America's Debts.

[Admiral Valdemar]

for a contrast look at Air Canada. Last time i checked their unfunded pension liability exceeded the company's total assets.

I hear Delta is having a hard time. Weren't they the ones that filed for bankruptcy lately?

[Col. Crackpot]

for a contrast look at Air Canada. Last time i checked their unfunded pension liability exceeded the company's total assets.

I hear Delta is having a hard time. Weren't they the ones that filed for bankruptcy lately?

Yes, American as well IIRC.

Personally, i avoid the US carriers when i go international. I fly Aer Lingus or Icelandic. The food may be funky but terrorists don't seem to bother with Iceland and Ireland.

[Aeolus]

Aha, but they still aren't spending nearly enough on the military. Just ask Shep.

The military is not the prime suspect, and you know it. It's entitlements pure and simple

[Thinkmarble]

This would be a very severe shock to put it mildly, but the very fact that the dollar would totally collapse would increase competitiveness of American products in the world market, aiding in recovery.

It actually depends on how fast the dollar collapses.
If it happens slow enough rejoice, if not welcome to the United States of Weimar.

[Col. Crackpot]

Aha, but they still aren't spending nearly enough on the military. Just ask Shep.

The military is not the prime suspect, and you know it. It's entitlements pure and simple

the US Federal govenrment spends more than twice as much on social security & medicare than is does on the military.



simple pareto analsys shows us where the most effective cuts would be.

[Thinkmarble]

the US Federal govenrment spends more than twice as much on social security & medicare than is does on the military.
*snip Image*
simple pareto analsys shows us where the most effective cuts would be.

*g*
A good first step would be introducing socialized healthcare, bringing down the health care cost by 50%.

[Col. Crackpot]

the US Federal govenrment spends more than twice as much on social security & medicare than is does on the military.
*snip Image*
simple pareto analsys shows us where the most effective cuts would be.

*g*
A good first step would be introducing socialized healthcare, bringing down the health care cost by 50%.

socialized medicine would do many good things. Saving the government money is NOT one of them.

[Beowulf]

the US Federal govenrment spends more than twice as much on social security & medicare than is does on the military.
*snip Image*
simple pareto analsys shows us where the most effective cuts would be.

*g*
A good first step would be introducing socialized healthcare, bringing down the health care cost by 50%.

Congratulations. You just massively increased govenment spending. Wasn't the point to reduce it?

[Darth Wong]

the US Federal govenrment spends more than twice as much on social security & medicare than is does on the military.
*snip Image*
simple pareto analsys shows us where the most effective cuts would be.

*g*
A good first step would be introducing socialized healthcare, bringing down the health care cost by 50%.

socialized medicine would do many good things. Saving the government money is NOT one of them.

Precedent disproves this assertion. The Canadian health-care system is more efficient than the Canadian one.

[Admiral Valdemar]

Precedent disproves this assertion. The Canadian health-care system is more efficient than the Canadian one.

And that's quite an achievement.

[Durandal]

Aha, but they still aren't spending nearly enough on the military. Just ask Shep.

The military is not the prime suspect, and you know it. It's entitlements pure and simple

the US Federal govenrment spends more than twice as much on social security & medicare than is does on the military.



simple pareto analsys shows us where the most effective cuts would be.

We could start by cutting Psychic Teleportation Research from the Air Force's budget.

[Admiral Valdemar]

We could start by cutting Psychic Teleportation Research from the Air Force's budget.

And risk wasting all that cash that was dumped into it already? Come now, don't be silly. I bet we're just months from being able to psychically teleport munitions into dictator's bedrooms.

[Ma Deuce]

Meanwhile, American railroads own their track and trackbed and are doing riproaringly well.

Not to mention Canadian ones: Our two Class-1 freight carriers (CN and CP) have bought up several of your shortlines and regional roads: Illinois Central, Wisconsin Central, Delaware & Hudson, Soo Line, Milwaukee (though in fairness MILW was already owned by Soo before CP took them over). CN now owns trackage all the way down th the Gulf of Mexico thanks to the IC purchace. The invasion has begun: who's next?

[Col. Crackpot]

Sure Mike, It's a model of efficiency.


http://www.cato.org/dailys/07-24-04.html

Adding to Canada's medical problems is the exodus of doctors. According to a March 2003 story in Canada News, about 10,000 doctors left Canada in the 1990s. Compounding that exodus is the drop in medical school graduates. According to Miss Houston, Ontario has turned to nurses to replace its bolting doctors. It is "creating" 369 new nurse practitioner positions to take up the doctor shortage.

http://www.heartland.org/Article.cfm?artId=14789

"our current system is not sustainable, the principles of the Canada Health Act are at risk, and health care as we know it will not survive the end of the decade."

