Sorry to have ruffled feathers. Ducks are prone to that.
There are stakes here. You must be aware that the NHS is presented as
a bogeyman by the American right, while the situation in large parts
of this country becomes desperate and is merely intolerable in the
more favored places.
Note that I don't defend Italy, which continues to redefine
incompetence. I'm not sure why you raised it.
Mark
At 04:54 AM 3/1/2009, you wrote:
>I can't hear the canard quacking. As you don't say, you are as
>abrasively rude as ever. What I know and what I am going to spend
>time putting in a mail to this list are two separate things. But what the hell.
>
>Power always thinks it has a great soul and vast views beyond the
>comprehension of the weak; and that it is doing God's service when
>it is violating all His laws.
>John Adams to Thomas Jefferson.
>----- Original Message ----- From: "Mark Weiss" <[log in to unmask]>
>To: <[log in to unmask]>
>Sent: Saturday, February 28, 2009 7:43 PM
>Subject: Re: pullman on liberty
>>
>>My luck has been surprisingly consistent over ten years.
>>
>>As you say, you don't know much. Most of this is a very old canard
>>fortified by a few anecdotes. There are always horror stories--I
>>could tell a few myself about the US, tho just the much higher rate
>>of iatrogenic illnesses and the lower life expectancy here may
>>speak for themselves. And folks began complaining when Attlee was PM.
>>
>>Your Austrian friend was probably triaged (apparently accurately,
>>as witness her speedy recovery). There are strokes and strokes. In
>>this country we do scans for cuts and bruises, at enormous cost, to
>>amortize the expense of the machines. That three days in the
>>hospital would have cost upwards of $6K in the US, by the way, and
>>that would include no care whatsoever, just the bed and the linens.
>>
>>As to British resistance, there seems to be near unanimity about
>>preserving the NHS. Maggie Thatcher tampered with it, but it's why
>>she got tossed. What I did notice was a nursing shortage, fueled by
>>lowered investment, which seems to have been reversed in the past
>>year. In Scotland, at least, the nursing shortage is being
>>addressed--beyond the standard free tuition for nursing students,
>>they're now getting slaries while they're in school, and the
>>shortage should be a thing of the past in about 5 years.
>>
>>There's an enormous nursing shortage in the US as well. In most
>>places nothing's being done about it, and nursing degrees are so
>>expensive that new hires are largely from other countries, where
>>people can still afford to go to school.
>>
>>Mark
>>
>>>Tim can probably make more interesting comments on how daily life
>>>is affected by all the laws, the virtual suspension of Habeas
>>>Corpus & hollowing out of individual rights, the monstrous
>>>personal data balls-up etc etc, general incompetence etc etc. -
>>>Italy has gone down the drain, too, of course - I have a very good
>>>friend living there, her reports of corruption & inefficiency are
>>>horrific, and the levels of racism & intolerance have become truly
>>>shocking under Berlusconi, as you must know from the papers.
>>>Things will get much worse in the years to come. I wouldn't mind
>>>dying soon, but that's just me - other people I know say well,
>>>it's interesting to see what will happen, isn't it? I'm going to
>>>start smoking again...
>>>mj
>>>
>>>Power always thinks it has a great soul and vast views beyond the
>>>comprehension of the weak; and that it is doing God's service when
>>>it is violating all His laws.
>>>John Adams to Thomas Jefferson.
>>>----- Original Message ----- From: "Mark Weiss" <[log in to unmask]>
>>>To: <[log in to unmask]>
>>>Sent: Friday, February 27, 2009 10:47 PM
>>>Subject: Re: pullman on liberty
>>>
>>>
>>>>It's a shame I can't read the article. The snippet of comment
>>>>below is certainly provocative, and at odds with my experience of
>>>>the UK, where I spend a lot of time, and France, where I used to
>>>>live. Of course I'm comparing with the US, which hopefully Obama
>>>>will make more nanny-like. The alternative seems to be the
>>>>clutches of the evil stepmother of markets regulated only insofar
>>>>as they guarantee profits and predation.
>>>>
>>>>My last trip to the UK I wound up in hospital in Glasgow for four
>>>>days. Every system can improve, but compared to what one has on
>>>>this side it was heaven. My experience with the French system has
>>>>been even better. (When I got back to the States I made a trip to
>>>>the emergency ward. Ten hours waiting.)
>>>>
>>>>In fact, Britain and France always strike me as youthful. Folks
>>>>don't carry nearly the burden of anxiety that we do here and tend
>>>>to be far more adventurous as a result. Which is to say that the
>>>>restrictions on the downside amount to a grant of freedom on the upside.
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