RockneDrive

Low Life Expectancy in the United States: Is the Health Care System at Fault? http://repository.upenn.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1012&context=psc_working_papers "Life expectancy in the United States fares poorly in international comparisons, primarily because of high mortality rates above age 50. Its low ranking is often blamed on a poor performance by the health care system rather than on behavioral or social factors. This paper presents evidence on the relative performance of the US health care system using death avoidance as the sole criterion. We find that, by standards of OECD countries, the US does well in terms of screening for cancer, survival rates from cancer, survival rates after heart attacks and strokes, and medication of individuals with high levels of blood pressure or cholesterol. We consider in greater depth mortality from prostate cancer and breast cancer, diseases for which effective methods of identification and treatment have been developed and where behavioral factors do not play a dominant role. We show that the US has had significantly faster declines in mortality from these two diseases than comparison countries. We conclude that the low longevity ranking of the United States is not likely to be a result of a poorly functioning health care system."

An economics professor at a local college made a statement that he had never failed a single student before, but had once failed an entire class. That class had insisted that Obama's socialism worked and that no one would be poor and no one would be rich, a great equalizer. The professor then said, "OK, we will have an experiment in this class on Obama's plan". All grades would be averaged and everyone would receive the same grade so no one would fail and no one would receive an A. After the first test, the grades were averaged and everyone got a B. The students who studied hard were upset and the students who studied little were happy. As the second test rolled around, the students who studied little had studied even less and the ones who studied hard decided they wanted a free ride too so they studied little. The second test average was a D! No one was happy. When the 3rd test rolled around, the average was an F. The scores never increased as bickering, blame and name-calling all resulted in hard feelings and no one would study for the benefit of anyone else. All failed, to their great surprise, and the professor told them that socialism would also ultimately fail because when the reward is great, the effort to succeed is great but when government takes all the reward away, no one will try or want to succeed. Could not be any simpler than that.

CURRENT WAITING TIMES IN ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/3749801.stm 8 months for cataract surgery 11 months for a hip replacement 12 months for a knee replacement 5 months to repair a slipped disc 5 months for a hernia repair

Supporters of socialized health care are claiming that there are 47 million Americans who are uninsured. Where this number comes from is questionable but assume it's true. There is a big difference between the number of people with no insurance and the number of people who get no health care. It has been reported in the news that of the 47 million uninsured Americans, the vast majority fall into three categories: 1. Illegal Aliens 2. Folks making at or above $50,000 who choose not to have health insurance. 3. Low-income folks who do not have health insurance but who nevertheless receive free health benefits such as from Medicaid and other government payments. The folks who support socialized medicine try and confuse everyone into believing that 47 million people don't get health care. This is untrue. Every person listed above receives health care but they don't have health insurance. So the entire debate is based upon a false premise that millions of folks don't receive health care because they are uninsured. And the democrats and Obama want everyone to believe that there are droves of people dying because they recieve no health care. This is a disingenuous and deceptive attempt by Obama and his minions to obtain more government control over our lives and has little to do with providing health services to people who need it. This is Health Scare. In summary, this scare tactic is being used by liberals, Obama, and the democrat congress who would have everyone believe that people are dying in droves just because they don't have health insurance. This is nonsense. We don't need a government plan that will drive out all private competition because of an unending supply of our taxpayer money. Then the entire medical system will be run like the Dept. of Motor vehicles or the VA Hospital (I know, I'm a veteran) which will lead to loss of choice, massive red tape, extremely long waiting times for critical testing and surgery, rationing of health care where the elderly are left behind because of cost/benefit will divert funds to younger, healthier people, and good doctors will choose other professions because their salaries will be capped and we will have "C" students doing surgery on us. All of this has been documented and we just have to look it up to see what other countries with government-run healthcare are like. Government is the problem, not the solution. We can reform health care without the aid of bureaucrats and put in place market-based solutions which will encourage competition, provide better service and lower health care costs. Yes we need reform but the government needs to keep its stinking nose out of the process because everyone knows what will happen when the only choice any of us will have is the government – one size fits all – no other choice!

