Monday, February 1, 2010

Australia can do it, why can't we?

In case you are one who doesn't read comments left from others, I wanted to post this comment from Magpie he so graciously left yesterday on a previous post. Actually this is the type of comment I would like to email to the White House. Read what he said:

I'm from Australia and we've had public health care since 1975. I infer from your post that you are inviting this sort of comment so I hope it's welcome.

We claim expenses back in part or full from medicare, which is funded by a levy of 1.5% of taxable income, or less for low income earners. High income earners pay a surcharge of 1% of taxable income.
Generally speaking, you don't even feel the effect of the levy on your wallet, and access to health care is universally affordable for it.

There are imperfections and blind spots, of course no system is perfect. But it generally works.

As I've said elsewhere on US blogs re this issue, even our Right wing parties would not dare take this away from the public. It's part of our understanding of social justice. It's not socialist, communist, liberal or anything. It's just what we expect.

Furthermore we are still paying less of GDP than you are for medical services.

You have been ripped off for years and forced to suffer the pain for the ideological claptrap and greedy puppeteers of the Right wing. You should be profoundly angry.

Thank you Magpie. We are angry, but I don't know how far that has gotten us! Just in the past 2 weeks I have heard countless times "the HC bill is dead", then along comes a liberal Senator who says "the HC bill is NOT DEAD". Do you see why we are angry and growing desperate for our leaders to come to some sort of agreement on HC reform? When other countries who have this tried and true universal HC, look at us fighting over simple human rights, they must think we are morons! And ya know what? WE ARE!

I hope you come back Magpie and help us to understand more because a part of this country does not get it! Thanks again!

18 comments:

josettes said...

With so many things going wrong in '08, even as a conservative I didn't think it was the worst thing to give the left a shot. Then here came the democrats to remind us all over again why we need to keep these people out of power.

Most of our citizens still want our country to be free - not be required by law to purchase a policy because we breathe the air. Yeah, polls show a favorable response to having the govt provide an option to compete. Compete is one of those words that evoke a positive response. But when the question is then phrased that you would be required by law to have insurance, support falls off the table.

For people who have insurance, this country has the best in the world. The current bill is an entitlement program - period. Nobody wants anyone to go without insurance, but at what cost? Someone named countries like Germany - you want to pay taxes like they do? Do you understand how high the taxes are in those countries? The fact is that those who are insured will pay for those who aren't. And the deficit will climb. The "deficit neutral" declarations and the rest are tricks. They collect taxes for 10 yrs and pay out over 7. And they rely on massive future cuts that will never happen. Most understand the con here.

Then they write the bill in darkness not even telling the senate dems what is in it, and have the nerve to say the problem is people don't know what's in it! All while pledging transparency and making deals. Lawyers are large democratic donors so you won't find tort reform in the bill. The unions vote democratic so the unions are exempt from the 40% tax, etc. It's an absolute disgrace. Any person of character should be offended by this and denounce this garbage.
Frankly, I would love to see Obama, Reid and Pelosi try to ram Health Care through using their Chicago-style thug politics. They would fail (at the hands of Blue Dogs and Republicans) and it would be the final nail in the November coffin being prepared for the Liberal Members of Congress.

Leslie Parsley said...

ZZZzzzz. . . . Funny, the only people who feel they've lost their freedom are people who's minds aren't free.

Ms, Mrs, Mr. Josettes - hard to tell because you don't seem to have a real blog. Apparently you don't know that the U.S. is ranked 37th in the world for health care. Understand that - 37th - and we are the richest and most advanced country in the world.

BTW, this country has the worst insurance coverage and the most expensive in the world. The only people who benefit are the insurance CEOs with billions of dollars in compensation from your premiums and the money they get from just saying no to patients needing life-saving treatment.

People resisted Social Security and Medicare - now try to take it away from them. People resisted seat belts. Look at how many lives have been saved because of them.
People resisted having the polio vaccine which meant thousands upon thousands didn't have to live out the rest of their miserable lives in iron lungs. Damn that government for doing what's best for us because we don't have the brains to do it for ourselves.

Sue said...

josettes, where oh where do I begin, and thanks Leslie for helping me out with this clueless person...

You apparently did not read Magpies comment. Having single payer will not mean mandatory insurance, which is just padding the pockets of ins. companies. Mandatory insurance buy is hopefully DEAD ON ARRIVAL. I agree. But with single payer-Medicare all are covered and it won't affect you paying for the poor just like YOU DO NOW. DUH!! I gotta calm down...

Lisa said...

Where will Canadians go for their backup system when they run out of hospital beds? Especially for their neonatal emergencies that they use us for now?

Lisa G. said...

Magpie is right. Let's see the Republicans try and take Medicare away and watch the geezers beat them to death with their canes, crutches and wheelchairs!

1% of $35,000 (ave. blue class wage) is $35. Are you telling me that you wouldn't pay $35/year to cover your family from cradle to grave. That doesn't even cover 1/2 a month's premium out of my check.

You republicans have lost your friggin minds over this 'socialism' crap. Get a fucking clue. And what the hell is Medicare then? SOCIALIZED MEDICINE FOR THE ELDERLY. Like that dumbass at the town hall said "Keep your government hands off my medicare." Well, where the fuck do you think it comes from asshole? There ain't no health care fairy. And lisa, it's clear you're off your meds again; and you were doing so well. Sad.

