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| Everyone should read this book. Period. |
But anyways.
Yes.
So here is an email exchange with my brother from today. We don't talk often, and we should probably work on that because taking people for granted really ought not be a mandate, but when we do talk it's usually a pretty fun exchange.
My brother: So I assume it's not on canadian netflix, but I'm assuming you've watched God Bless America? I always wanted to see it, and checked american netflix when I got it, and yay! It's there!
What a great movie. It really sums up people. I love the idea of a dye pack in phones, and anyone that phones in to vote for american idol has a dye pack explode in their face, so they are marked, and I would know not to talk to them. I had totally thought of that before I even saw the movie, but I thought more of a signal that comes through your tv when you watch here comes honey boo boo, that would somehow destroy your reproductive organs.Also, I found a way to solve all of the worlds commercialism. People should need to put a sticker on everything they own, that they still owe money for, with the remaining balance of the item written on the sticker. I just can't see it being as cool driving around in a Hummer, trying to convince people you're rich, when the sticker clearly indicates that you still owe $45,000 on it, and it's only worth $25,000 if you were to sell it. Not to mention the 24" wheels would have stickers, along with the Ed Hardy T-shirt the douche is wearing. All of a sudden driving around in a 5 year old car, with no sticker on it, might demand some respect!Having fun in the snow?! I heard you guys got dumped on! We got/have about 3 inches. Darren said he had 10 in surrey.Bye
Me: LOL, actually Michael watched "God Bless America" and sort of filled me in on it, but I haven't gotten around to watching it yet. I remember seeing the trailer for it and going "Holy shit, why didn't I make that movie??".To play Devil's advocate, I think a lot of people in the middle class are simply looking for escapism. I don't know if you saw the headlines, but in the Federal Budget they have some mythical "middle class" scenario which has been painted to be more rosy than the actual current scenario. I'm not saying that escapism is the answer, but I'm not sure what the "answer" is. I think globalization and the lack of impact that people feel they make has led to a rather defeatist attitude where they just want to take part in creature comforts (like Hummers and manicures) because they feel they can't make a difference. I don't watch American Idol, but nor do I make a difference in life. Consumerism isn't the answer - and it's bad for our retirement plans and the environment - but it's the soothing balm that seems to be the drug of choice.House of Cards: that is a good series to watch. It gives an apt summation of what government is all about: self-interest; bending the rules; and amassing power. I'm not sure how exactly we change that as a society. And I'm with you on the price tag thing. How do people afford shit in Vancouver? You have a condo and a car and you go out for dinner three times a week? Is everyone living here a drug dealer? It can't be. Everyone must be mortgaged to their eyeballs, but they keep on splashing out on expensive shit, and making it seem like they're not one pay cheque away from bankruptcy.If you want to read a couple of very amazing, thought provoking and counter intuitive books (I can lend you both), I would recommend John Ralston Saul's "An Unconscious Civilization". But before you read that book, I would suggest Ayn Rand's "Atlas Shrugged". Long book, but damn it if I wasn't a full blown free market capitalist by the end of reading it (scary, right??). These two books paint such vivid images of the Left and the Right, and when you're reading them? They are both SO believable. It wasn't until I read Saul that I realized how totally flawed Rand's premise was... and it helps me to understand the weird people that vote against Obamacare and minimum wage increases.I'm sure God Bless America sums up people. I know it does. But then what?As for the snow, I think it's mostly stopped now, but we got a fair amount as well. Kind of fun given that Michael can just walk to work. Remember the time it snowed when you were little in February and I was supposed to go to C- T-'s birthday? Mom walked me over to the T-'s and she pulled you on the sled, LOL. It snowed soooo much that year.Bed now.
Going to have to watch that movie. Atlas Shrugged was a real eye opener. I like the ideas of exploding ink packs, stickers on crap, and it is crap, unnecessary crap. The majority of the people I know would loose their house AND their car if they or their spouse lost their job and were jobless for 3 months. Yet they are sending their kids to major Universities. I don't understand that thinking. One more thing, would you really vote for Obamacare?
ReplyDeleteI don't really know the specifics of Obamacare and I have heard that there has been a lot of trouble when people have tried to sign up for it. But I do believe that Americans would be better off if they adopted a health care system more like Canada's (and I don't even think Canada's is that great, compared to some European countries).
DeleteI pay $64 a month and I'm covered for all my doctor's visits, trips to the hospital, surgeries, etc. It's affordable and in my lifetime I've had to go in for stitches, a couple of x-rays, had my tubes tied. If something is out of my GP's realm, she refers me to a specialist in that field and it doesn't cost me anything (though we do pay higher taxes than Americans do, I think).
It's not a perfect system, but I remember watching "Sicko" where a guy had had some sort of industrial accident and lost some fingers and due to the cost, he had to pick which ones he could afford to save. Scared the crap out of me.
Unfortunately Obamacare was heavily watered down and didn't go as far as it should have. Healthcare needs to be completely overhauled in the US. There needs to be regulation on hospitals to ensure that they don't charge exorbitant amounts. Every patient in the US that has surgery needs to pay for a brand new set of scrubs for everyone in that operating room. It makes no sense, they pretty much make up the numbers. The technology is world class, but as a result the prices are through the roof.
ReplyDeleteIf the US can afford to outspend the next 13 countries on the list in military spending, it can afford world class healthcare.
As Ike used to say, each bomber that's built costs two hospitals. I wonder how many you get for a carrier.
Well put.
DeleteAfter reading some stories about people who can afford to see a doctor for the first time in 20 years because Obamacare is in place, I have to say I'm a big supporter of it. It's not perfect, but the systems in place that keep people out of doctor's offices for 20+ years is a lot less perfect. And the things they were finally able to go in for were things that I wouldn't even get excited about here because I know I'll be taken care of: high blood pressure, sore back, eczema... stuff that is relatively easy to address.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to have been born here. If I'd been born in the US, my parents would likely still be paying off my hospital bills given that I was sick for most of the first 3 years of my life and needed some pretty heavy-duty care.