Not boring at all. I've go to go out and do a little bit of work, so I'll comment later. Our press reported that in the debate, Romney made mincemeat out of Obama. When I get a chance, I'd like to listen to it all. If only I had an interwebnet type radio in the car, I could listen as I drive across town.
Well, it isn't the whole debate of course, only a couple minutes on healthcare, a subject dear to your heart and mine too. I heard Romney won the debate too, but I watched it live and I don't agree at all. I guess I despise Romney too much to be fair.
I'm half-way through the entire debate, which is not, by the way, a debate as I know it, neither man, not even the presenter, seems able to stick to the rules, neither seems to think two minutes means two minutes, I wonder how they are with respecting other rules, other agreements they voluntarily enter into? Or do both believe they have risen, god-like, above restraint? Their styles are different. If this were merely a matter of presentation, I can tell you that Mr Romney would make the better car-salesman. I'm glad I'm not an American voter, because I listen to each's presentation and I think "well, that doesn't sound too unreasonable"
Yet if I were that voter, I'd have to fight my way through all the words, and try figure out the outcomes of each man's proposals. And I fear I'd be found wanting. I fear I'd decide the knot was just too complicated for me to unravel, and I'd do what millions of other voters will do, I'd vote on the candidate I felt appeared the person I'd be more happy to have as my next-door neighbour. I'd vote my heart, and my prejudices.
Having watched sixty percent of the debate, so far, I see nothing to support the u.k. press' assertions.
Romney's delivery is smooth and assured, Obama's is halting, and sometimes fragmented. I'm surprised. It seems less confident. But I'm still tending more toward his side.
I still tend toward the idea that the right person to be president would never actively seek the job, and anybody with the claws and the hunger to get within shouting distance, should never be trusted with it.
My prescription for American healthcare? Well, it starts a long way from the hospitals. Eat fresh, unadulterated foods that you cook yourself, as much as you possibly can. Regard the purveyors of deep-fried food as sellers of poison. Downsize, rather than 'go large' on your portions. Eat less sugar, less fat. Read the ingredients, learn what's inside what you buy. There is a new trend in the U.S. of fast but healthy (or at least, less harmful) food retailers.
The worst epidemic ever experienced in America is obesity. It drives so many chronic illnesses, it is not, nor should it ever be, acceptable that you become so fat you need an electric cart to haul yourself around Wal-mart. That also goes for the more prosperous, who drive their lardy asses around golf-courses. Work at reducing obesity and increasing exercise would pay off dramatically in reduced medical costs and a better longevity. America's life expectancy, despite all those wonderful medical schools and cutting edge medical treatments, is lower than that of poverty-ridden Cuba. Cubans have a very good socialized healthcare service, run by dedicated people but resource-poor. America's is privatised, and resource-rich. Why then is there not a far greater chance of longevity in the U.S? Why do the people of a poor and struggling nation live longer than Americans?
Yes, I know I'm veering off-topic. But I am genuinely interested in that discrepancy. I know medics who have visited ramshackle cuban hospitals, where drugs are in short-supply, and often past their use-by dates, and come away tremendously impressed by their care and dedication. The life expectancy difference is very small, you won't live tens of years longer by moving to cuba, but that's the conundrum, you'd expect Americans to vastly outlive cubans, surely? I'll go back to the debate later, right now, though, I'm going off across town to get oily again.
Communist Cuba? Well, I suppose if food were in short supply like that here, Americans would be skinny too. Life in Cuba today is definitely not about choices. (I hope you don't think ordinary Cubans eat in the same fancy restaurants with European food in Havana like the tourists?) Dedicated doctors? You'd have to be since the Castro family only pays doctors about $2 a month. Still, better than living in the countryside and cutting sugar cane for export, I would imagine. Most of your REALLY resourseful Cuban doctors are now doing face lifts and tummy tucks in Miami. They'll probably move back to Cuba, though, if Obama's communist health care isn't thwarted here. Doctors aren't going to stay in the USA and work for Castro wages.