A study by Robert Ohsfeldt of Texas A&M and John Schneider of the University of Iowa found that if you subtract our higher death rates from accidents and homicide, Americans actually live longer than people in other countries. In countries with nationalized care, medical outcomes are often catastrophically worse. Take breast cancer. According to the Heritage Foundation, breast cancer mortality in Germany is 52% higher than in the U.S.; the U.K.'s rate is 88% higher. For prostate cancer, mortality is 604% higher in the U.K. and 457% higher in Norway. Colorectal cancer? Forty percent higher in the U.K. But what about the health care paradise to our north? Americans have almost uniformly better outcomes and lower mortality rates than Canada, where breast cancer mortality is 9% higher, prostate cancer 184% higher and colon cancer 10% higher. Then there are the waiting lists. With a population just under that of California, 830,000 Canadians are waiting to be admitted to a hospital or to get treatment. In England, the list is 1.8 million deep. Universal health care, wrote Sally Pipes, president of the Pacific Research Institute in her excellent book, "Top Ten Myths Of American Health Care," will inevitably result in "higher taxes, forced premium payments, one-size-fits-all policies, long waiting lists, rationed care and limited access to cutting-edge medicine." Before you sign up, you might want to check with people in countries that have the kind of system the White House and Congress have in mind. Recent polls show that more than 70% of Germans, Australians, Britons, Canadians and New Zealanders think their systems need "complete rebuilding" or "fundamental change." [iBD]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4aQCiRjvZY

Independents won the day for Brown. They simply do not like Obamacare and are sick and tired of democrats moving toward the loony left, i.e., socialism. If Obama and the dems ignore this, which in their arrogance so far they have, that's not a bad thing for November's election. Throw those socialist bums out! http://online.wsj.com/media/wsj_INDIESsub100119.gif

Victory song for Scott Brown: Substitute "truck" for "tractor."

Thoughts from a friend, a fellow conservative: "Several themes bit the dust tonight in MA. Let's go through them: 1. The tea party movement is irrelevant. Those over paranoid Glenn Beck freaks were never going to sway an election, no sir. Or maybe it was all that GOP AstroTurf. 2. The GOP is a racist redneck party incapable of winning outside of the deep South. So much for that one. 3. The GOP needs to forget Reagan and become more like the democrats to win. Oooops. 4. NY-23 was thereal bellweather of the last election. VA and NJ meant nothing. Another big loops. NY-23 will be safely red next cycle, BTW. 5. The people want ObamaCare. If you can't sell it in MA, you're dead nationwide. 6. Obama is as popular as ever. This electio makes 3 for 3 where he's appeared and his candidate has gotten beat (Corzine, Deeds and now Coakley). He's rapidly becoming a liability down tickets."

"And this [government] will give its youth to no one, but will itself take youth and give to youth its own education and its own upbringing." … “Who owns the youth owns the future!”… “All propaganda has to be popular and has to adapt its spiritual level to the perception of the least intelligent of those towards whom it intends to direct itself.” Mein Kampf ("My Struggle"), Vol. I

yeppers!!!!!!!!!

Reality sets in. Ah, to be young and naive.........

Or "Put Up or Shut Up!"

All heart, no brain!

Milton Friedman wrote: “Fundamentally, there are only two ways of coordinating the economic activities of millions. One is central direction involving the use of coercion. The other is voluntary cooperation of individuals.”“Government has three primary functions. It should provide for military defense of the nation. It should enforce contracts between individuals. It should protect citizens against crimes against themselves or their property.”“When government tries to rearrange the economy, legislate morality, or help special interests, the costs come in inefficiency, lack of innovation and loss of freedom. Government should be a referee, not an active player.”“[G]overnmental measures taken with good intentions and for good purposes often, if not typically, go astray and do harm instead of good. There are many causes for the loss of freedom, but surely a major cause has been the growth of government.”“The most unresolved problem of the day is precisely the problem that concerned the founders of this nation--how to limit the scope and power of government. Tyranny, restrictions on human freedom, come primarily from governmental restrictions that we ourselves have set up.”"

"The problem with socialism is that sooner or later you run out of other people's money." Mags

Amen brother! Milton Freidman said "You are free to do as much good as you want...with your own money". WALTER WILLIAMS: "I share Pope Benedict's desire to assist our fellow man in need. But I believe that reaching into one's own pocket to do so is praiseworthy and laudable. Reaching into another's pocket to assist one's fellow man in need is despicable and worthy of condemnation. And for those of you who are Christians out there, I'm very sure that when God gave Moses the commandment "thou shalt not steal," he did not mean that thou shalt not steal unless you got a majority vote in Congress. Moreover, if you were to say to God, "Well, I know you say thou shalt not steal, but is it OK to be a recipient of stolen property?" He would probably consider that a sin as well."

rolls eyes.

He'll probably say it's not fair to lose and insist that no score be kept and that he is entitled to a NC.

http://usera.imagecave.com/Jack9856/-2.jpeg

If you are not a liberal when you are young, you don't have a heart.... If you are not a conservative when you are old, you don't have a brain........

+10000000000000000

Come to think of it, she did walk kind of funny.

What school you went, anyhow? Oh, and my English prof many moons ago said one was "graduated" by the university and that the student is not graduating. I always thought she was talking dirty when she said the student isn't doing the graduating. She would have corrected your statement "I'll be graduating in 2012" to "I will be graduated in 2012." I had to take it back then, you do now.

What gave you that idea?