Last 30 Comments

Dead Baby Jokes
(9 total, Last @ 02:09)
Rann Aridorn: Because of course no one could be opposed to ZE GLORIOUS MANDATE AUF ZOCIALIZM! without being in the pocket of the evil Big Business goons, eh? Right? Amirite? The rest of the world thinks our health care is stupid, eh? Well, I think you're stupid. Ooo, try debating THAT nuanced proposal.

Dead Baby Jokes
(9 total, Last @ 02:22)
bismarck: I suppose "doing fairly well" is fairly subjective. But seriously, jlomesou, why do you (and why should I) care about what the rest of the world thinks of our system? To bring it down to a microcosm, why should I care what my next-door neighbor thinks about how often I vacuum my house?

Dead Baby Jokes
(9 total, Last @ 04:42)
jlomesou: Doesn't it seem odd that there has been so much more anti-socialist health care talk lately? Do you suppose this site might be compromised by the big medical powers that be? Just a curious thought, of course. But one has to wonder why so much hate is being spoken about a system that has been and is doing fairly well in other nations, compared to our supposed dream system that the rest of the world thinks is stupid.

Castonguay Turns
(1 total, Last @ 04:05)
sl0re: Thatcher had one of the best quotes ever on the subject, to paraphrase; the problem with socialism is eventually you run out of other people's money....

Go Home and Die
(6 total, Last @ 08:56)
ilovecress: Now, which do you think is more likely, that she was deported because of a expired viusa, or because and HIV diagnisis would reqire thirthy fo forty more years of retroviral and “drug cocktail” therapy to keep her alive, when we all know that NHS is failing miserably to provide even basic care to the citizenry I'm going to go for the first one. I think this because everyone with an expired visa is sent back, whether they have AIDS or not. She entered ileagally, and then said she should have asylum because the government raped her. This was found to be untrue, so shes being sent back. I'm not sure where the AIDS thing comes in? Or are you arguing that people who enter a country illegally should be allowed to stay? Sorry, this is one of the wierdest attackes on socialised helathcare I have ever seen on this site.

Dead Baby Jokes
(9 total, Last @ 01:51)
Rann Aridorn: I was about to add the exact comment above incidently on CNN.com there is a story about the US having the second worst infant mortality rate in the developed world Ah, it's another "can't look around the site before trying to make its points" Mooreon.

Once Again, Capitalism Saves the World
(33 total, Last @ 11:32)
gitarcarver: If after being given the facts you still choose to play the game its your risk that the game might be fixed. This seems contradictory to me. How can "knowing all the facts" not include whether the game is fixed or rigged? Incidently due to the heavy competition in the gaming industry it would be counter productive for them to be fixing the game as people would just move their money elsewhere (The beauty of a free market aye). There are a couple of assumptions here that may not be accurate. First, if rigging the game was so counterproductive, why does every state that allows gambling have some sort of regulatory law enforcement making sure the game stays "legal" and not rigged? If your premise is correct, there would be no need for law enforcement that deals strictly with the gambling industry as they would all be above board. Secondly, assume for a moment that one of the rigs in a game would be having an employee see all the cards that are dealt. They can tell when you are bluffing, when they have the best hand etc. While we sit here and think that would never fly because the person would be winning all the hands, the fact of the matter is that even winning a hand one percent more often than someone would have is results in huge profits that would not be there otherwise. Do you really think that you can spot a "person" that wins 1% more often than they should? In other words, you are making the assumption that you would know that you are getting suckered. You said that you probably were a bad poker player. How do you know that the other guy who is winning 1% more often than they should is not a really good poker player? The fact of the matter is that online gaming sites that are outside of the US are un-regulated and ripe for illegal activity and theft. While I understand that sentiment that adults should be able to make decisions based on knowing the facts, in this case, we don't know the facts. No one has checked the sites and how they are run. You aren't making an informed decision because you don't have all the information. I agree that it is not the government's job to tell us how to run our lives and to…

