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Saturday, December 30, 2006

Free beer

Made you look.

No, we're really just giving away free health care over here. Especially to people with runny noses. Got a sniffle? No problem! This is Canada! Get in line! What, you called the clinic before I did, and I've got flesh-eating disease? No problem. It's only fair that you should get the first appointment. In fact, it's only fair that you should be able to go to the doctor as often as you want, even if you're not sick. Don't worry - I'll pay the bill.

We already have a rowdy discussion in the comments box, and it has only been a couple of hours.

On a totally unrelated note, I want you to imagine that you're at a wedding. You like beer, right? How many beers are you going to buy? OK, keep that number in your head. Surprise! The groom is feeling generous. He is paying for EVERYONE'S drinks all night long. Now how many beers are you going to order?

Like I said, that has absolutely nothing to do with the Canadian health-care system.

Oh, and in case I've never mentioned it, I adore my brother. You thought I was bad. You have no idea.

2 comments:

Cin said...

Love this discussion, and love Nathan's snarky sense of humour. You're awesome, Nathan!

But... c'mon, Meg.... if you have flesh-eating disease, you ain't waiting to see the doc at the clinic. You're being flown in a Lear jet to Edmonton pronto. It's called triage, darlin'.

As for Nathan saying on his blog that he doesn't expect others to pay for his kids... I'll be blunt. I do. My kids will be the ones to pay for your public pensions. They will be the doctors and nurses and nursing assistants who take care of the childless in their old age.

I lose sleep and free time and travel so people who choose not to have kids at all will be well cared for in old age.

It's called a social contract. Go read Hobbes and Descartes.

The Capitalist said...

Cindy, I thank you for your kind words, but there is a flaw in your argument. If we all go to the doctor only for things such as having a child, or a severe illness then it would all even out.

I wouldn't be the one paying for you to have kids because you already paid for it via your taxes. The problem is that the system encourages misuse, so now some people go just because they can (I'm sure you've all heard about that little old lady calling 911 becuase she can't get the pickle jar open. Dear old lady).

In a more insurance-based system where we pay the first however-many dollars, we would tend not to misuse the system to the same extent. Noone wants to bang up thier car because they have to pay the first $500-1000 and thier premiums will go up.