"If Ottawa refuses to negotiate significant changes to medicare, we are willing to consider, as a province, going it alone. We are still a long way from that, but it is a consideration"

"If the richest province in Canada feels that the system may not be sustainable as it is, you can just imagine what it means for the rest of us,"

"What a tragedy for Canada, where we have a federal government sitting on surpluses and then to also have a system where medicare falls apart"

[J]

Precedent disproves this assertion. The Canadian health-care system is more efficient than the Canadian one.

Circular logic gone wrong.

[Admiral Valdemar]

It's not a case of lack of cash, is it? In the UK, the NHS has plenty of cash, but the buggers running the thing don't have a clue.

So we took all the managers out and shot them and started anew.

[Ma Deuce]

Sure Mike, It's a model of efficiency.

Yes, but the US spends more per person on health care than any other country, yet it has the worst availability of care among the First World countries (10% of the population uninsured, anyone?). Canada's healthcare system is indeed inneficient, but the US system is even more so.

[Grand Admiral Thrawn]

Wow, Premiers declaring the sky is falling. Now point to the millions of Canadians uninsured.

[Darth Wong]

Sure Mike, It's a model of efficiency.

Correct. It covers everyone, it costs less per capita, and we are healthier. Results, results, results. Small detail that you seem to be leaving out of your analyses.

http://www.cato.org/dailys/07-24-04.html

Adding to Canada's medical problems is the exodus of doctors. According to a March 2003 story in Canada News, about 10,000 doctors left Canada in the 1990s. Compounding that exodus is the drop in medical school graduates. According to Miss Houston, Ontario has turned to nurses to replace its bolting doctors. It is "creating" 369 new nurse practitioner positions to take up the doctor shortage.

The doctor shortage in Ontario is a result of the OMA trying to deliberately manipulate the supply/demand ratio for doctors. That's why they refuse to certify foreign doctors who come to Canada. It's a problem that has to be addressed, but not one that changes the fact that the Canadian system produces better results than the American one. Not to mention the fact that my wife and kids had no problem switching family doctors three times in the last two years, so this shortage is overstated. It's really a shortage only in rural shithole communities.

http://www.heartland.org/Article.cfm?artId=14789

"our current system is not sustainable, the principles of the Canada Health Act are at risk, and health care as we know it will not survive the end of the decade."

"If Ottawa refuses to negotiate significant changes to medicare, we are willing to consider, as a province, going it alone. We are still a long way from that, but it is a consideration"

"If the richest province in Canada feels that the system may not be sustainable as it is, you can just imagine what it means for the rest of us,"

"What a tragedy for Canada, where we have a federal government sitting on surpluses and then to also have a system where medicare falls apart"

Wow, politicians who resort to fear-mongering. Film at 11, because this is surely unprecedented in the annals of world politics and must surely mean that every one of their hysterical statements is absolute Gospel truth

[Col. Crackpot]

granted, what you say may be true. My issue is this: why should the gold standard example of a replacement for our broken health care system be one that is only slightly less broken?

[The Cleric]

Wow, Premiers declaring the sky is falling. Now point to the millions of Canadians uninsured.

I'll point to the fact that Canadians with money run to the US when they need something done because the wait for service in Canada is so long. Canadias come here for their operations, and we go there for cheap drugs.

[SirNitram]

granted, what you say may be true. My issue is this: why should the gold standard example of a replacement for our broken health care system be one that is only slightly less broken?

Offer up a better alternative, then. This is moronic. If you have a completely broken system, and you can get a not-so-broken one, it's not sensible to sit with your thumb up your ass waiting for some perfect one to fall out of the sky. It's not even vaguely intelligent.

[J]

Wow, politicians who resort to fear-mongering. Film at 11, because this is surely unprecedented in the annals of world politics and must surely mean that every one of their hysterical statements is absolute Gospel truth

Really, our provincial premiers have been saying that for at least the last 15 years which is about as far back as I can remember and odds are they've been saying the same thing for as long as my parents can remember. Every year they host a fancy meeting at some retreat and come out demanding more funding for healthcare, education, and other programs and claim that the provinces are facing an imminent crisis & collapse if Ottawa refuses to give in to their demands. But nothing ever happens, the system still works despite their "warnings" of the collapse that's just around the corner, just more stupid political power games as usual.

[aerius]

I'll point to the fact that Canadians with money run to the US when they need something done because the wait for service in Canada is so long. Canadias come here for their operations, and we go there for cheap drugs.

There's a reason it's called "elective surgery". Getting breast implants isn't exactly a healthcare priority.

[The Cleric]

Really, our provincial premiers have been saying that for at least the last 15 years which is about as far back as I can remember and odds are they've been saying the same thing for as long as my parents can remember. Every year they host a fancy meeting at some retreat and come out demanding more funding for healthcare, education, and other programs and claim that the provinces are facing an imminent crisis & collapse if Ottawa refuses to give in to their demands. But nothing ever happens, the system still works despite their "warnings" of the collapse that's just around the corner, just more stupid political power games as usual.

You can say the same thing about the US economy. Lot's of fearmongering, but it works year after year.