Once Again, Capitalism Saves the World
(33 total, Last @ 07:15)
crichton: mathius American Cars - these are about 15 years behind European and Japanese Cars - you don’t know this of course, because you are so free that you are not allowed to make this judgement. I've owned two Honda motorcycles and one Harley. Used the Harley cost more than the two Honda's combined. So there goes your "artificially inflated" price theory. I've also owned a Nissan King Cab 4X4 (it was cheaper than the Ford, Dodge and GM equivilent) and two Subarus. But I wouldn't know that they're better vehicles or better values in Amerikkka because our guvment puts unfair tariffs on them to discourage me from making that judgement. Right... And Mathius is really on vacation...

Once Again, Capitalism Saves the World
(33 total, Last @ 01:42)
bismarck: dush1, for once I agree with you -- in a free market economy we should be able to choose to gamble or not. As for your analysis, I think you're off a bit: it's not just right-wing "god-botherers" who cause problems, but left-wing "I want a part of that action" politicians.

Go Home and Die
(6 total, Last @ 01:18)
bismarck: On a side note, seeing the words "left-wing" and "independent" (the adjective, not the paper) in the same sentence makes me chuckle. ...sorry to stray OT...

Cuban Doctors
(4 total, Last @ 05:03)
dush1: Shock horror man defects to earn more money in capitalist system. Not proof of a failing system though is it. Just proof that some people want to earn more money.

Go Home and Die
(6 total, Last @ 04:57)
dush1: As a left wing Independent reader while I can see it is undoubtably a horrible situation and in an ideal world she should stay the NHS cannot be a drop in centre for the rest of the world. Also while I don't agree with the way he posted it the McCainloves ... point above is interesting. What is the care in the US like for HIV positive people who don't have health insurance? HIV positive people can now live to old age so will someone without health insurance get this chance or will they be excluded from the drugs that can save their lives? Please someone tell me the truth on this one.

Once Again, Capitalism Saves the World
(33 total, Last @ 04:18)
dush1: Sorry to go on but in reference to the initial article, the definition of irony must be an American based website pointing out that there are fat people in England and the UK getting a US company involved to help deal with them. All I can say is HA,HA,HA,HA,HA,HA,HA,HA,HA,HA,HA,HA

Once Again, Capitalism Saves the World
(33 total, Last @ 04:15)
dush1: Just a point on the online gaming argument in a free society surely its your choice to play the games or not and not be told what you can and cannot spend your money on. If after being given the facts you still choose to play the game its your risk that the game might be fixed. Incidently due to the heavy competition in the gaming industry it would be counter productive for them to be fixing the game as people would just move their money elsewhere (The beauty of a free market aye). All the games I have played online I have enjoyed and usually lost but hey I'm probably just a bad poker player. I feel that most of the US's problem with online gaming lies in two areas. Firstly the god botherers that insist that 'Jesus wouldn't have played cards like that he'd have probably played snap or something,' and secondly with the fact that your prohibative gambling laws make it difficult to set up poker sites based in the US and it is easier to base them in Europe etc. Free market economy but only for the benefit of the land of the free apparently.

Guess What? Socialism Kills People
(6 total, Last @ 04:00)
dush1: I am in England and can honestly say that if I had cancer I would want the best possible treatment and yes the case outlined above is unfair and is under debate in Britain at the moment. All left and right wing commentators feel that it is absurd that people wishing to contribute towards their own medicine forfeit their right to some free care. However the accepted solution to this is to provide the best care possible through the NHS rather than taking apart a system that works (despite some obvious flaws in some cases.) The debate in the UK centres not around destroying but improving the system to allow for the best care for everyone and you would be hard pressed to find anyone in the UK who wished to have a totally private healthcare system. The fact is we have choice in the hospitals we can use in most cases and in the doctors we can see. If I am concerned about my childrens health I can go to any one of three hospitals within 20 minutes driving distance and get them looked at without worrying about them checking my insurance first. I have a choice of numerous doctors I can register with and if I don't like one opinion I can see another and get treatment in a reasonable time scale. I accept that if I stub my toe I will wait longer than if I am having a heart attack regardless of how big my pay packet is. Also if I want to pay for private healthcare I can but personally I feel no need for it. The NHS does not murder people with healthcare that 'doesn't come on time' and I find it offensive that badly informed misguided people can say this just to score some sort of political point. The NHS does all it can and as with private healthcare is not perfect but it does have a budget and since the privatisation of much of the NHS individual health authorities now have to balance their books as with any business. They are forced by politicians to justify their spending and at times this restricts some drugs and treatments that with an open checkbook may be made available and as I said above the debate is not getting rid of the system but funding it through more of the taxpayers money.

