Just saw it on the web

Can you please put the link here?

Thanks.
Liz

Once again, another country is at the forefront of addressing its national health issues while the rich bastages here in the USA are trying to figure out how to line their pockets with more wealth to the detriment of society as a whole.
In two months when my wife goes part-time I have to try and figure out which paltry and diminishing health care plan I want to choose for which I get to pay $400-$500 month.

Meanwhile, monies which could be used to subsidize healthcare for the poor and elderly (of which I am neither, by the way) is being funneled off to kill people in the middle east and to get our own young people/soldiers killed in some stupid conflict contrived and escalated by our own brilliant government. Meanwhile, our own ignorant masses were told that if we don't go over and kill all those people, then a jumbo jet could come crashing into their house next.

Now the President is requesting more billions for this folly...we are getting ready to send more troops over, since no other countries want to be a part of this, and American soldiers are continue to be killed almost every day. The economy is still in the sh**ter, there no Bin Laden, there is no Saddam Hussein, and the news is reporting that the Taliban is starting to reform itself back in Afghanistan while no hopes of a democratic regime there seem imminent.

But I digress...and apologize for my rant...

My original point was that the corporate greed (which includes the greedy stockholders) of the health and care providers here, is about making profits and not about advancing the position of the United States as a country which is really concerned about the overall health and welfare of its people. This is why so much of the research for addressing and treating health issues for non-mainstream health problems and which don't translate into huge profits, is being done elsewhere.

Oh well...again, apologize for the rant.

Ron

Ron Jaffe AKA Diggo McDiggity
Discussion Board Administrator
On-Line Gamers Anonymous

Watch it Ron!

I voted for President Bush!

I don't think it is all his fault!

Liz

It's not his fault - It's ours as US citizens for not taking the time to educate ourselves on how the rest of the world lives while we sit back all complacent and think we are so advanced and sophisticated, moreso than the other nations of this planet.
Meanwhile, we kill our young people with abuse and neglect, our old people with neglect and apathy, the poor people with apathy and disdain, and half of our population is without any kind of health insurance, in a country that is more advanced than other nations in countless ways.

The mideast crisis does not exist because of the Arabs. It exists because of our dependency upon their oil. No congress has had the balls to dictate that automobile manufacturers need to build their cars so they get a minimum MPG to conserve fuel. Jeep Grand Cherokees coming off the showroom today get as little as 12-15 miles per gallon. Come on, you're telling me that's the best this country can create? It's the big oil lobbyists that line the pockets of the politicians. It's all about greed. When someone does come along and create a super fuel efficient engine, the patent is bought by the oil companies for a huge fee, then stashed away somewhere never to see the light of day.

Every year in this country, a half a million people die of lung cancer, not to mention foreign countries where the numbers rise to over 5 million. Yet cigarettes are still legal...a testament to the skill of the big tobacco lobbyists and the greedy politicians who are swayed by the companies financial contributions. What's worse, is you have states like my own, Florida, which had one of the strongest tobacco education programs of any state in the country - Yet over time, the state itself has started investing in tobacco stocks for its own pension funds. Go figure.

Ciggs are legal, but meanwhile, herbal supplements like Ephedra which are "believed" to have contributed to half a dozen deaths are becoming restriced more and more by the FDA from pressure of those attempting to get them banned. But don't even get me started on those **** drug companies who are doing all they can to eliminate and discredit herbal medicines because herbal medicines cannot be patented and therefore cannot hope to generate the greedy revenue that patented medications, which could not be afforded without insurance, by the way, generate. This, despite the fact that 25% of all modern prescription meds are derived from natural sources like from the rain forests.

Greed, greed, greed, greed, greed, which by the way is one of the reasons that these game manufacturers seem to have no interest in diverting any of their funds to study the long term effects of their games on the public...at least as far as I know. At least I've not heard of any allocating funds for it.

The greatness of a country is measured by more than how much its military can kick ass or by how much revenue it can generate, but by how much it cares for its citizens and works to advance the human race as a whole, in my opinion.

There is nothing wrong with making a buck...or a bundle, for that matter. But just like online gaming, there has to be a balance.

Ron

Ron Jaffe AKA Diggo McDiggity
Discussion Board Administrator
On-Line Gamers Anonymous

Edited by: Diggo McDiggity at: 11/10/03 8:49 am

It is what I am saying all along, Ron....

In this country, the mighty buck rules, it does not matter who is hurt in the process.................

And that goes for gaming companies!

One more thing - have you heard they now have "herbal" pills you can take before you start your game to make sure you are alert through it all, and than a pill you take afterward, to bring you down? And this is allowed!!

Edited by: lizwool at: 11/10/03 12:45 pm

Quote:have you heard they now have "herbal" pills you can take before you start your game to make sure you are alert through it all, and than a pill you take afterward, to bring you down? Er.. No, haven't heard that, but I'm sure plenty of players take NoDoz, Vivarin, etc., aside from countless caffeine drinks.
Ron

Ron Jaffe AKA Diggo McDiggity
Discussion Board Administrator
On-Line Gamers Anonymous