(no subject)

[ashleyfanfic.livejournal.com]

Anyone else disturbed by the way Obama is handling the Israel/Palestinian fight? First off, there will never be peace in the Middle East as long as Jews exist and Muslims continue to breed their hatred for them. Second, I think it's atrocious for the President to suggest that Israel accept there needs to be a separate state to end hostilities.

No, Mr. President. What you fail to realize, or maybe you do and your goal is to see this happen, is that should Israel back down, it will show weakness, and they will be seen as a country that can be taken over.

ETA: They've been fighting there for thousands of years and will continue fighting until no one on this earth draws breath. Creating a separate state will only piss off our closest ally. Good job you're doing though! *rolls eyes*

Insightful Sotomayor-related blog post

[scarletumbrella.livejournal.com]

Got sent this this morning. I've only skimmed it so far, but what I read took me aback. I definitely think it's worth a look: Answering Peggy Noonan: Why Sotomayor Should Withdraw

Could also be subtitled, "Modern Racism."

More fuel for the healthcare fire

[ccr1138.livejournal.com]

Just a quick note. Make of these stories what you will.

First, from Monday's Calgary Herald: ( Pledges can't save prostate laser. )

Second, if you think that sort of thing can't happen in the USA, you might be surprised to know *it already is*! The Wall Street Journal on How Washington Rations Healthcare.

For the tl;dr crowd:

1) Calgary's only surgery laser for enlarged prostates was taken away despite angry public outcry and private pledges from companies to donate whatever amount is needed to keep it. The laser option is far less invasive and doesn't require hospitalization.

2) Medicare has decided to deny coverage for virtual colonoscopies, even though they are quicker, more comfortable, and significantly cheaper than the standard "optical" procedure.

In both cases, safer, more comfortable procedures are being made unavailable to people by Big Brother because of either a small increase in cost or a *possibility* of an additional cost, with no option given for people to pay the difference. This is what happens when bureaucrats and bean counters, not doctors and patients, are given power to make medical decisions.

All you have to do is look at the VA, Medicare, and Medicaid to get an idea of how wonderfully consumer-oriented and richly responsive a USA government-run healthcare plan would be.

DO NOT WANT.

Canadian doctor: "Our system is stupid."

[ccr1138.livejournal.com]

One more anti-single-payer story for today:

I stopped by the medical clinic this afternoon because last week, when the doctor copied my test results for me, he only gave me 2 of the 3 pages. I figured I could pop in and ask them to give me a copy of the third page. Common sense, eh?

Sorry, patients can't see their records without a doctor present, even though a doctor had *already* talked with me about the results a few days ago. I had to wait more than an hour to see a *different* doctor just to get a copy of my own cholesterol report.

Amazingly, today's doc was a breath of fresh air. Dr. McD_____ expressed incredulity that somebody wouldn't simply make me a copy of the page I needed, and when I told him it was apparently against the rules, he said (and I quote), "Our system is stupid." We went on to have a five-minute conversation about how FUBAR the medical system in Canada is. He informed me that, contrary to the other doctor's assurances, it's terribly optimistic to think Jeff might actually get a colonoscopy appointment this year. He was also not surprised to learn that the waiting list for a hip replacement is at least 13 months. "I bet you can't wait to get back to the States so you can get decent care," he said. Then he amended hastily, "The standard of care here is world class ... it's just getting access to it that's the problem." I mentioned that I would pay a lot of money to jump the queue if only I were allowed to.

"I don't see why we don't allow private practice," he added, with me nodding fervently. "It's not as if anyone would lose their present coverage. You do realize, the only other countries in the world who have a system like ours are North Korea and Cuba?"

I think I love this guy.

You know, Canada would be a *great* place to live if it weren't for the health care system. Ironic, isn't it?

THIS JUST IN: A Montreal man delivered his own (induced) child at the hospital because the staff were too busy to help him.

ETA: Jeff asked if I had checked to see if the Cuba/North Korea comparison was true. Here are a couple of articles that mention it: Unsocialized Medicine: A landmark ruling exposes Canada's health-care inequity (Wall Street Journal) and Top Ten Myths of American Health Care.