Man walks in the door - kicks the dog, punches ‘the wife’, slaps the kid across the room, sits down and turns on TV. Everyone swooning over his big brass balls? Yeah, right.
we have a rule down undah - if you build a new suburb, there must be (even for suburbs built by developers and not just blocks of land sold off by local council) a school, a shopping centre, and parks for children to play in (with equipment already installed). And when I saw shopping centre that means, at a minimum a grocery store and a pharmacy space. Often also includes some sort of cafe/indi restaurant, a gym etc. Dr's offices are also expected to be included once the suburb reaches a certain size, and if the population of the suburb is more than a certain number a second shopping centre is also required (not a big multiplex thingy, just a single story row of stores). We do have food deserts out here, but that is usually a function of geography and population sizes where there isn't a large enough population to sustain a business not because someone forgot to put a store in when designing the place. also, a lot of our petrol stations (gas stations for you lot) will also sell the groceries, or at least the basics
We were in Germany for the first year of Covid. The restrictions at their highest were draconian - stay in your home except to go to necessary medical appointments, no interaction with anyone not in your “bubble,” masks at all times in public. My wife and I would literally sneak into the woods to visit with friends, where we would sit 20’ apart on a log just to see and talk to other human beings. And we could have been prosecuted for it. The restrictions went up and down as cases rose and fell, and people followed the rules. And the death rate in Germany was 1,500 deaths per million LESS than in the US. Based on those numbers, if the US had followed the same rules, somewhere around 500,000 fewer people would have died here.
The ignorant fuckers out there need to know that, but they will never ever listen because “math” and “science.”
Bobby Brainworms is criminally insane. Throw him into the same snakepit that Grampa Joe put his aunt in. After he had her lobotomized. Maybe lobotomize Bobby too. It might raise his IQ to that of Trump.
Once upon a time I was dating a woman who lived in Berlin, in one of those old-timey, but really cool Kaiser buildings with a open area in the center.
Anywoo, there was a pastry store within walking distance with just the best breakfast buns to be had. It was really cool. I wish we had that sort of thing here in places in the US that aren't major cities.
RFK, Jr. really seems to think he survived heroin because he was a stronger person than all the addicts who died. It wouldn't shock me if he imposed a heroin mandate on everyone so we can become a stronger country by getting rid of all the weak people who can't handle it.
If we were having an honest debate about whether European style socialized medicine will work here, the foremost actual problem is that our population is far more heterogeneous than any other fully industrialized country. That in turn means populations like the native Americans, the Amish and the Orthodox Jews at disproportionate risk of both genetic and acquired health problems. There would be a case that not paying the costs of a nationalized health care program can at least be balanced out as long as it translates into lower tax burdens and higher employment for at risk minorities. So, of course, MAGA is set to burn all that to the ground along with everything else.
I don't enough of the details to actually debate it, but that sounds like BS to me from someone that doesn't like nationalized care from their gut, but their brain knows it's the smart way to go.
But at least you're having an up front discussion about it, so I guess I should say good for you! :)
It occurred to me, it would have been just as well to add, the conditions I outline are what would have applied in the 1970s, perhaps in the 1980s and maybe as late as the 1990s. By the start of the Obama administration, the last bulwark for manageable costs of living was W@lmart, and MAGA is now taking their best shot at killing that with Drumpf's tariffs.
"To be fair, this is not because we don’t have socialized medicine, but because we don’t have enough doctors for everyone — in part because the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 froze the number of Medicaid-funded residencies at 1996 levels. Every year, there are about 9,500 medical school graduates who don’t get placed in residencies because we want to save money, not lives (even though we end up not actually saving money in the long run)."
This ^^^ is a textbook example of how White people would literally rather waste all the resources -- and/or elect people who waste all the resources -- and/or passively stand by and "not want to think about it anymore" or be "preoccupied with other things" in order to allow people to be elected who are willing to waste all the resources --
than use PUBLIC RESOURCES to PROVIDE EQUITABLE HEALTHCARE FOR EVERYONE.
Jonathan Metzl did a whole book and several talks about this
(yes, he has been trying to teach people about this for awhile)
And another reminder that at this point is about 160 years old -- the U.S. had an opportunity to have national universal healthcare right after the Civil War -- but anyone who remembers what has been said about this the last 120 or so times it's been said also likely remembers that the reason that we don't is because
Or we could just go full commie like Cuba, which has far better health care at a small fraction of the per capita cost (about 1/10). It also has ELAM, the largest medical school in the Western Hemisphere, which additionally trains many physicians for Africa and South/central America.
Loves this as I love all your stuff, but as a Nevada lover ...
The metric of "no store within a mile" is pretty tough on those counties in Nevada.
There's literally nothing within quite a few miles in those counties :)
Anyway keep up the good work!!
Plus we work harder and longer and don't have mandatory vacation. The lack of personal time to care for ourselves is also a huge factor.
Man walks in the door - kicks the dog, punches ‘the wife’, slaps the kid across the room, sits down and turns on TV. Everyone swooning over his big brass balls? Yeah, right.
we have a rule down undah - if you build a new suburb, there must be (even for suburbs built by developers and not just blocks of land sold off by local council) a school, a shopping centre, and parks for children to play in (with equipment already installed). And when I saw shopping centre that means, at a minimum a grocery store and a pharmacy space. Often also includes some sort of cafe/indi restaurant, a gym etc. Dr's offices are also expected to be included once the suburb reaches a certain size, and if the population of the suburb is more than a certain number a second shopping centre is also required (not a big multiplex thingy, just a single story row of stores). We do have food deserts out here, but that is usually a function of geography and population sizes where there isn't a large enough population to sustain a business not because someone forgot to put a store in when designing the place. also, a lot of our petrol stations (gas stations for you lot) will also sell the groceries, or at least the basics
We were in Germany for the first year of Covid. The restrictions at their highest were draconian - stay in your home except to go to necessary medical appointments, no interaction with anyone not in your “bubble,” masks at all times in public. My wife and I would literally sneak into the woods to visit with friends, where we would sit 20’ apart on a log just to see and talk to other human beings. And we could have been prosecuted for it. The restrictions went up and down as cases rose and fell, and people followed the rules. And the death rate in Germany was 1,500 deaths per million LESS than in the US. Based on those numbers, if the US had followed the same rules, somewhere around 500,000 fewer people would have died here.
