(Hat tip to Cox & Forkum)I've long been a vocal opponent of Socialism and Communism. I think what sets me apart from many of my friends over here Right-of-Center is that my opposition to Marx's bastard children has been based largely in its performance in meeting the needs of its subjects. While many of its opponents decry the obvious human rights abuses that naturally flow from Communism, I despise it because it sucks as a form of economy. The excerpt from The Tribune below validate my point (copied and pasted from www.coxandforkum.com. Click on the picture to the right to see more of John Cox's brilliant artwork).
From The Chicago Tribune: What Michael Moore left on the cutting room floor.
In the film's trailer, a desk attendant at a British hospital smiles while explaining that in Britain's National Health Service, "everything is free." But for free hospital care, Britons pay an awfully high price.Just ask the nearly 1 million British patients on waiting lists for treatment. Or the 200,000 Britons currently waiting merely to get on NHS waiting lists. Mr. Moore must have missed those folks. ...
Consider waiting lists. Across Britain, patients wait years for routine -- or even emergency -- treatments. And many die while waiting.
Indeed, the NHS cancels around 100,000 operations because of shortages each year. In a growing number of communities, it is increasingly difficult for people to simply get an appointment with an NHS general practitioner for a regular checkup.
Further, when it comes to keeping patients healthy, NHS hospitals are notoriously unfit. After admittance to state hospitals, more than 10 percent of patients contract infections and illnesses that they did not have prior to arrival. And according to the Malnutrition Advisory Group, up to 60 percent of NHS patients are undernourished during inpatient stays.
Consequently, many Britons have turned to outside practitioners for treatment, and the private health-care market has boomed. Today, more than 6.5 million people have private medical insurance, 6 million have cash plans, 8 million pay out-of-pocket for a range of complimentary therapies, and 250,000 self-fund each year for private surgery. Millions more opt for private dentistry, ophthalmics and long-term care.
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I haven't seen Moore's film. But, do I need to? I have at my fingertips a hundred years of history to show that the Socialist/Communist system is inadequate to provide the needs of the people. Unfettered capitalism will address any health care issues that we as a nation face. You'd have to be a Sicko to force such a massive portion of the US economy into a Marxist gulag.
