Replies

To a certain extent we've reached an impasse.

I see an America populated with an increasing percentage of fat kids. You don't.
I see an America less able to deliver health care to most of its people than it was 10 years ago. You don't.

A strictly market approach renders the argument moot. I'll look for answers to the problems I see. If I'm correct I'll make a fortune and you won't. If I'm wrong perhaps you'll buy me a cup of coffee.

A word about the connection between longevity, health care, and obesity. Most of the advances in average longevity are due to advances in child care, basic sanitation, and freedom from starvation - not to the superiority of our health-care system over others or to the presence or absence of obesity. I thought to demonstrate this with a chart showing average life-span by country (and in particular showing lifespan in Cuba which I'm told is equal to ours) but I was unable to come up with it in the time I have to spare.

Because none of the stats back you up.

I might buy a cup of coffee from you, but not for.

Again, how can improved child health care get people living past 80. The reality out there just doesn't match up with your preconceptions. Infant and child mortality has been neglible in America for a long time. At that point life expectancy was in the high 60s, now it's in the low 80s.

Cuba has socialized medicine. There's a reason you get good doctors fleeing socialized medicine in droves (just check out how many Canadian doc you've got up north) and bad doctors head to socialized medicine. Anything saying Cuban life expectancy is in our neighborhood is BS.

I see an America populated with an increasing percentage of fat kids. You don't.

As you have been told repeatedly by myself and other posters, the CDC changed the standards for obesity rendering millions of more people obese. If you choose not to listen when you are supplied with information, I can't help you.

I see an America less able to deliver health care to most of its people than it was 10 years ago. You don't.

How come, if things are worse, they haven't changed that phoney number of "37 million uninsured" for 12 years?

If I'm correct I'll make a fortune and you won't.

I've already blown two fortunes and I have no intention of going through that again.
;O)

If I'm wrong perhaps you'll buy me a cup of coffee.

Knowing you, you'll bring an armed gang of Federal Marshalls and force me to buy coffee for the whole country.

I thought to demonstrate this with a chart showing average life-span by country (and in particular showing lifespan in Cuba which I'm told is equal to ours) but I was unable to come up with it in the time I have to spare.

Well, maybe next time you'll show up with charts and slides and congratulatory letters from Fidel and brand new pens in your pocket protector.

Catch ya later, comrade.

I see an America populated with an increasing percentage of fat kids. You don't.

Au con-trary, FRiend, I see lots o' chubby children. I'm sayin', that ain't my problem, that ain't Civil Servant Shmuck's responsibility, that is the parents' problem plain and simple.

I see an America less able to deliver health care to most of its people than it was 10 years ago. You don't.

Well you might know more about that than I, having worked the field. In response, I quote a statistic regarding smokers that I heard on Paul Harvey-- 10% of us will develop lung cancer.

But 90% of us won't.

I see an America less able to deliver health care to most of its people than it was 10 years ago.

Why does "America" have to deliver health care to anyone? You're operating from the collectivist liberal premise that the government owns our bodies and our lives and therefore has unquestioned authority over how these are managed.

I reject that premise totally.

You're advocating a jobs program for the "health care industry" and the price is our money and our freedom.