Dead Baby Jokes
(9 total, Last @ 12:02)
dush1: I was about to add the exact comment above incidently on CNN.com there is a story about the US having the second worst infant mortality rate in the developed world with only Latvia with 6 deaths per thousand being worse. Incidently my partner has had 2 babies within the English medical system and both are surviving well. The story quoted in the Independent incidently also called for more government money to futher improve anti natal and post natal care. At least if you are going to post crap denigrating the NHS (which does have its faults) get your facts straight. ethnic minority mortality in US is approximately 9.3 per thousand link to story on CNN http://www.cnn.com/2006/HEALTH/parenting/05/08/mothers.index/

Once Again, Capitalism Saves the World
(33 total, Last @ 12:12)
gitarcarver: Check out what we pay for internal flights in Europe (ryanair.com, easyjet.com, jet2.com)and compare them with what you pay. All of these companies want to come over and set up in the US, but can’t because if they did, in a free market, they would close down the US domestic airlines in about 6 weeks. Of course, all of the airlines you mention received and are now fighting to maintain the massive subsidies that governments in Europe have been giving them. In other words, "free market" with "government subsidies" is an oxymoron. Also - recently on-line gambling was banned in the US - could this have been because gambling is wrong? No - of course not - you have Las Vegas after all, and Reno. Or could it possibly have been because the big players in Internet Gambling sites are all European owned? What do you reckon?? And how much debate was there in the American media about this assault on free trade? The "assault" as you put it, has more to do with gaming laws than it does with actual gaming. Here in the US, a game that is dependant on programming must have its code reviewed by gaming officials to make sure that the code does not favor the "house" more than allowed by law. There is a real feeling out there that some sites being outside of the US jurisdiction could (and do) "rig" the games so the site makes more money. That is the fear, and that is but one of the reasons online gaming is prohibited. The other would be that illegal cartels were using the sites to bet large amounts of cash on losing propositions, and then laundering the money when it was lost. In other words, your premise that the gaming ban is based on a lack of a "free market" is flawed.

Once Again, Capitalism Saves the World
(33 total, Last @ 09:29)
Rann Aridorn: Yes, but unfortunately your mother didn't listen to me.

Once Again, Capitalism Saves the World
(33 total, Last @ 01:45)
mathius: Belcatar/Bismark RE Import of Cars - There are no Import Taxes within the EU - it's a Free Market. Wal-Mart: You are a man after my own heart - I got an unjust parking ticket in a town about 20 miles from my house that I used to visit and shop in regularly - I haven't been back since (18 years and counting) I am off on vacation now for the next 3 weeks so please do not think that I am ignoring you if you chose to respond. Belcatar/Bismark - it has been an absolute pleasure Rann Aridorn - You make the the most compelling argument I have ever seen for abortion

Once Again, Capitalism Saves the World
(33 total, Last @ 09:03)
Belcatar: But enough about our Gestapo-controlled economy. Let's talk about health care. I live in rural Maine, and for some reason, doctors don't want to live in an area with such a low population, hard winters, and high taxes. So, there aren't very many doctors up here. Even if I had the best medical coverage money could buy, I'd still have to drive two hours down to Bangor to see a doctor. As it is, I have to drive two hours up to Caribou to see a dentist. Universal coverage does not mean universal access. And the reason I don't shop at Wal-Mart is because I was treated badly in a Wal-Mart once, and so I decided I wouldn't shop there anymore. That was in 1999.

