British Anti-Americanism Based on Misconceptions

[politbureau]

[quote=“Chewycorns”]More myths laid to rest?

@Telegraph

Almost a third of Britons believe that “Americans who have not paid their hospitals fees or insurance premiums are not entitled to emergency medical care”; by law such treatment must be provided.

telegraph.co.uk/news/worldne … tions.html[/quote]

Is that the same thing as saying you can get necessary medical care in the U.S. now without health insurance?

[TainanCowboy]

Spook -
So you are saying that one can get necessary health in the USA only if one has private insurance?

[politbureau]

[quote=“TainanCowboy”]Spook -
So you are saying that one can get necessary health in the USA only if one has private insurance?[/quote]

I don’t know. I’ve presumed that people pay for private health insurance in the U.S. because they have to. Is it possible to get quality health care in the U.S. without private health insurance to pay for it?

[KingZog]

When I was in the US, people told me that if you arrive at an emergency room they’ll treat you regardless of whether you have health insurance.

I guess they treat you and bill you, and if you’re really poor you can declare bankruptcy or get the government to pay via Medicaid. But if you’re middle class you don’t qualify for Medicaid. So if you get cancer you’re pretty much fucked as the bills will bankrupt you.

What I think is ridiculous about the US system is that drug prices seem to be higher than even places like Canada. There’s something seriously wrong, but I’m not sure any of the current proposals won’t just make things worse. Any element of socializing costs seems very risky to me if those costs are artificially inflated.

[TainanCowboy]

King Zog -
I do agree with the ridiculous pricing of pharmaceutical in the USA. Even the so-called ‘generic’ offerings are over-priced compared to the rest of the world.

added: it looks like this comment and direction is off-topic. Another thread-hijack by Spook!..

Maybe this will return to topic:

Childhood’s End -
Britain, land of bleak houses and low expectations …a rather long article thats rather on-topic.

city-journal.org/2008/18_3_o … ldren.html

[rousseau]

[quote=“TainanCowboy”] Childhood’s End -
Britain, land of bleak houses and low expectations …a rather long article thats rather on-topic.

city-journal.org/2008/18_3_o … ldren.html[/quote]
Theodore Dalrymple is a rightwing crank, but a mostly intelligent and compelling one. I’ve found many of his articles quite enlightening. Nevertheless, cranks can only hold back from making delusional pronouncements for so long, and it looks like Dalrymple is going down that path as well. To wit:

Yet the British government will do anything but address the problem, or that part of the problem that is its duty to address: the state-encouraged breakdown of the family. If one were a Marxist, one might see in this refusal the self-interest of the state-employee class: social problems, after all, are their raison d’être.

Couching it in the subjunctive mood does not absolve him of bringing it up in the first place: the very notion that whole sectors of the government are encouraging people to live degraded lives for fear that they (the social workers) won’t have jobs is completely nutty.

As an aside, he manages a neat trick here, as well: the government having a duty to address the family lives of the people is firmly in the tradition of the left, but the fear of “state-encouraged” interference in family life is a bugbear of the right, and he combines both sentiments in one sentence. Where exactly does he stand, then? It’s not clear.

[rousseau]

Another aside in light of another thing Dalrymple says:

The British, never fond of children, have lost all knowledge or intuition about how to raise them; as a consequence, they now fear them, perhaps the most terrible augury possible for a society. The signs of this fear are unmistakable on the faces of the elderly in public places. An involuntary look of distaste, even barely controlled terror, crosses their faces if a group of young teens approaches; then they try to look as if they are not really there, hoping to avoid trouble.

Anecdotally, we noticed that very distinctly in my three lone days in the UK, and it contrasted greatly with how things seemed to be in Spain. For example, during an afternoon spent in Crawley town centre (not for the faint of heart regardless of the young’uns) waiting for a flight out of Gatwick we noticed gangs of youths in various places making their presence felt in a very aggressive and threatening way. Everyone gave them a wide berth, especially the elderly. They really were a blight. However, in Spain teenagers in public places never seemed to appear as threatening, at least where we were.

