Watcha doing?

[tango]

Following current political developments out of necessity with mid-terms closing in. Still not thrilled with the lack of cohesiveness on the left at least as a sane alternative. Sure do pray.

It sometimes seems like sanity is in short supply on both sides. Elections increasingly remind me of the line from Ghostbusters, "choose the form of the destroyer".

[RabbiKnife]

I stopped making life decisions based on political winds about 40 years ago.

[Cloudwalker]

It's like the old expression "How do you tell when a politician is lying?  His lips are moving."

[IMINXTC]

It's like the old expression "How do you te)it when a politician is lying?  His lips are moving."

No lack of moving lips this season.

[teddyv]

Following current political developments out of necessity with mid-terms closing in. Still not thrilled with the lack of cohesiveness on the left at least as a sane alternative. Sure do pray.

It sometimes seems like sanity is in short supply on both sides. Elections increasingly remind me of the line from Ghostbusters, "choose the form of the destroyer".

I could really get behind the Stay-Puft Marshmallow man - except when he steps on churches.

[tango]

Following current political developments out of necessity with mid-terms closing in. Still not thrilled with the lack of cohesiveness on the left at least as a sane alternative. Sure do pray.

It sometimes seems like sanity is in short supply on both sides. Elections increasingly remind me of the line from Ghostbusters, "choose the form of the destroyer".

I could really get behind the Stay-Puft Marshmallow man - except when he steps on churches.

Some things out there that pass for churches could do with being stepped on

[tango]

I finished a couple of bowls - cutting the tenons off the bottoms and then sanding and treating the bottoms.

I also turned a couple more bowls from a new wood I was given, I spotted a guy cutting up a fallen tree while out running and went back to get some of the wood later. It's got a gorgeous grain pattern

[IMINXTC]

Whelp. Left leaning lips invariably talk about healthcare & Medicaid. These are important things but do not even begin to approach the foundational issues and existential trends tearing at our constitiutional republic and our hard-earned place in history and today's world. As if the sole purpose of government is to redistribute  wealth and to take care of me.


(Though I an flattered!)

[IMINXTC]

Okay. No more political ranting here.

[RabbiKnife]

Okay. No more political ranting here.

If most people read anything that the founders wrote, they would recognize few if any of the concepts related to freedom, personal piety and responsibility, being a good neighbor, the value of work, ideas such as duty, sacrifice, honor….

I must confess that I am delighted to be in the final 1/3 of my earthly existence as I share so little in common with the majority of people living in country in which I was born

[tango]

Whelp. Left leaning lips invariably talk about healthcare & Medicaid. These are important things but do not even begin to approach the foundational issues and existential trends tearing at our constitiutional republic and our hard-earned place in history and today's world. As if the sole purpose of government is to redistribute  wealth and to take care of me.


(Though I an flattered!)

Healthcare is important but the reality is that it's an area where demand will always outstrip supply. The only question is how a limited supply should be rationed. Having the market ration it is brutal if you can't afford to pay. Having rationing by waiting list is no less brutal, all it does it makes it harder to pay to avoid the wait.

People hold up the UK as an example of socialized medicine. It's nice to be treated in the UK and not worry about the bill when you come out, but it's not so nice when you're on month 18 of a 16 week wait (yes, you did read that right) and there's still no sign of when, or even if, you're going to be treated. When you pay into the system for your entire working life but then find there's a 9 month waiting list for the surgery you need, and your life expectency without the surgery is six months. What's really fun is when you call to cancel an appointment and reschedule it, then get a nasty letter for missing your appointment (the original one, that you rescheduled) and find yourself pushed to the back of the line because you didn't show up.

Of course a system that pumps people full of garbage under the guise of calling it food and prefers to profit from treating symptoms than preventing problems in the first place doesn't help.

[teddyv]

As a user of the Canadian system which is similar to the NHS no doubt, the issues tango beings up are similar tough I suspect slightly less hyperbolic. Life saving care is about as quick and as effective as the US. Overall health outcomes are pretty much the same. Diagnostics is probably the biggest wait which is tough of you need an MRI. Specialists can be a bit of a wait as well. Access to GP's is a big one right now.

Pharmaceuticals seems to be the main area the US really gets hosed with. Mark Cuban started what I am assuming is a pharmacy for generics that has been fairly effective in lowering certain drug costs.

[tango]

As a user of the Canadian system which is similar to the NHS no doubt, the issues tango beings up are similar tough I suspect slightly less hyperbolic. Life saving care is about as quick and as effective as the US. Overall health outcomes are pretty much the same. Diagnostics is probably the biggest wait which is tough of you need an MRI. Specialists can be a bit of a wait as well. Access to GP's is a big one right now.

Pharmaceuticals seems to be the main area the US really gets hosed with. Mark Cuban started what I am assuming is a pharmacy for generics that has been fairly effective in lowering certain drug costs.

Much of the healthcare system in the US does look like a farce, much of it seems like little more than "think of a number and double it.

The examples I listed above are based on people I have known personally who have dealt with the NHS taking money from their income every month and then abandoning them when they needed it. The ineptitude and mismanagement is truly staggering.

I can't comment on the Canadian system having never used it.

[IMINXTC]

Yes, it's very true the US food industry is harmful (per Tango). Having fought and reversed type II diabetes over the last 10 years, I have learned to abstain from every form of processed food which is basically unnatural & poison on the whole.

[RabbiKnife]

Yes, it's very true the US food industry is harmful (per Tango). Having fought and reversed type II diabetes over the last 10 years, I have learned to abstain from every form of processed food which is basically unnatural & poison on the whole.

We did the same with my wife’s ulcerative colitis.

Now now meds after years and perfect colonoscopy with zero biopsy microscopic evidence

Healed

With food