Why is the US so afraid of Social Health Care? (page 4)

jeeprube

Standard mail takes forever to get to its destination.

Huh, that's funny. I mail my Jeep payment from Missouri to California every month for 44 cents. It takes 2 days to arrive and has never been lost or late.

Most Americans are just clueless - they seldom look at the world outside as being equal to them and so they continue to spout nonsense and try to bring down other countries in order to build themselves up inside their own country.

They don't understand for example, that your minimum wage levels may be much higher and so even if you pay 2% more in taxes, you still have more services for your dollar and more disposable income. The State minimum wage may be $7.00 an hour for example and in Ontario, the provincial minimum wage is $10.50...so even if you pay a small percentage more in taxes, you also have 'free' healthcare, better social programs and better pensions. The cost of living factored in, the standard of living is higher in Ontario. Ditto Australia, Japan and a whole host of other countries...countries that do not have tipping for example, because the minimum wage is sufficient to live on without charity from patrons...but one has to be able to look at the bigger picture instead of just one issue. The right wing activists do not want people to do that, so they keep them scared and intimidate them with pictures of people being sent to Siberia and starving in Russia or by drawing a mustache on the President in order to invoke threats of Nazism..or invoking racist fears by pictures and words on plaques...it is very regressive and oppressive....sammieswife.

jeeprube

From where I am sitting this is the mentality expressed by so many Americans today - "I've got mine. You get your own somewhere else. And don't do anything that might lower my property values while you're at it."

I think you've hit the core of the problem. I've got mine and everyone else can get F-ed. Greed is the problem.

sammielee24

Huh, that's funny. I mail my Jeep payment from Missouri to California every month for 44 cents. It takes 2 days to arrive and has never been lost or late.

I think the US postal service is one of the best I've ever used. We mail out letters and within 2 days they get from California to Colorado - within 4 days up into Canada..and for next to nothing. They are a great bunch of workers and provide great service - I've had them come to my door to hand deliver a parcel, always with a smile and a bit of a chat...no problems. On the other hand, I had to use courier for some major documents and had a heck of a time - could have just been the company, but never a problem with the US postal service. sammieswife.

purplesofa

I think many Americans are tired. Hard-working Americans, that has just been through things like the Madoff ripoffs, the bail-outs, the stimulus package, foreclosure of homes, unstable economy, unemployment, taking on illegal aliens, the war in Iraq. We work and work and work and it's never enough. Do we really feel like we can sacrifice anything more? Do we really have any more to give?

I think we are beginning to see how messed up our priorities have been, and it's difficult to change.

When first meeting people from other countries, I was taken back abit that I was realizing Americas way of life was not completely the best. I was having friends here from Europe and Australia, that seemed not to be working as hard as me, making less money than myself, yet they were able to travel to another country. In comparing incomes, my heathcare devouring my extra income, something my friends were not experiancing.

One of the saddest stories I ever heard was a friend of mine from London that lost his wife to some improper care. He won a lawsuit against the hospitol and got a small settlement. Even when chekcing out how are healthcare system worked in America, he decided he liked how healthcare worked in Europe better. He might be on a long waiting list, but at least he was on a list.

Something I noticed about my friends from Europe and Australia, there was a sense of security, deeply rooted, even when things were troubling, that I did not feel. They did not have as much material stuff as I did, life seemed simpler and more secure.

I am sorry I don't know how to debate very well, but my heart and gut tells me we must figure out a way to care for the health of Americans, and then the whole planet.

It's the right thing to do.

purps

jeeprube

I do not own a home...so my property values are not effected.... and the reason I don't own one, is because I have used the money I might have invested in a home to help others. I've never regretted that. I don't need much myself..

Wow, that's awesome! You are to be commended.

sammielee24

Purps...that was one of the first things I felt when I moved to the USA. There was a deep and profound sense of apathy and tiredness, combined with a hardness in keeping what you've got. It confused me for a long time but then I understood that when you have no security, even in basic things like healthcare, you live on the edge all the time. You don't have any freedom to take another job, or move to another State or even go back to school because you are going to be judged if you become a drain on the rest of the people. People don't even understand it because you've never had it - it's a much harsher world to live in. I go home to visit my dad and I feel like I've stepped into a different time - people smile and there's less tension in every day life. People are genuinely happy and it shows - and I can only base this in part of the security of having some basic social programming that gives you freedom. sammieswife.

DaCheech

to that Aussie poster, I know plenty of poor americans personally who have went to hospitals and even though they have squat, they have not been turned down!

stop trying to villify us, we are very charitable!

the reason we are opposed is that we have so many other problems that are more important right now, that I could care less about paying more taxes! and loosing jobs (see 3 below)

#1 important: social security fix

#2: medicare fix

#3: getting jobs back to US (we are loosing tons of jobs to china/india and such)

DaCheech

brinjen, these other countries have 20% sales tax (vat) and pay $9 a gallon for gas (in which tons of tax is taken from that)

DaCheech

many US states have no sales tax, and here in jersey it's 7% (no tax on necessities, including food)

Why is the US so afraid of Social Health Care?

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