Thank you, DanaC.... I could'nt have put it better.

While I can swallow my gall that Blair has subverted labour away from socialism, I truelly hang my head in shame in respect of his foreign policy.

He does make me ashamed to be a Brit.

That subversion of labor you refer to is one of the best things I think he's done. Look at the situation in France, that's where socialism will take you and further.

Indeed, Casey Jones....


Good food (roast British lamb) good wine and railways that run on time.


And a government that responds to the people, not the corporates.

Jay, care to join me in a rousing round of The Internacionale?

"Oh Comrades come rally!
The last fight we will face!!
The Internacionale,
Unites the human race!"


I thankya...thankya, yes we're here all week.

Okay that was perhaps a touch too far. I wonder if UG turned purple when he read that?

God help us eh? Us forlorn and misguided socialists, with nothing better ahead of us, than a future that looks like France.

Why, if only we embraced naked capitalism, we could have a glorious country like America, where the citizens are free to fail and starve on their own terms if they don't have the sheer guts to succeed. Glory glory to that, amen.
America the beautiful, where the poorest have to choose between seeking medical assistance or buying a meal. Glory glory. Makes me drool just thinkin about it. Just think of the sheer scale of wealth available to so many people....and the only price is one paid by an unseen, unheard underclass.
Glory glory, hallelujah.

*waiting for the fireworks*

;)

When I compare the lifestyle of 'average' US citizens and that of 'average' Australian citizens, I count my blessings twice and then a couple more times just to be sure.

The level of poverty in the US is frightening for a country which is the 'world power' and yet the people of that country have no idea they're living in a fools paradise.

Of course, that's only my opinion, but it's pretty well supported by fact. The most important being that in Oz we have an unemployment rate of less than 6%. The minimum wage for an adult worker is over $15 in most industries, and our social services offer free health care for anyone who can't afford it.

I'm pretty sure I know which is the lucky country, and it's definitely not the world power.

*Nods*
The American dream would be really great if everyone in America got to dream it. Unfortunately vast swathes of the population live in back breaking poverty. Parents working 12-15 hour days (doing two minimum wage jobs) seeing nothing of their kids and still barely keeping the bailiffs from the door.

I have a friend in the States. He's an ardent republican, very patriotic, lived a good life, done it all right. Married the girl, worked all his life etc etc.When the latest baby was due, he cashed in his health insurance in order to be able to cover medical bills. I asked him what happens if you have an accident ? what happens if you get sick? He said,

"Well, I just drive real careful now. I stay away from sick people. I better not get sick, I can't afford to."

Choosing whether to have healthcare for parent or child? That seems wrong to me.

This reminds me of a documentary about living on the St.Andreas Fault. House prices are amongst the highest in the US, despite the danger of an enormous earthquake that can happen any day.

Houses for sale near LA under a mountain where 10 years ago a landslide killed 10 people were sold within days for collossal prices (sea view). One could see the mountain hanging over the houses...

A shrink was asked for this behavior and he said "Americans live in a constant denial"...

There appears to be a massive gaping hole in this story, since employer health insurance is pre-tax out of your paycheck, private health insurance is quarterly payments, and medical bills under insurance will never be higher than the deductable. There is no such thing as a medical savings account here. If he had insurance, and didn't make a ridiculous error such as taking a $5000 deductable, the insurance bills would inevitably be cheaper than the medical bills, and there's no way any sort of "cashing out" could improve his position.

Maybe you were thinking of his retirement fund. If you don't have health insurance, you can cash out your retirement early, for medical expenses, without penalty. That's if you DON'T have insurance. But you claim he did.

Oh, UT, let them have their fun. It makes them feel better.

The level of hatred in this thread is nearly palpable. It saddens me.

I can understand the hate when it comes to our foreign policy, but they can feel free to hoard all the "blessings" of State Socialism. If you don't want to risk being free don't immigrate here. We have a lot of work ahead of us separating connected Republicans from the government teat but let's not compound the problem.

They don't mention that if you need dialysis at 70 their 'health care' system lets you die. Not cost effective. Oh, and that bypass you needed three years ago? You've been bumped again. Sorry.

Hmmm, well if you float through highschool doing ok but nothing great, go to work at 19 because you want to be able to afford a car and your own appartment instead of taking out loans and assistance to pay university costs, and your biggest contribution to the system is stamping forms then guess what? You don't deserve the same quality of life as someone who takes the hard road for the first 30 years and puts off the car and parties and girlfriends/boyfriends and personal freedom in order to come out on top in the end.
Choose to be only average and you will be taken care of in an average manner.

Amen.

My 20 year old is planning his future. His vision at this point includes living in a room in the basement, eating his parents food, and playing video games for the rest of his life. He is chronically depressed, has no insurance, delivers pizzas part time, has a broken car, and flunked out of his first year of college.

I have been trying to impart the lesson of "do for yourself or die" lately. He has responded by beginning to self harm.

Life is difficult, as a rule.