Ice cubes for that killer drink

Too kewl. Thanks to Noelheikkinen Noel writes it’s not available in the US. Who knows, could be outlawed.

.

Healthcare and the government

I have always been a fan of single-payer health care. Read that “socialized medicine.” It is going to be a part of the American future.

There are several reasons this is going to happen. First, we are a civilized people. Even if we are of the conviction that health care is a commodity that the individual can purchase or not purchase, save for or not save for, we are not going to stand by and see someone suffer because they made foolish decisions. And we certainly are not comfortable with the idea that medical care is a function of an individual’s wealth. While we might not say it is a right, (and I don’t think it is), our conscience won’t let us walk away from the suffering.

Second, the wealth of those people who are employed by the health care industry is in stark contrast to those who need their skills. No matter how much a person “deserves” for his/her investment in training and sacrifice, we can’t get it out of our minds that this is a humanitarian venture. Very rich doctors seems incongruous with humanitarianism, much like a wealthy CEO running Red Cross does not sit right with us.

Third, we have all kinds of money for other nations. It is stunning what the amount of money spent on conquering and reconstructing Iraq and Afghanistan would do here at home. What we do for others overseas, some would argue, we should not do for those at home. No, they do not put it this way. But that’s the way it works out.

Four, people should not have to beg for this kind of help. It is pretty much true that you can walk into any emergency room and get care, insurance or no insurance. The only requirement is that you are willing to be treated like an indigent. We will heal the body, but first we must kill your soul.

Yes, there is no better medical treatment anywhere than in the USA. And, yes, people come here from countries that have socialized medicine. But that argument won’t convince the 90% who don’t need the cutting edge treatments of modern medicine. They need the routine medical care that keeps them healthy until end of life issues rise up and challenge the health care system with their phenomenal expenses.

We aren’t going to tolerate $15,000 a year health premiums. Too bad the medical establishment can’t understand that. Some flexibility on their part could have helped resolve this conflict. But now they are going to lose their opportunity to get richer. They wanted too much.