Holy Diver

a dumb op-ed from this week:

"People such as scientist Stephen Hawking wouldn't have a chance in the U.K., where the National Health Service would say the life of this brilliant man, because of his physical handicaps, is essentially worthless. "


here is what Hawking said



Stephen Hawking: I would not be alive without the NHS - Telegraph

Professor Stephen Hawking defended the National Health Service from attacks by the American Right yesterday claiming that he would not be alive without it.

The British physisist spoke out after Republican politicians lambasted the NHS as "evil" in their effort to stop President Barack Obama's reforms of US health care which will widen availability of treatment but at a cost to higher earners who will pay higher insurance premiums.

"I wouldn't be here today if it were not for the NHS," he said. "I have received a large amount of high-quality treatment without which I would not have survived."




This guy is only trying to unify all scientific theories.....

Wildo7

We don't like elitists or ferners here. Especially not eltitist ferners.

BelichickFan

Using a famous scientist as an example doesn't work. Just like the person who used a tour de france cyclist. What do they do for the average person is the question.

Wildo7

It was Republicans who brought him up in the first place lol.

Sorry that your hysteria doesn't measure up to reality.

Every one of my relatives lives in England and they think the American system is insane, as does most of the industrialized world. Lucky for you that your fellow fanatics don't like to travel outside the country.

Holy Diver

As I've been discussing with my coworker (UK citizen)

They have Universal care, pay approx 25% in taxes along with a 17% sales tax. He had an appendix operation a few years back that he saw a doctor for immediatly, and a knee operation that he had to wait 4 weeks for. He said the system is top notch, and that a lot of people have supplimental insurance that runs an extra 20-50 bucks a month, mostly to cover elective or experimental surgery. He said iff you need to get a proceedure doone in Switzerland, its covered. You simply need to apply for it.


Then came my "stupid American moment"


I asked him if anyone abused the system....


he tilted his head and said "The system is for EVERYONE, so how can you abuse it?"

Patters

No, but it's important that he repudiated a fairly well-known conservative business outlet, Investors Business Daily. IBD has now dropped its idiotic Hawking's reference altogether (choosing to ignore the fact that using him as an example repudiates the main point of their editorial) but the original paragraph is of course preserved.

Ezra Klein - How Stephen Hawking Proves That Investor's Business Daily's Editorial Page Tells Lies

apple strudel

The main point is that in their zeal to scare people about health care reform the Investor's Business Daily crippled their own (so-called) argument with a blatantly asinine error. A pattern is emerging.

Fogbuster

Hoooo-boy!!! ...... Don't I know about THAT!!!



As you were.


//

__________________
"All that is required for evil to triumph is for good to do nothing."

BelichickFan

I suspect they were using Hawkins as a straw man as a generic example of what national health care would do in that care for the average person. Regardless, we are a long way away from that system, thankfully, and probably will remain so.

BelichickFan

I don't know what to tell you, all my relatives other than my dad and sister live in England and while I haven't discussed our system with them, I know they are not happy with theirs.