I'm definitely with you on not trusting any politician who has risen to the frothy scum-top of the septic tank of deceit, to the point they can win the presidency. Indeed, how could you even think of trusting someone like that?
George Washington had no party affiliation, hated parties as not being inclusive of all Americans (males with white skin, at least.) Same with Adams. History books show them both as Federalists, but they had no party. Hamilton was a Federalist and Jefferson's VP killed him. How quickly do the ideals of revolution die. Jefferson and Madison started the first real party, the Republicans (not to be confused with todays lot) and there have been parties ever since.
Romney is too slick to be president. Best to let Obama have another shot at it. He'll show his true colors if he doesn't have to worry about reelection, and sometimes that's a good thing.
re: The cuban thing. I'm inclined to believe that a large part of it stems from a simple diet. As for doctor's pay, well, of course, communism doesn't regard doctors as any sort of elite, requiring or deserving higher pay than any other worker. In Leningrad, way back, I remember being told that a miner or a construction worker was paid more than a doctor. The reasoning seemed to be that a doctor studied for and became a doctor as a deliberate choice, and was therefore doing the work they desired, whereas nobody would choose to be a miner if they had other easier, safer work available. Also, heavy work burns more calories.
I've no idea whether that's true. I wonder how a cuban doctor's wage compares to, say, a bus driver's? As for tourists, most are very aware that they mostly don't see how real cubans live. My finnish medic friends travelled around cuba, way back, and then through central and south america, comparing different countries healthcare services. Being finnish, they're regarded as mostly harmless by most regimes, and get to go where brits and americans often can not. An american friend travelled with them, but with a finnish flag on his backpack, his girlfriend is finnish, so he speaks the language, and is thus not regarded as a representative of Uncle Sam.
I know you are right about a healthy simple diet being best. And plowing fields all day behind two horses. :) Kidding. Not kidding about exercise. That should cut down on obesity/health costs. Something else they seem to be trying here is pushing the new free wellness checkups, to try and catch disease early enough to treat more economically.
Not boring at all.
ReplyDeleteI've go to go out and do a little bit of work, so I'll comment later.
Our press reported that in the debate, Romney made mincemeat out of Obama. When I get a chance, I'd like to listen to it all.
If only I had an interwebnet type radio in the car, I could listen as I drive across town.
Well, it isn't the whole debate of course, only a couple minutes on healthcare, a subject dear to your heart and mine too. I heard Romney won the debate too, but I watched it live and I don't agree at all. I guess I despise Romney too much to be fair.
DeleteI'm half-way through the entire debate, which is not, by the way, a debate as I know it, neither man, not even the presenter, seems able to stick to the rules, neither seems to think two minutes means two minutes, I wonder how they are with respecting other rules, other agreements they voluntarily enter into? Or do both believe they have risen, god-like, above restraint?
DeleteTheir styles are different. If this were merely a matter of presentation, I can tell you that Mr Romney would make the better car-salesman. I'm glad I'm not an American voter, because I listen to each's presentation and I think "well, that doesn't sound too unreasonable"
Yet if I were that voter, I'd have to fight my way through all the words, and try figure out the outcomes of each man's proposals. And I fear I'd be found wanting. I fear I'd decide the knot was just too complicated for me to unravel, and I'd do what millions of other voters will do, I'd vote on the candidate I felt appeared the person I'd be more happy to have as my next-door neighbour. I'd vote my heart, and my prejudices.
Having watched sixty percent of the debate, so far, I see nothing to support the u.k. press' assertions.
Romney's delivery is smooth and assured, Obama's is halting, and sometimes fragmented. I'm surprised. It seems less confident. But I'm still tending more toward his side.
I still tend toward the idea that the right person to be president would never actively seek the job, and anybody with the claws and the hunger to get within shouting distance, should never be trusted with it.
My prescription for American healthcare?
Well, it starts a long way from the hospitals.
Eat fresh, unadulterated foods that you cook yourself, as much as you possibly can. Regard the purveyors of deep-fried food as sellers of poison. Downsize, rather than 'go large' on your portions.
Eat less sugar, less fat. Read the ingredients, learn what's inside what you buy.
