Americans have been brainwashed, Tep. This is the only explanation I can come up with.
My best friend's fiance (the other overweight person who got a pointed look when Doctor was suggesting higher premiums for our "poor choices") is a fierce liberal, and the only thing he asked Doctor and Other Shitbag Friend was, "If a free-market healthcare system is so ideal and is the only way to have a good healthcare system, why have NO OTHER INDUSTRIALIZED NATIONS DONE IT?"
I hugged him, said, "I love you and I'm thrilled you're marrying my best friend," promised to discuss Anathem with him later, and then The Boy and I left before I started getting physically violent with the other 2 shitbags.
You should have. really tested that private coverage.
But occasionally I am callous and strange.
(hopefully in the service of a good cause.)
Women do pay higher insurance premiums (when not employer-insured), partly because of the possession of a uterus. [link]
My neighbor is an ER doc and pro health care reform. Sure, he sees a lot of idiots (ask him about home football weekends), but he also sees the kid who fell off his bike and broke his arm, and the 4 month old baby spiking a 103 fever at 3am. Okay, maybe we should prohibit 6 year olds from indulging in the dangerous lifestyle choice of no training wheels, but the baby? What did he do wrong?
What about people who play sports? They have much higher risk of -- depending on the sport -- torn ACLs, traumatic brain injury, broken bones -- should they pay higher premiums? Or are certain sports exempt?
But Tep, sports are awesome and manly! You wouldn't want to make someone pay for being extra-awesome and manly, would you??? WHY DO YOU HATE AMERICA????
My feeling is, in America even assholes get free speech. Therefore, in America, even morons deserve health care. It's a fucking civil right.
First day done. I got back to my Great Aunt's home to find a dinner waiting for us on the table (and as she knew, I was planning to cook today, but she refused because "I had a long day".) Clearly she's been in the Israeli Academic Women Organization for a long time, and knows how to support one. Now, where were she in the days I studied 12 hours, not 6?
I had so much fun coming back today, to friends, crazy lecturers and crazy academia. I think French is a hell of a crazy language (while Hebrew is the opposite with the what to pronounce/not to pronounce ratio.) I also have no idea whatsoever when I'll read "dire" and stop pronouncing it first as I do in English. And I already done my daily French homework! Woot!
The thing that did make me switch colors in class today and almost lose my sanity was the unbelievable reduction in Social Theories class of the scientific revolution: according to that lecturer, it began in the 19th century, with Darwin and the rise of "rational science", and some machines that were the harbingers of said revolution somewhere in the beginning of the 19th century. She also included Einstein and the relativity into that century. I believe me reaction to her nonsense was mourning at the loss of reason she was so eager to talk about, and doing the gravely acrobatics behalf of Kuhn, Popper and Newton (none of them, of course, were mentioned. Gravity? What is this gravity you're referring to?)
So if you didn't know, science began in the 19th century. We didn't know much before that, apparently.
Seriously, how can anyone expect me to take him/her seriously after beginning the year with rubbish like that, especially when calling that "historical background to the rise of sociology"? As if The Royal Society and Académie des sciences never existed.
And ION: BT, I'm sorry about your nephew. I hope he and the family will find an easier way/a cure to this, soon.
ION, to by great delight, my cousin who is being raised by my crazy Larouchie aunt and uncle? Is an ADORABLE LITTLE BABYBAT. Because I avoid his parents like the plague, I hadn't seen him since he was about 5, and at that time he was a frighteningly serious kid who was studying opera and would do things like threaten to lock all his stuffed animals in the closet if they said mean things about Jesus. (The Larouche cult also comes with its own special freaky brand of Catholicism.) Given the environment he's being raised in, I seriously feared for that kid.
But he's in high school now and just about the cutest little androgynous gothling you ever did see. He's got jet black pigtails, blue and black eyeliner out to THERE, giant stompy combat boots - freaking ADORABLE. I just wanted to wrap him up in a black lace bow and send him to Jilli as a present.
billytea, insent to your profile addy.
Imagine what he'd do to his stuffed animals if they said mean things about Jesus NOW!
Stuff like make them wear Mom Jeans and listen to Celine Dion.
