GOP:
"The White People’s Party"
Dear Larry:
I'm writing to you about the Michael Moore interview on the Phil Donahue
show. I would like to clarify a few things about what he had to say
regarding the Canadian health care system. I grew up in Canada, and
have been a recipient of the Canadian socialized health care system
up until I left the socialist country (it is a socialist country)
to come and live here in a free market society (unless Hillary becomes
President)
My seventy years
old mother, who still lives in Canada, had surgery on October 18th
2002. She had been on a waiting list since May of 2000. Twice, she
was called in the course of those 2 plus years, and told that within
a few weeks she should expect a call from the hospital to come in
to get her surgery. But each time she was left hanging. On the third
time (2 years and 4 months later), she was finally admitted to the
hospital. Because of her advanced age she had taken a private supplemental
insurance to cover for a private room, and other things that aren't
cover by the Canadian health care system (they don't cover everything).
When they called her to come in she's put a request for a private
room, and told the hospital that she would pay for it and have her
insurance reimburse her later. They told her that it wouldn't be a
problem. That's until she show up at the hospital, and was put in
a room with another patient A MAN. When she told the nurse that she
had requested a private room, the nurse told her; " you should
feel lucky you could have been put in a room with 3 other patients"
my Mom hesitated for a moment then the nurse told her; " if you
don't like it there are 200 people on the waiting list, they'd be
happy to take your spot, but you'll have to wait another 2 years."
What were her options? Going to a different hospital? She didn't have
a choice all hospitals are owned by the government, all nurses and
doctors are hired by the government. My mother's experience is not
a horror story, nor the exception, but the norm up there.
For people who
think that socialize health care means we all have access to Cedar
Sinai are being mislead. What it means is that we all have access
to County USC. It also means that all hospitals will be reduced to
county USC service and standard, including Cedar Sinai. In a socialist
country doctors have to go and practice medicine wherever the government
sees fit. Doctors who have refused assignments have been subpoena
and brought to justice. Three doctors in the province of Quebec have
pending cases, because they refused to do double shift. Not only were
they asked to do a double shift, they were ask to do it at a different
hospital than the one they are based at.
For people who
think that socialized health care means FREE health care, I've got
some news for you. It cost money, and you pay for it. First of all
the income tax rates are much higher than what we pay here in the
US, on top of it everybody has to pay a 15.5% sales tax whenever they
shop for goods and services. That includes going to the restaurant,
renting a car, renting a hotel rooms, getting your car fixed, getting
your haircut, buying clothes, going to a baseball game etc. Beside
the taxes on gasoline is through the roof. A gallon of gas cost about
$3.00 (for people who don't know Canada pay the same price for a barrel
of oil as the US do, taxes makes the price of gas so high). Canadians
have almost no disposable income at all, that compare to Americans
people. Because too much money goes to taxes. The other perk that
comes with the Canadian health care system is cheap medicine. Sometime
it is as much as 70% cheaper to buy medicine in Canada than it is
in the US The reason for it is explained by the fact that Americans
people pay for it. We pay an extra 70% here, so that the Pharmaceutical
companies can sell their products to Canadian for 70% less. In order
words American people subsidize the cheap medicine for Canadians,
otherwise Canadians would not have access to cheap medicine. We also
do it with the European countries, because in Europe they wont pay
more than a certain amount for a specific medicine, so the cost is
passed on to the consumers in the US.
How long can the system hold? That's a question the Canadian government
asked itself a few years ago. Because the retired population is increasing
rapidly due to the baby boomers, the Liberal Canadian government had
to find a solution to keep the flow of income tax coming, so they
found a very clever way to increase revenues. Let in more young immigrants
so they can bring more revenue for the Federal government, and pay
for the retired baby boomers. Not only that at the moment they are
talking about raise the goods and services tax to 16%.
Are Canadians fed up with this? Some are. After 30 years of socialized
health care, parties like the Canadian Alliance, and the Action Democratique
du Quebec are becoming very popular. First item on their agenda privatizing
the health care system. If there was a provincial race today in Quebec
The ADQ (Action Democratique du Quebec), would get between 60% and
70% of the vote in a three party race. I know they'll get my mother's
vote. I know that here in the US we do have problems with our health
care system, but it not going to be solve by having less choice, and
by surrendering the power of choice to the government. When people
like Hillary Clinton are telling American people that they have the
solution to solve health care system, and it's to socialize it, I
find it anti-American. America is about making your own choice. Maybe
one day they'll tell us that we should all drive the same car, all
wear the same clothes, all watch the same TV station. For once we
should learn something from a foreign country. Socialism doesn't not
work. And for people who do not think that it's here at our doorstep
beware. Socialism doesn't happen through a revolution or a coup. It
creeps up on you little by little. The more the government gets involve
in private enterprises, the more you become socialist. One day you
wake up and it too late, the bureaucrats control most of your money
therefore most of your choices, most of your life. Only the well connected
make it, because so much goes through the government that contracts
are awarded to friends, and large contributors. That's why it's important
to leave as much money as possible in the hands of individuals. Strangely
enough, in a socialist country, the rich get richer. The highest average
worth of billionaires in the world, is in Sweden. That should tell
you something.
Thanks for your time Larry.
Sincerely,
Ben