General Motors Bankruptcy

[Pae]

Originally posted by Kailen
If Canadian Healthcare was so great, many of it's citizens would carry a separate policy in America. Also, you wouldn't have so many Canadians daily traversing the borders for jobs with American company's for benefits.

This is a gross misrepresentation. I will fully and wholeheartedly admit that yes, there are at times wait times for things. In fact right now I have a fully torn ACL and it took me 3 months to get an MRI, 2 months to get to meet a surgeon, and will take another 2 to get into surgery. If I was in the US, I could bypass all that wait time.. however at what cost?

See, there's no place in the US that I could work in my industry and receive adequate healthcare without going into major debt.

However, when things are urgent/life threatening.. there's no hesitation whatsoever in our system. You get in, you get fixed.

There was this time when I was a university student. I had a problem with my digestive system that my intestines got clogged. I had no idea what was going on, all I knew is that I was in a ton of pain.

I was also at the time living on credit/loans.

I went to the hospital, I had my stomach pumped, given an IV, was diagnosed and fixed up in a couple of days.

I walked out fine and healed.

If I was in the US... I would owe thousands of dollars. I love the US, I think it's a wonderful country with many pros. Their lack of healthcare in my mind is a HUGE con. Once again Kailen, don't knock it, til you've tried it.



I would NEVER trade this system for the world. And there are MILLIONS more Canadians who agree with me. Your representation of Canadians fleeing the socialism of Canada is so far from beyond the truth. If ANY government system even attempted to ditch our healthcare or privatize it nationwide... they would be thrown out by the vast majority LONG before they finished their sentence.

[Pae]

Originally posted by leira
...the Canadian government has a mandate to serve the Canadian people. A private insurance company has a mandate to make as much money as possible, just like any other business. To me, that's an easy choice. Now, if I had to choose between the American government and a private insurance company, it would be a MUCH harder decision and I understand why many Americans fear/hate the idea.

Wow, Leira. Thanks for putting words to my thoughts. Well said.

[Blog]

The thing I find amusing about Malacasta's first picture is the US gov has paid about $100 billion for AIG, ~$30 billion to date to auto companies, yet the US owns only ~$80 billion in assets, not to mention billions more for various other companies. I'm glad we thought this one through! Also, I wonder where Freddie and Fanny fit in that picture, while probably not considered gov owned companies, they might as well be and they have trillions in assets, I assume, but am too lazy to check.

[Rilthyn]

If you don't privatise healthcare, you leave yourself vulnerable to THE COMMUNIST THREAT!!!

[Riek]

Originally posted by Blog
Also, I wonder where Freddie and Fanny fit in that picture, while probably not considered gov owned companies, they might as well be and they have trillions in assets, I assume, but am too lazy to check.

Were worth trillions....not any longer.

[Malacasta]

Originally posted by Blog
The thing I find amusing about Malacasta's first picture is the US gov has paid about $100 billion for AIG, ~$30 billion to date to auto companies, yet the US owns only ~$80 billion in assets, not to mention billions more for various other companies. I'm glad we thought this one through! Also, I wonder where Freddie and Fanny fit in that picture, while probably not considered gov owned companies, they might as well be and they have trillions in assets, I assume, but am too lazy to check.

I'm glad you found it amusing Blog, but I only linked it because Kailen was talking about the Obama administration moving us towards socialism in the fastest way. Since the Obama administration wasn't around for the AIG and Fanny Mae bailouts I don't see what relevance they have to Kailen's point.

As for what the government owns, well that has nothing to do with the graph. The graph doesn't say anything about how much the government owns. Why are you expecting the graph to talk about something it doesn't purport to comment on?

I'm having a bit of trouble understanding this thread. A claim is made and so people will answer that claim, a different claim is then made along with a taunt that when we answered the first claim we didn't answer the second (which had not been even asserted yet)

What would be nice is that if the people who believe that Obama is reforming the American political and economic scene into 'socialism' define what Socialism is, and explain exactly how his administration's actions are achieving that in a way that is markedly different from administrations before his.

[Pae]

Originally posted by Malacasta
What would be nice is that if the people who believe that Obama is reforming the American political and economic scene into 'socialism' define what Socialism is, and explain exactly how his administration's actions are achieving that in a way that is markedly different from administrations before his.

Isn't that how the US political system works though? Vague claims to evoke emotional support/condemnation?

[Malacasta]

Originally posted by Malacasta
What socialism looks like:
http://correspondents.theatlantic.co...sm%20chart.png

Note: Reposted with links only so that images can be removed from thread.