can change their information consumption patterns in the near future, but we should. There are probably others out there that we can say that this dude is smart.