[Spidey's mom]

Tim - what flavor? My kids love homemade root beer ice cream.

If you did become dictator, would you only give us one flavor? Your favorite? Or would you let us choose?

steph

[lorita]

I have had to make plenty of referal appointments and I can tell you that many take longer then 8 days. Hernia surg like tmothy had is usually very fast, most surgeries that require a general surg go fairly quickly but any kind of specialty and we're talking more time and then I have often seen surgeries get bumped for various reasons including surgeon has more emergent pt, insuance co. didn't give authorizaion in time and others. I have see people go round and round trying to get something done and it takes months and even more than a year for their insurance to approve. Wait times can be just as bad here.

[ZASHAGALKA]

Originally Posted by stevielynn

Tim - what flavor? My kids love homemade root beer ice cream.

If you did become dictator, would you only give us one flavor? Your favorite? Or would you let us choose?

steph

It would be Vanilla all the way, but, you'd have to be on a 6 week waiting list to get a bowl . . .

Unlimited demand (by ME) would equal rationed supplies (for YOU).

~faith,
Timothy.

[horsenurse25]

I don't understand why the word 'socialism' is such a bug-a-boo to Americans. Honestly, we already have it here...
do your children go to public school?..That is socialism
Do you enjoy the paved roads? That is socialism
Any predominantly government driven enterprise is socialism...and we have lots of it here.
Socialism is not the same as communism, and I assume that is what everyone is really freaked out about.

I live in both Canada and the US. Drastically different countries. The medical system in Canada is more humane and user friendly. There are horror stories everywhere, but I find the Canadian system is superior in many ways. I know of many medical personnel who will not work in the US for ethical reasons. I know of many medical personnel who work in the US solely for monetary reasons.

It is such a cliche to say there are no easy answers, but it is true. One thing is for certain, there is no such perfect system that it cannot undergo significant, planned changes towards improvement.

[ZASHAGALKA]

Originally Posted by horsenurse25

Any predominantly government driven enterprise is socialism...and we have lots of it here.

Agreed. But in the United States, OUR social contract, as expressed in the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, is decidedly in favor of the idea of LIMITED gov't.

LIMITED in order to reduce the number and scope of gov't driven enterprises. And the reason why is simple. With very few enumerated exceptions, gov't driven enterprises serve as a vehicle of enslavement for the people.

Having recently been treated as the serf-slaves of an English King, our founding fathers did not relish the idea of creating the same here.

And, we have bloomed to become the most prosperous and powerful nation in the history of the World as a result. And, that's not hubris. THAT's the power of limiting gov't from the ability to take your rights away from you.

You are welcome to interchange the concept of 'gov't driven enterprise' with socialism. I agree with that definition. I also agree with our founding fathers, that the expansion of either (both) is a direct threat to the freedom to excel. By ensuring that the natural rights to those freedoms were vested where they belong, in the people, our founding fathers fostered excellence. And, excel as a nation, we have.

~faith,
Timothy.

[UKRNinUSA]

I would rather wait 6 weeks for a bowl of ice cream than have no ice cream at all. But a word form the wise - too much ice cream will make you (a) fat(cat).

[horsenurse25]

Originally Posted by ZASHAGALKA

Agreed. But in the United States, OUR social contract, as expressed in the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, is decidedly in favor of the idea of LIMITED gov't.

LIMITED in order to reduce the number and scope of gov't driven enterprises. And the reason why is simple. With very few enumerated exceptions, gov't driven enterprises serve as a vehicle of enslavement for the people.

Having recently been treated as the serf-slaves of an English King, our founding fathers did not relish the idea of creating the same here.

And, we have bloomed to become the most prosperous and powerful nation in the history of the World as a result. And, that's not hubris. THAT's the power of limiting gov't from the ability to take your rights away from you.
And, excel as a nation, we have.

.

Well, many would disagree with you on that. And the concept of LIMITED is subjective I suppose.

The United States is no longer the most prosperous and powerful nation in the world. And the ranking on almost every level (education, health, life expectancy, standard of living) is slipping every year.

I love this country. I think it has had a glorious history to be proud of. It is a wonderful place to live. And I am proud to be an American (insert theme music here).

However.

I can see the flaws without throwing the whole thing away. And the greatness of the US was built in part upon the backs of the poor, and the exploitation of natural resources which are now becoming scarce. The US is in a decline. The distribution of wealth is becoming skewed. I do not know how to fix it. And I am not an economist so I cannot isolate the problem, but it is happening.

The US is not so perfect that it cannot stand some fundamental changes.

[ZASHAGALKA]

Originally Posted by UKRNinUSA

I would rather wait 6 weeks for a bowl of ice cream than have no ice cream at all. But a word form the wise - too much ice cream will make you (a) fat(cat).

The 85% of the population that can go get a bowl of ice cream for mere percentages of an hour's wage would likely disagree with this sentiment.

See, you've effectively traded free and plentiful opportunity for the masses in exchange for a fair share in a dismal outcome.

But, just try telling the masses that a gov't restricted ice cream program that grants a bowl to everyone every 6 weeks is a better deal than the ability to pay 2 bucks for a bowl, immediately. What you will find is that suddenly, the idea of a gov't restricted ice cream program is not nearly so popular, after all.

BTW, it seems to me that your latin signature lies in stark contradiction to your train of thought.

~faith,
Timothy.

[ZASHAGALKA]

Originally Posted by horsenurse25

The US is not so perfect that it cannot stand some fundamental changes.

The 'fundamental changes' down this path already enacted is WHY the United States isn't more perfect. "In order to form a more perfect union . . . we intend the limit the heck out of gov't."

IF you disagree with the underlying philosophy of our social contract, the solution is clearly spelled out: garner enough support to call a Constitutional Convention. In the meantime, our social contract is what it is. And the philosophy that undergirds it has clearly proven to be a superior idea.

And, I dispute the notion that the United States is no longer the most prosperous and powerful nation in the world. If not us, tell me, which nation ranks number 1?

But let me ask you, in YOUR mind's eye, when did we move from embracing our history to living off the legacy of our history? Could it correspond with FDR's 'New Deal'? hmmmmm...

~faith,
Timothy.

[Spidey's mom]

Originally Posted by ZASHAGALKA

It would be Vanilla all the way, but, you'd have to be on a 6 week waiting list to get a bowl . . .

Unlimited demand (by ME) would equal rationed supplies (for YOU).

~faith,
Timothy.

Oh dear . . . .then I may not vote for your "Socialized Ice Cream Program" because I personally love fresh peach homemade ice cream . . . . . .(although the base of that is vanilla so maybe we could compromise).

steph