THE WAY I SEE IT ARCHIVES

I know some of my fellow conservative friends (whether Canadian or American) who are Michael Moore haters and proud of it probably want to burn me at the stake for political heresy and for deviating from political orthodoxy. The reason is that I give two thumbs up for the movie Sicko. Though Canada's health care system does have problems and I am aware of them (talk my mom when she took ill this January but is doing well, on the stroke prevention program) but I am glad that we did not have to go through the tragic stories that Americans had to face on a daily basis. Nobody needs to lose their home (and gets verbally kicked when their down by their own family), pay $60,000 to re-attach a finger, thrown out of a hospital because you cannot pay the hospital bill and other horror stories. My friend Joe and I while watching the movie could not help ourselves barely containing our seething anger at another story which in effect is how the masses of the many serve the needs of the elite few. I was cheering on in the movie that a senior citizen golfer who is Canadian talked about the benefits of having his own operation in Canada than in the United States. Like myself, this man is a member of the Conservative Party of Canada was definately no socialist (any heartless ideologue who thinks otherwise keep dreaming). Everybody also knows (and if they don't know they do know now) I am no fan of Fidel Castro (never was and never will) and I hope he passes the through the scene soon and that many Cuban Americans will help re-build a very prosperous Cuba (let Vida Guerra become their answer to Oprah too!) but it should shake the heads of many when volunteer emergency workers from the 9-11 catastrophe who served their country in an national crisis and emergency cannot get affordable, adequete health care in the country in which they risked their lives and health but got decent treatment in Cuba, after being practically being turned away from Guantanimo Bay when Michael Moore got a boat taking these volunteer workers hoping that those he took would get the same treatment as the terrorists being detained at Gitmo. It was an interesting observation on not only the Canadian system of health care but the British and French as well. With the French there is a lot more intervention in personal life (and I would not recommend that North Americans follow every single thing the French does) but I will grudgingly admit as those Americans in France submit that when they talk about family values, the government does back it up with action. Anyone who religiously believes that the American health care system is fine as it is, is either an lassez-faire ideologue in an ivory tower of his or her ideology totally disconnected and isolated with the struggles, concerns and issues of the average Americans and is simply heartless and proud of it. Americans need an honest discussion about come next election, next year. It is my wish that the next president will do something about it and fight ideologues who pretend to care but only interested in serving the interests of the elite few.