Once Again, Capitalism Saves the World
(33 total, Last @ 08:59)
Belcatar: Toyota, the Japanese automaker, said yesterday that it would invest $1.3 billion to build its eighth North American assembly plant in Blue Springs, Miss., just outside Tupelo in northeastern Mississippi. The plant will build the Toyota Highlander, a crossover vehicle, and will employ 2,000 workers, the company said. Production is expected to begin in 2010, and reach 150,000 vehicles each year. The 1,700-acre site was promoted vigorously by the state, which wound up in a competition with Arkansas and Tennessee for the factory. Toyota must be giving the government fits, building their cars in Mississippi. How dare they employ American workers just to avoid those nasty import duties! Isn't Toyota a Japanese automaker? It's strange that a foreign company could have factories in such a rigidly controlled economy like the U.S. I drive one of those Toyotas too. Somehow, I managed to fork over that import duty.

Once Again, Capitalism Saves the World
(33 total, Last @ 04:25)
bismarck: mathius, I'm afraid I don't understand -- are you saying that protective tariffs are unique to the U.S.? That, say, the U.K. doesn't artificially inflate prices of goods or services? You yourself have realised that they are a superior product I think this is at odds with your earlier statement "...you are not allowed to make this judgement." How can I realize something is superior if I'm not even free enough to make a judgment? Shouldn't I have just robotically chosen an American car? How could I have chosen a Japanese car if I'm too ignorant to have researched non-American cars? Most importantly, how could I have afforded this artificially expensive car?!? Dammit, I told my wife that this cheaper-but-superior car was a good deal!! }:>

Once Again, Capitalism Saves the World
(33 total, Last @ 03:46)
mathius: Yes they do - the import duty that your Gov't charge Nissan makes their cars artificially expensive. It is only this 'adjustment' that stops Japanese cars from flooding your market. You yourself have realised that they are a superior product - if they were allowed to compete evenly with US car producers, what do you think the result would be?

Once Again, Capitalism Saves the World
(33 total, Last @ 03:38)
bismarck: American Cars - these are about 15 years behind European and Japanese Cars - you don’t know this of course, because you are so free that you are not allowed to make this judgement.Please tell me then how I've come to be driving a Nissan Quest. (And before that, a Nissan Sentra. And before that, a Nissan Pulsar.) I am QUITE allowed to make any judgment on any car, and I CHOSE the Nissans. The gov't had no impact on either my decision or the purchase.

Once Again, Capitalism Saves the World
(33 total, Last @ 03:02)
mathius: Why don't you shop at Walmart?

Once Again, Capitalism Saves the World
(33 total, Last @ 02:44)
Belcatar: Last one. I promise. Fact is, America makes and does nothing that the rest of the world doesn’t make or do better. Well, let me beg to differ. Last time I checked, the most successful company on the planet was an American one. They do discount retail better than anyone else. When they sneeze, everyone else in retail catches a cold. I'm probably the only person who lives close to one of their stores, and doesn't shop in it. That place is Wal-Mart. Oh, yeah and I learned that from a Google search. Google is also in California. Near eBay, I think.

Once Again, Capitalism Saves the World
(33 total, Last @ 02:43)
mathius: belcatar, Thank you for that - i don't think that there's anyone here who lives that far from the services that they pay for (small island + lots of people). We do however have some of the same problems as you - people who won't work and people like myself paying for them - it's certainly not a US phoenomenon and it is really irritating for me as well. However, I don't believe that the National Health Service (NHS) has any effect on this one way or another, because we have got past the stage of thinking of it as a benefit in the way that you would imagine any more than we think of the police, fire etc... It's just something that has 'always' been there (well since the 60's anyway)- so we don't have that mental connection between money and healthcare. To be honest I never thought about it at all until I moved to Texas where I had an opportunity to objectively compare both systems. There was much that I liked about America - but I have to say - if I could change one thing it would still be your health service and I would do it exactly for hard working people like you who deserve more. Doesn't your lack of Healthcare cover bother you? It would scare the cr*p out of me that's for sure. Anyway - I hope that you stay well and thank you for your response.

