24th Feb 2009, 12:44
His being foreign must qualify him. What a stupid statement! The U.S. is still the world's largest economy, Has the most powerful military, is the seminal leader of the G8 (group of eight INDUSTRIALIZED nations, has the highest quality healthcare (though its not generally available), is the technological leader, is the leader in the area of innovation, and has the world's most stable government. The lack of socialized healthcare seems like a minor difference in light of these facts. It could be a good idea to consider the possibility that his comment was "sour grapes" from another disappointed socialist.
I think that within the next two years you'll see a rebound in GM and Ford's fortunes (I'm not sure what will happen to Chrysler) as they now have cost structures that rival their foreign counterparts. Hopefully they will allow "car guys" rather than accountants design their vehicles. This could be a very exciting time as we see improvements in quality, technology, "greenness", and fuel economy. Already their trucks, in particular, are class acts.
24th Feb 2009, 10:31
"There is one case here where a child was left to bleed to death in an emergency room without care because his father had to rush home to get his insurance card before a doctor would even LOOK at the child."
Note that the family sued and won. Why would they win? Why is it called malpractice? Answer: because it ISN'T common or considered acceptable. Your point that it happens daily is completely baseless. It happens, but it is uncommon and, again, NOT THE RATIONALE BEHIND A SINGLE PAYER SYSTEM. It results in lawsuits, public outrage, and loss of prestige. None of these things would be true if it happened "EVERY DAY in the U.S.".
There IS a reasonable basis for a single-payer system but this is an AUTO BLOG!! Yes it has an affect on the automakers but so would the higher taxes that would be necessary to pay for such a system --- it ain't free no matter what.
You would likely be surprised that I don't take a hard position because the facts of which I am aware don't support doing so. I have concerns and doubts that such a system would be cheaper, but it is perhaps valid to say that healthcare should be a right and not merely the privilege of the very poor, the wealthy, and those of the middle class who are not self-employed. There are aggravating and mitigating points on both sides.
There is absolutely no point in arguing this any further, though, because this is the wrong venue and we can't even get to the real arguments on both sides of this issue. This relates to auto making only in the same way that it relates to doing any kind of business here in the U.S. Everyone faces the same realities, so it isn't truly an appropriate subject for this forum unless we want to also plumb the depths of business models, advertising, merchandising, accounting, and employee relations.
So... I'm out. If getting the last word is your definition of success, then have at it. I'm back to cars.