There is a new trend in the U.S. of fast but healthy (or at least, less harmful) food retailers.
The worst epidemic ever experienced in America is obesity. It drives so many chronic illnesses, it is not, nor should it ever be, acceptable that you become so fat you need an electric cart to haul yourself around Wal-mart.
That also goes for the more prosperous, who drive their lardy asses around golf-courses.
Work at reducing obesity and increasing exercise would pay off dramatically in reduced medical costs and a better longevity. America's life expectancy, despite all those wonderful medical schools and cutting edge medical treatments, is lower than that of poverty-ridden Cuba.
Cubans have a very good socialized healthcare service, run by dedicated people but resource-poor. America's is privatised, and resource-rich. Why then is there not a far greater chance of longevity in the U.S? Why do the people of a poor and struggling nation live longer than Americans?
Yes, I know I'm veering off-topic. But I am genuinely interested in that discrepancy. I know medics who have visited ramshackle cuban hospitals, where drugs are in short-supply, and often past their use-by dates, and come away tremendously impressed by their care and dedication.
The life expectancy difference is very small, you won't live tens of years longer by moving to cuba, but that's the conundrum, you'd expect Americans to vastly outlive cubans, surely?
I'll go back to the debate later, right now, though, I'm going off across town to get oily again.
Communist Cuba? Well, I suppose if food were in short supply like that here, Americans would be skinny too. Life in Cuba today is definitely not about choices. (I hope you don't think ordinary Cubans eat in the same fancy restaurants with European food in Havana like the tourists?) Dedicated doctors? You'd have to be since the Castro family only pays doctors about $2 a month. Still, better than living in the countryside and cutting sugar cane for export, I would imagine. Most of your REALLY resourseful Cuban doctors are now doing face lifts and tummy tucks in Miami. They'll probably move back to Cuba, though, if Obama's communist health care isn't thwarted here. Doctors aren't going to stay in the USA and work for Castro wages.
DeleteI agree that good health begins with good habits.
I'm definitely with you on not trusting any politician who has risen to the frothy scum-top of the septic tank of deceit, to the point they can win the presidency. Indeed, how could you even think of trusting someone like that?
DeleteGeorge Washington had no party affiliation, hated parties as not being inclusive of all Americans (males with white skin, at least.) Same with Adams. History books show them both as Federalists, but they had no party. Hamilton was a Federalist and Jefferson's VP killed him. How quickly do the ideals of revolution die. Jefferson and Madison started the first real party, the Republicans (not to be confused with todays lot) and there have been parties ever since.
Romney is too slick to be president. Best to let Obama have another shot at it. He'll show his true colors if he doesn't have to worry about reelection, and sometimes that's a good thing.
Deletere: The cuban thing. I'm inclined to believe that a large part of it stems from a simple diet.
ReplyDeleteAs for doctor's pay, well, of course, communism doesn't regard doctors as any sort of elite, requiring or deserving higher pay than any other worker.
In Leningrad, way back, I remember being told that a miner or a construction worker was paid more than a doctor. The reasoning seemed to be that a doctor studied for and became a doctor as a deliberate choice, and was therefore doing the work they desired, whereas nobody would choose to be a miner if they had other easier, safer work available.
Also, heavy work burns more calories.
I've no idea whether that's true.
I wonder how a cuban doctor's wage compares to, say, a bus driver's?
As for tourists, most are very aware that they mostly don't see how real cubans live.
My finnish medic friends travelled around cuba, way back, and then through central and south america, comparing different countries healthcare services. Being finnish, they're regarded as mostly harmless by most regimes, and get to go where brits and americans often can not. An american friend travelled with them, but with a finnish flag on his backpack, his girlfriend is finnish, so he speaks the language, and is thus not regarded as a representative of Uncle Sam.
I know you are right about a healthy simple diet being best. And plowing fields all day behind two horses. :) Kidding. Not kidding about exercise. That should cut down on obesity/health costs. Something else they seem to be trying here is pushing the new free wellness checkups, to try and catch disease early enough to treat more economically.
DeleteGotta love the Finns and Swedes, though.