From Ezra Klein
There are criticisms that people make of Social Security, most of them relating to a mismatch between the program’s revenue and its future obligations. But McCain’s comment is very different. It’s like if lots of people made fun of one guy’s car because it was broken down, ugly, and lacked headlights. Then one of the dimmer members of the group, sensing an opportunity to jump in, piped up with, “yeah, four wheels and an engine? What’s with that!? When you gonna do something about that!?” Everyone would sort of look at the guy for a moment while they registered that this person didn’t understand how a car worked. Now imagine that this person was applying to run an auto shop. And people were taking his application seriously. That’s sort of the situation we’re in.
I think this is how the whole prvatize social security crowd works, they hate the idea that their tax dollars might actually benefit anyone else, so the program becomes “disgusting”. Personally I like the idea that by paying a small percentage of my income in taxes I can help keep older people, and disabled people, and all the other people that benefit from social security from being homeless. Social security is about caring for your fellow human beings and people like John McCain don’t care about their fellow citizens so the program becomes disgusting. Maybe McCain is not so much dumb as amoral.
I agree that McCain is, in some ways, dumber than Obama.
I’m not sure who would be more wronger.
I do believe that McCain + Dem-controlled congress would do less damage than Obama + same, or Obama + Rep-controlled congress.
8 years of Clinton + Gingrich would be evidence #1.
I think the only way we get health care reform is with Obama and a democratic congress and even then it will be close.
Yes, but THAT health care reform could take us towards Canada and Europe, which means costs will go up even more even while more people die prematurely.
The US spends far more than either Canada or Europe and yet we have worse health outcomes.
Hopefully our system will move towards the much better systems of Canada and Europe.
No, the outcomes of Canada and Europe do not adjust for:
1) higher obesity rates
2) higher traffic fatality rates
3) higher immigration rates
Rich Canadians actually come to the U.S. because they cannot cut the long waiting lines to get critical care, … thereby artificially increasing their life expectancies due to the greater accessibility of healthcare in the U.S.
After adjusting for these wealth effects, healthcare outcomes are WORSE than the U.S. That is why I cite Singapore, whose costs are below U.S., Canada, and Europe, but outcomes are equal to or better than all of the above.
Hey Mr Bettor:
I think I know what study you are talking about, it is from 2005. If I can find it I will link to it tomorrow.
What they did was compare white Americans to white Canadians, eliminated violent deaths, and also eliminated obesity related health problems.
By eliminating minorites the comparison was tilted towards more affluent people as generally whites are more affluent. Also by eliminating obesity they may have tilted the study towards more affluent people as I think some research shows that obesity is more prevalant among the poor. Plus, obesity is a huge part of why people get sick so they in effect eliminated a large percentage of sick people from the study.
And, the study showed that if you compare Americas healthy affluent population with Canada you get equal health outcomes.
The study also talked about canadians spending 10% of GDP on health care where Americans spend 16% of GDP on health care. Canadians for their 10% of GDP manage to take care of every Canadian, where Americans spend more and still leave a lot of people without coverage.
If I get a chance I will find the study I am talking about and post a link, I am knee deep in home repairs right now, so fixing my toilet needs to come first.
If it is a different study than the one I am thinking about send me an e-mail and I will put it up as well.
BTW Mr Bettor:
I am readinga book, the Omnivires Dillema, where he blames american obesity at least in part on the need to use up all the subsidized food our farmers produce. The same corn that farmers use to fatten beef is also fattening up America.
I agree. I believe the incidence of obesity correlates well to the profligation of high fructose corn syrup in foods.
Corn syrup seems like pretty nasty stuff, for that reason I am trying to give up Pepsi which turning out to be harder than I thought.