Once Again, Capitalism Saves the World
(33 total, Last @ 02:40)
Belcatar: American cars are about 15 years behind European and Japanese cars...but the Chinese like them: In the long run, the rivalry in the auto industry is shifting to new markets with enormous potential, including China, Russia, South America and other regions where a growing middle class is expected to snatch up cars. And in China, GM is well ahead of Toyota in sales. http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/01/10/business/toyota.php Now, about those European automakers...would those be the ones owned by Ford, or the ones owned by GM? Who exports anything from the US into a free market? Well, I just read an article about iPhones being popular in China and Russia, and they're not even legally supposed to be sold there. So not only are things being exported to these countries by an American company, they're actually being SMUGGLED in. (Face it, most manufacturing is done in China, by American and European compaines) How about Coke? Pepsi? McDonalds? F-15 fighters? Rap Music? Films? Television shows? refined oil? Plastic? Pharmaceuticals? Guns? Wheat, corn, beef, Jack Daniels whiskey, California Wine (Last I heard, California had something like the 6th largest GDP in the world). Xbox 360, Activision games, Electronic Arts games. Microchip manufacturing machines...Intel is headquartered in the U.S., as is Oracle, Apple, Hewlett Packard, Gateway, Dell, Microsoft. You know, I bet that if the government stopped taxing the daylights out of successful people so they could provide handouts for people who don't want to work, the U.S. might be able to attract even more motivated, smart people who can come up with innovative new products and services. That way, if you don't have an iPhone, a Kindle, or a Tesla Roadster, you might be able to find a job so you could get them.

Once Again, Capitalism Saves the World
(33 total, Last @ 02:36)
Jim: I have yet to see a social program do what it’s supposed to do. No matter how noble the original idea, they all fail, because people who have no incentive to get off their butts and work will not get off their butts and work. Aye. Kruta's law: Any system with the potential for abuse will be abused to its maximum potential. This is applicable to pretty much every system of government. Originally, the Constitutional form of government we *used* to run under attempted to limit every avenue of abuse the Founding Fathers could anticipate. As we've steered away from their original ideals, we've opened the doors to more and more abuses, such as this idiotic idea of "socialized healthcare."

Once Again, Capitalism Saves the World
(33 total, Last @ 02:20)
Belcatar: To respond to the "fire service" argument... I live in rural Maine, and we don't have professional firefighters in my town. If a house in town were to catch fire, a crew of volunteer firefighters would show up and do the best they could to battle the blaze. I'm sure that fire stations in Portland and Bangor receive state and federal money. So, once again, I'm paying for a service that I don't get to take advantage of. Same goes for the police department. If there's a problem, they send State Police, who are at least 40 miles away. But I have to pay sales tax, income tax, gas tax, and property tax, presumably to help pay for these kinds of programs. I'm also ineligible for heating assistance and free health care because I actually have a job and go to work. For me, this isn't some intellectual exercise, it's how things are. I work and pay taxes so that other people can sit at home and not work, and receive fire protection, police protection, housing assistance, heating assistance, health care, job assistance, education and a bunch of other social programs, none of which are available to me. (With the exception of the job center. I can go in there and look up jobs on their computer, or I can sit at home and look up the same jobs on my computer.) Now that's just for the State of Maine. I'd rather not have to do the same thing for the rest of the country too. If I add my tax bill to my health bill, I'll end up with my tax bill. See, I work for a publicly funded school, financed with tax dollars. They keep my hours less than 40 per week, so I can't be classified as a full time employee, and therefore I am entitled to 0 benefits. Not-for-profit does not mean generous, nor does it mean fair, or filled with goodwill. It means they spend every dime they take in. In the case of schools, it's usually more than they take in. Of course all of that money isn't improving the quality of education. If you want a good education, go to a privately funded school that has to compete for students. I have yet to see a social program do what it's supposed to do. No matter how noble the original idea, they all…