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.

Oh How It Changes

I feel as though the world may have changed around me. I remember a time when we used to be excited to wait for something. As I wrote about how impatient some of the world has become, readers of this blog have commented. To me these comments indicate that I may be in the minority on this subject.

I understand the need for timeliness on things. As time passes the relevance of something may be increased or more often decreased. It seems to be that delayed gratification is becoming a concept of the past.

I wonder why this is.

Is it become we have so much disposable income? Since so many people can have so much of what they want, when they want it, have we forgot the time when we had to wait to get it.

Sappy story alert.

My first major purchase in my life was my Coleco NHL Table Top Hockey Game. I saw it in the Sears catalogue, and a few of my friends had one. I wanted one. I seem to remember the cost was about $25, back in 1983. I saved my allowance of $1 for weeks and weeks to pay for this. Finally I had the money to pay for it. I think my dad had the last couple of bucks to pay for it. So we ordered the one I could afford. It was put on back order. I had to wait even longer. Then they substituted the fancy one with its own legs. Eventually it showed up. I still remember putting it together with my parents on the living room floor in our house on Pelly Ave in Russell Manitoba. I think the wait added to the total experience.

I still have that Table Top Hockey Game. For the record the teams were Philadelphia and Vancouver. (It was the era when the Canucks had the giant 'V" on the front and back of the jersey.)

I am sure that the wait for the game added to my memory.

I am not sure if we have these same types of memories today.

I Want It Now, I Want It All

Yesterday I attempted to post a blog entry. For Some reason my Internet connection would not talk to Blogger, the service I use to provide this commentary on the world around us. I was a bit upset when instantly I could not have my ideas shared with the world around us.

I don't think I really needed to be at all upset. Although I put some time and effort into the post I didn't lose too much in the end.

The world has changed. In the most developed parts of the globe we demand instant results. Everything must be in stock. Everything must work all the time. Our questions must be answered immediately. Right now is not soon enough.

I have tried for a long time to not need instant gratification. The wait can be exciting. However, from time to time I find I must be satisfied now.

This is probably not helping civilization. We have become so demanding and reliant on instant solutions, we have forgot what it is to build up to something. There are very few things that we have to wait for. There are a couple I can think of including Christmas, a concert to come to town, a movie. This list is rather short. Nearly everything is demanded instantly.

I'm guilty too of being demanding but some times we need to slow down and wait. It will make the result so much more enjoyable.

Looking Through Windows

We all look at the world through windows. I'm not talking about the Microsoft GUI operating system. I am talking about our frame of reference. As our surroundings are altered, our window sees something different. We can't see everything. We can only see a frame of the entire world.

Our window is manipulated by our experiences. If you are around certain activities or behaviours, they become part of your frame of reference. They become the starting point by where you judge from. If you shift into a new environment your window will eventually change.

Our windows are significantly effected by the people we interact with every day. If you are around over-achievers most of the time you will tend to become one on your own. If the norm you see is being slack and lazy you will drift to that window.

The longer you spend with a group of people the more you will become like the people around you. Of course, you will retain some uniqueness and individuality, but your weaker norms will disappear, and only your strongest will remain.

There are other factors that will change our window. If the group you are in is quite homogeneous you will probably become like them faster and if you are similar or want to be similar to the group you will probably become like them sooner.

So where does this leave us?

Be around people you want to be like. If you want to be a pro bull rider, don't hang out with a bunch of hockey players. They will not help you move your window to one of a bull rider. Use the forces of nature around you to your advantage and the results will be amazing.