The French speaking candidate for President, John Le'Kerry's idea is to "make healthcare affordable and available for everyone" In case you aren't up on your liberal doublespeak, that means, "Universal Healthcare".
One of the most socialized healthcare systems in the world is in France, where unemployment continually hovers at around 12% due to the oppressive anti-business tax system to pay for gold fillings for everyone.
To keep costs down, hospitals cut corners, and are generally not innovative.
Look what happened last year during a
heatwave in France:
French hospitals could not cope with a repeat of the heatwave which killed almost 15,000 people last summer, a prominent doctor said on Thursday.Patrick Pelloux, an emergency doctor who led attacks on the government over its handling of the 2003 heatwave, said there were not enough hospital beds or staff available.
An official report blamed the heat-related deaths on poor organization, a lack of communication and key staff being away on holiday.
The government's plan, to be active from June 1 to October 1 each year, includes a new weather and health alert service, a database of people at risk from heat-related illness and a response plan for hospitals and voluntary aid workers.
Health Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy said in May a special committee had been set up to ensure emergency units received an extra $600 million set aside over five years. But Pelloux said funding was still insufficient.
"If there is no real willingness to make the public hospitals more dynamic in all sectors, we will again see disasters and important bottlenecks in emergency services," Pelloux said.
Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin's conservative government is trying to reform France's expensive health care system, long hailed as one of the world's best.
Under the heatwave plan, a "heat risk" map updated at 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. will be sent to the media, along with advice and recommendations from the Health Ministry.
Douste-Blazy has also said he aims to increase overtime to ensure experienced staff are always available.
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15,000 people? As a percentage of the population, that would mean about 75,000 dead over here.
But 15,000; That's more than died in the "alleged illegal" war in Iraq. It seems like France's Liberal Socialism has killed more people than any Neocon in this country has. |  "Pickin grapes for $45 Euros an hour sure is sweet!!" |
Check out what Ronald Reagan had to say about government health care here.
I think you'll like what you hear.
I remember the news of all the deaths from the heat wave, but I also remember thinking that it wasn't really all that hot. It topped 100 degrees, but not by much.
We on the Atlantic Coast -- even up here in Connecticut -- have week-long bouts of that kind of heat complete with stifling humidity of the Gulf Stream.
That 15,000 people died in France because of a dang heat wave is astounding to me. Don't they have air conditioners over there? Or are luxuries like that only the in the purview of us rich freemen?
Part of the problem was that so many doctors and nurses were on vacation during the heat wave? Christ. That's what happens when you have 8 weeks of vacation time and you forbid anyone from working more than 35 hours a week. Y'can't complain that some doctor isn't there to help you after you've eliminated his very inspiration to help you: his paycheck.
That's not to say that money alone motivates doctors and nurses, but that once you eliminate the profit motive you've slouched human excellence into boredom and mediocrity, relying on selflessness to fill in the gap.
I've said it before and I'll s-s-s-ay it again: Socialism is inhumane!
Posted by: Tuning Spork at August 1, 2004 09:20 PM