Jerry Critter said...

Sorry. WE couldn't possible afford something like that. Those fat cats living off their dividend checks could never afford another 2.5% tax (1.5% regular * 1% surcharge). After all, an extra 2.5% would raise their tax rate to 17.5%.

Do you wish we were all fat cats so we would only have to pay 15% taxes too?

Lisa said...

LissG great response. You know your diversion tactics well.
As for the elderly and Medicare,as I recall they have been paying into it for their entire working lives. Also Australia does not cover illegal citizens.

Lisa said...

here you go LisaG:


http://www.investors.com/NewsAndAnalysis/Article.aspx?id=481030

Leslie Parsley said...

Lisa: Try to understand this because I'm only going to say it once.

WE DO NOT, NOR HAVE WE EVER, NOR WILL WE EVER UNDER HC REFORM, COVER ILLEGAL ALIENS. GOT THAT?

Please stay after school and write it 200 times.

Anonymous said...

We don't Leslie? What do they do now when they get sick or have babies,go back home?
Once amnesty is passed they will.
Lisa

Frodo, wonderin' where Joe sits, said...

Frodo notes the comments of Roger Ailes on the ABC journalistic presentation of Sunday past. He stated, in front of Paul Krugman and Ariana Huffington (among others) that 300 million people in America are satisfied with their health insurance, and only 30 million feel otherwise. Knowing only "ratings," he said, that told him that the percentages prove that there is no mandate for healthcare reform.

Nobody else at the table said anything.

Instead, Ailes took off on Ariana for the "Huffington Post" having characterized him as something evil and ugly, and for her to portray him as contributing to the problems was at best, disingenuous.

If her teeth had been false, they would've been on the floor.

When one manipulates the information flow, it is tough to lose an argument. That brings us to "Josettes"--who talks about "Germany" when it comes to health care and taxation. Tell ya what sweet thang, how 'bout making the same argument and use Taiwan as the example? Be sure and tell folks that Taiwan instituted their system after doing an analysis of the rest of the free world, and that they rejected the system used by the US as "inhumane and expensive."

Roger Ailes is a comparative pussy to a Hobbit who has enough quasi-information from ideologues, on either side.

Sue said...

people like lisa and anon, we are talking about American citizens not illegals, get illegals out of your brains. This country can afford single payer and we would be forever grateful if the dems said get fucked to the thugs and pushed this through in the dead of the night. Its all we can hope for and it's the fault of the right for standing in the way.

One Fly said...

I have no hopes or expectations on this and never did. The biggest negative of why people are so stupid about this and other issues is the media. We have enemies but they are perhaps our biggest.

They want control of this venue and and when they win that game over kiddies!!

Shaw Kenawe said...

the commenter "josettes" came to my blog this am and posted someone else's comment under the name "josettes," which was copied and pasted from the Washington Post's site:


"You libs just don't get it! You had 13 months and a super majority in BOTH houses and made deals with unions, AARP, PHARMA, Insurance Co's, drug companies, bribed senators of you OWN party and lord knows who else, you sold out behind closed doors. Yet, you still have the absolute gall to blame the other side. You made these back room deals that blew up im your face. You still fail to see that this is a huge entitlement that absolutely NO ONE knows what it will cost! No one knows or has any idea what is in this train wreck of a bill. Americans I speak to daily do not want it! Why! Because they see this as an entitlement and we have too many now that we can not afford.
Just answer this: I am 60 year old, 200 lbs, non smoker and 5'11". WHAT" is my premiun, my co-pay, my deductables and my ma out of pocket for the Obamacare plan.
Truth is No One knows! Yet, the unions and special interests involved in this pay nothing towards it. Once Reid jumped in bed with the Unions the plan fell totally apart. Explain my cost and why this is NOT another handout.
Now! We later learned the the $787 Billion stimulus is actually $862 Billion according to CBO. So your telling the a trillion dollar health care plan is going to lower my cost. HOW!

Posted by: usmc1969 | January 31, 2010 8:26 PM | Report abuse"

josettes's comment here is signed by someone named josette in the WaPo's comment section, but after finding out "josette" posted its name on someone else's comment, I even doubt that the person posting the "josettes" comment is the real josettes.

Just sayin'.

A lot of these rightwing commenters are charlatans, posers, and plagiarists.


WaPo

nonnie9999 said...

amazing how the teabaggin' freedom-lovers like josettes and his/her ilk never made a peep when the patriot act was enacted.

Sue said...

Shaw, by what my feedjit says, this josette person comes from NYC. Truth says (I believe)he has a troll from NYC also. I THINK I know who it may be but of course I can't blame without facts. If I can play off a comment like josettes to bring some truth to his lies then I'll let it stand, otherwise I delete.

nonnie the right never made a peep the whole 8 yrs. Bush was destroying America and our Constitution. Hypocrites!

Jerry Critter said...

I would add "fucking" Hypocrites!

Anonymous said...

Sue Bush was destroying our Constitution? Then why is Obama continuing those policies and you say nothing. Although I tend to think Obam would actually use it against Americans being he can't handle dissent.
Why aren't you complaining that he is giving control of the Internet to foreign countries?
I'll tell you why because love is blind. And that will be your ed to lie in.
Lisa