Yahoo defines “Sicko” as a documentary in the Politics/Religion genre. Truly, the socialism pushed in the movie is nothing short of a religion to many.
First, one of the things I hope to bring out in the ongoing Wisdom of Doubt series is to establish that religion is something other than “fanatical belief in things that demonstrably are not true.” But let’s put that aside for now. The real fantasy is, of course, that the United States has The Best Health Care in the World. It does not. It does not by any empirical measure. The only way one could possibly still believe that the United States has The Best Health Care in the World is if one is utterly ignorant of the health care systems here and abroad.
I’ve said this before, but I’ll repeat it. There’s an old joke that a “conservative” is a liberal who got mugged. The new joke is that a “liberal” is a conservative who lost his health insurance.
A brainwashed twit named Sheila commented to the last post, saying that
First of all, 4 out of 5 Americans are satisfied with the health care system, so it is really a non-issue (this will likely be the reason the movie flops).
Take a look at the latest polls on health care at pollingreport.com. It’s very encouraging. A CNN/Opinion Research Corporation Poll of May 4-6, 2007, asked the question “Do you think the government should provide a national health insurance program for all Americans, even if this would require higher taxes?” 64 percent said yes; 35 percent said no. Interestingly, a smaller percentage of people in the same poll said yes to “Do you think all employers, including small businesses which employ few workers, should be required to provide health insurance to every employee, or don’t you think so?” Here the spread was 56 percent yes to 43 percent no. I think people are starting to catch on that the cost of employee health insurance is terribly burdensome to business, large and small. Well, except to the health insurance industry, of course.
Anyway, Gateway Pundit’s post is fairly typical of the “Best Health Care in the World” genre. It consists mostly of photographs of filth and cockroaches alleged to have been taken in Cuban hospitals and not at Walter Reed. And they may very well have been taken in Cuban hospitals; I wouldn’t know. But then there’s France, whose health care system is generally considered to be the crème de la crème of health care systems on the planet. And Canada. and Britain. And about 30 other nations with nationalized health care and better life expectancy and lower infant mortality rates than ours.
But after reading Gateway Pundit’s post I decided that I’d like to amend something I wrote in the last post, which is:
But most of the bad reviews I’ve read amount to sputtering defenses of the status quo and personal attacks on Michael Moore. What the critics never ever do is honestly address the problem of people who can’t get insurance, or our crumbling emergency rooms, or our dismal health data. They just make excuses.
To “sputtering defenses of the status quo and personal attacks on Michael Moore” I’d like to add “photographs of roaches in Cuban hospitals” and, of course, the old stand by: waiting lines in Canada. Still, not a peep about the problem of people who can’t get insurance, or our crumbling emergency rooms, or our dismal health data.
See also: “Bush to Uninsured Kids: Drop Dead” and The Mahablog health care archives.
Speechless. I am totally speechless over Sheila’s comment. Brain damaged or perhaps it is brand new and she hasn’t figured out how to use it.
Long wait times at ERs (the remaining ones) and lack of health care for 45 million of our fellow citizens cannot be allowed to continue.
Maha,
How can they look at what we pay, and what look at we get for that money, and see it as a bargain? And the lack of empathy for the poor or uninsured is staggering. It probably shouldn’t be, but it still is to me.
I just don’t get it. Why don’t they get it?
Maybe if we had national health care, we could afford to treat denial.
How can they look at what we pay, and what look at we get for that money, and see it as a bargain?
That’s the catch; they won’t look at it. They shut their eyes and live in their delusions.
Everyday, in my local NE Minn papers, there are many notices of spaghetti feed benefits to aid families in their expenses due to serious health issues. These benefits are increasing in number & it’s rare to spend a day doing errands that I don’t see a donation notice or box in at least half of the stores I shop. This wasn’t the norm 30 years ago.
People are staying in jobs they hate because they can’t afford to & are scared to give up the health insurance coverage even if it’s not ideal.
People who are job hunting put health insurance coverage at the top of list of their priorities. People are choosing the job with the better health insurance coverage over the job they are better suited for & would prefer.
I know these people.
Sheila’s circle of friends must only include the 4 out of 5 that are satisfied. It’s that same old attitude. If it doesn’t happen to me or mine, problems simply don’t exist. Until it does.
Jobs with benefits? What is that. Goodrich in Troy, Ohio is hiring skilled journeyman machinists for $11 an hour. Un-believable.
$11 an hour. And Wal-mart is paying $9/ hour with out benefits.
Good post-I’ll have to drive to Cincinnati to see Sicko, but it sounds like it would be well worth the drive. I have a job that I enjoy with decent insurance, but I live in fear of losing it and the insurance. I have had hypertension for 13 years and I can’t get affordable insurance on my own. I also recommend Jonathan Cohn’s Sick to go along with Sicko. Cohn tells stories about real people forced to sell assets or who die due to lack of health insurance. The system isn’t working.
There’s an old joke that a “conservative†is a liberal who got mugged. The new joke is that a “liberal†is a conservative who lost his health insurance.
And a “neo-conservative” is a radical who was bribed.
I should have been a dentist, or better yet, a dermatologist.
dentistry IS part of health care, but you wouldn’t know it in Florida. A trip across “the ridge” running from Ocala to Lake Placid will show many of our citizens working in the “manufacturing” industry (they “manufacture” cheeseburgers, filet-o-fish “samiches”, waffles, and giant roast beef “samiches”.), but they have a “less than pleasant” smile.
When ya can’t afford to fix your smile, that’s a very bad sign………………………
Yahoo defines “Sicko†as a documentary in the Politics/Religion genre. Truly, the socialism pushed in the movie is nothing short of a religion to many.
As is the “The-American-Way-Is-The-Best (and you’re on your own, buster)” meme a religion to others.
Socialism. *gasp* You’d think Moore was advocating living on communes. It seems repugnant to me that anyone could advocate depriving their fellow citizens of health care, which is what’s happening now. I don’t have health insurance currently, what would Sheila have me do?
I wonder what would happen if all big corporations, excepting insurance companies for obvious reasons, started lobbying for single-payer. Health insurance is a huge cost for employers. Imagine, CEOs of America, if the government took that off your back?
Here’s this weekend’s box-office stats. Sicko made $4.5 million, which doesn’t seem so bad given that it’s in many fewer theaters than the other big movies out right now. Even Faux News has an article up about how well the movie did this weekend. Does that constitute a flop? I don’t think so, Sheila. Not so much a non-issue.
Was it really necessary to characterise the view of someone who you disagree with as “a brainwashed twit”? You seem to a good head on your shoulders, so I’m wondering why you would think it necessary to insult someone in this way, no matter how factually inaccurate they were, or how much you disagreed with them. Your arguments should be strong enough that you don’t have to indulge in name-calling, or do you feel otherwise?
It’s your blog, and it’s up to you how you use it, but this just seemed unnecessary. Fools embarrass themselves; there’s seldom any need to attack them verbally, and if you want to wield influence with your words, you need to be prepared to deal with your ‘opponents’ with patience whenever possible.
But, as I say, it’s your blog, and it’s up to you how you use it.
You seem to a good head on your shoulders, so I’m wondering why you would think it necessary to insult someone in this way, no matter how factually inaccurate they were, or how much you disagreed with them.
Because that’s what she is. I’m not going to dignify the creature by pretending she’s anything else but a brainwashed twit.