Well, there was one instance across from a train station in one of the numerous dreary suburbs of Barcelona where, from the safety of the train, we saw a group of kids of North African progeny drinking large bottles of lager and tossing their empties into the street, and basically acting as “gangsta” as they could. But that was it. Spanish kids generally seemed nicer than English kids to us, from our limited experience. That is to say, they didn’t seem to get in your face all the time, at least not in the town centres.

[politbureau]

[quote=“spook”][quote=“Chewycorns”]More myths laid to rest?

@Telegraph

Almost a third of Britons believe that “Americans who have not paid their hospitals fees or insurance premiums are not entitled to emergency medical care”; by law such treatment must be provided.

telegraph.co.uk/news/worldne … tions.html[/quote]

Is that the same thing as saying you can get necessary medical care in the U.S. now without health insurance?[/quote]

I didn’t think so.

[TainanCowboy]

Spook -
Good to see you’re agreeing with yourself this morning.

[politbureau]

[quote=“TainanCowboy”]Spook -
Good to see you’re agreeing with yourself this morning.

[/quote]

It was a fair question. Sometimes not answering a reasonable question or responding to it with inanities is an answer in its own right.

[MikeN]

The survey showed that a majority agreed with the false statement that since the Second World War the US had more often sided with non-Muslims when they had come into conflict with Muslims. In fact in 11 out of 12 major conflicts between Muslims and non-Muslims, Muslims and secular forces, or Arabs and non-Arabs, the US has sided with the former group. Those conflicts included Turkey and Greece, Bosnia and Yugoslavia, and and Kosovo and Yugoslavia.

This would seem to say that the US sided with the Arabs in two of the following three: The Six-Day War, the Yom Kippur War, or the Lebanese War in 2006 ( does that have an official name yet?)

[politbureau]

@MikeN

[quote]The survey showed that a majority agreed with the false statement that since the Second World War the US had more often sided with non-Muslims when they had come into conflict with Muslims. In fact in 11 out of 12 major conflicts between Muslims and non-Muslims, Muslims and secular forces, or Arabs and non-Arabs, the US has sided with the former group. Those conflicts included Turkey and Greece, Bosnia and Yugoslavia, and and Kosovo and Yugoslavia.

This would seem to say that the US sided with the Arabs in two of the following three: The Six-Day War, the Yom Kippur War, or the Lebanese War in 2006 ( does that have an official name yet?)[/quote]

I’d like to see that list. I call major hand job on that “myth-busting” claim.

[TainanCowboy]

[quote=“spook”][quote=“TainanCowboy”]Spook -
Good to see you’re agreeing with yourself this morning.
[/quote]
It was a fair question. Sometimes not answering a reasonable question or responding to it with inanities is an answer in its own right.[/quote]
If you’re going to answer your own questions just be sure and ask ones for which you already know the answer.

I’d hate to see you start arguing with yourself.

[politbureau]

[quote=“TainanCowboy”][quote=“spook”][quote=“TainanCowboy”]Spook -
Good to see you’re agreeing with yourself this morning.
[/quote]
It was a fair question. Sometimes not answering a reasonable question or responding to it with inanities is an answer in its own right.[/quote]
If you’re going to answer your own questions just be sure and ask ones for which you already know the answer.

I’d hate to see you start arguing with yourself.[/quote]

You’ve been stealing sips from your roommate’s bedpan again, haven’t you? I can always tell because you get more difficult than normal about the simple things – like you’re getting double the normal dosage.

[TainanCowboy]

@spook

You’ve been stealing sips from your roommate’s bedpan again, haven’t you? I can always tell because you get more difficult than normal about the simple things – like you’re getting double the normal dosage.

As long as all of you are in agreement with your statements you should be OK.