The ignorant fuckers out there need to know that, but they will never ever listen because “math” and “science.”
Edited “less” to “fewer;” take THAT you grammar nerds!
I wear a mask again all the time in public. If someone looks at me weird, I fake cough. Shuts them cold.
The aim of our health care system is to make people profits, not to make people healthy. It works perfectly.
Murka!!! Land of the lame, home of the fee!!!
https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:1000/1*nVa5HI3E_qTruYBe310fhw.jpeg
Bobby Brainworms is criminally insane. Throw him into the same snakepit that Grampa Joe put his aunt in. After he had her lobotomized. Maybe lobotomize Bobby too. It might raise his IQ to that of Trump.
No, they can't stop pretending. Their self-constructed world depends on it.
Another thing that they probably don't have in Europe is religion sponsored hospitals that refuse to do certain procedures based on 'faith'.
I consider for profit health care to be evil. Really all the bad things in this world pretty much come down to rampant greed.
We had one of those in Canberra. It got so bad the government compulsorily purchased it to stop the rot
I hate religion
I don't blame you.
Science cures diseases; religion rationalizes their existence.
Once upon a time I was dating a woman who lived in Berlin, in one of those old-timey, but really cool Kaiser buildings with a open area in the center.
Anywoo, there was a pastry store within walking distance with just the best breakfast buns to be had. It was really cool. I wish we had that sort of thing here in places in the US that aren't major cities.
RFK, Jr. really seems to think he survived heroin because he was a stronger person than all the addicts who died. It wouldn't shock me if he imposed a heroin mandate on everyone so we can become a stronger country by getting rid of all the weak people who can't handle it.
Fascist always have an over-inflated sense of their own importance.
I think it's impotence.
I’m finding too many common Americans just like that.
If we were having an honest debate about whether European style socialized medicine will work here, the foremost actual problem is that our population is far more heterogeneous than any other fully industrialized country. That in turn means populations like the native Americans, the Amish and the Orthodox Jews at disproportionate risk of both genetic and acquired health problems. There would be a case that not paying the costs of a nationalized health care program can at least be balanced out as long as it translates into lower tax burdens and higher employment for at risk minorities. So, of course, MAGA is set to burn all that to the ground along with everything else.
I don't enough of the details to actually debate it, but that sounds like BS to me from someone that doesn't like nationalized care from their gut, but their brain knows it's the smart way to go.
But at least you're having an up front discussion about it, so I guess I should say good for you! :)
It occurred to me, it would have been just as well to add, the conditions I outline are what would have applied in the 1970s, perhaps in the 1980s and maybe as late as the 1990s. By the start of the Obama administration, the last bulwark for manageable costs of living was W@lmart, and MAGA is now taking their best shot at killing that with Drumpf's tariffs.
Australia would like a word
Also too: guns
"Yes, it's true. Someone did take your job. And your healthcare, pension, wage hikes and life off a single income.
It just wasn't immigrants, welfare recipients, queer people or women having abortions.
If you want to know who took your money, it's the people with all the money."
"IF YOU WANT TO KNOW WHO TOOK YOUR MONEY, IT'S THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE ALL THE MONEY" - Anat Shenker Osorio
https://bsky.app/profile/anatosaurus.bsky.social/post/3lxno52jbck2g
https://www.wonkette.com/p/can-republicans-stop-pretending-its/comment/154458794
From Robyn --
"To be fair, this is not because we don’t have socialized medicine, but because we don’t have enough doctors for everyone — in part because the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 froze the number of Medicaid-funded residencies at 1996 levels. Every year, there are about 9,500 medical school graduates who don’t get placed in residencies because we want to save money, not lives (even though we end up not actually saving money in the long run)."
This ^^^ is a textbook example of how White people would literally rather waste all the resources -- and/or elect people who waste all the resources -- and/or passively stand by and "not want to think about it anymore" or be "preoccupied with other things" in order to allow people to be elected who are willing to waste all the resources --
than use PUBLIC RESOURCES to PROVIDE EQUITABLE HEALTHCARE FOR EVERYONE.
Jonathan Metzl did a whole book and several talks about this
"Dying of Whiteness"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9sSTCQTcD8 - 2 years ago
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gi8elkpbbgM - 6 years ago
(yes, he has been trying to teach people about this for awhile)
And another reminder that at this point is about 160 years old -- the U.S. had an opportunity to have national universal healthcare right after the Civil War -- but anyone who remembers what has been said about this the last 120 or so times it's been said also likely remembers that the reason that we don't is because
𝐖𝐡𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞.
"Why Doesn't America Have Universal Healthcare? One Word: Race"
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/08/14/magazine/universal-health-care-racism.html
https://pulitzercenter.org/blog/1619-project-discussion-public-health-and-racial-justice
Or we could just go full commie like Cuba, which has far better health care at a small fraction of the per capita cost (about 1/10). It also has ELAM, the largest medical school in the Western Hemisphere, which additionally trains many physicians for Africa and South/central America.