What’s wrong with this picture? by BrianInNYC

Countries in blue have universal health care

Country Life expectancy Infant mortality rate Per capita expenditure on health (USD) Healthcare costs
% of GDP
Australia 80.5 5.0 2,519 9.5
Canada 80.5 5.0 2,669 9.9
France 79.5 4.0 2,981 10.1
Germany 80.0 4.0 3,204 11.1
Japan 82.5 3.0 2,662 7.9
Sweden 80.5 3.0 3,149 9.4
UK 79.5 5.0 2,428 8.0
USA 77.5 6.0 5,711 15.2

68 Comments

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68 responses to “What’s wrong with this picture? by BrianInNYC

  1. dog's eye view

    Great way to highlight this, Brian. Universal healthcare is my #1 issue, it drives so much of the rest. (Co-#1 is health and safety of our troops in harm’s way.)

  2. chefsheila

    Great pictures Brian!

  3. chefsheila

    My last statement from the last thread.

    Listening to NBC’s Detroit anchor talking the truth.. There is a Meltdown happening to everyone.

    I can’t even offload my condo for song. Oakland county, which “Was” the forth richest county in the nation is in melt down.

    The unemployment rate is 9.2 there. Remember I said that there was no more unemployment insurance for the state?

    Michigan is on the verge of Depression. So the Hill and the Big Three have got to come to some decision. A plan….something.

  4. dog's eye view

    PS: what is source of your graphic and stats?

  5. dog's eye view

    I think they will come to a plan, Sheila, which includes serious restructuring of how Detroit does business.

    And the workers, too, will have to take a cut.

    I think a lot of what ails our financial markets is the fruits of a system that rewards shareholders at the cost of the company and its workers, and where the CEO and top management make astronomical ratios of income vs. the median worker.

    You cannot have such a top-heavy economy that produces paper wealth and rewards so few at the cost of opportunity to many.

    Obama has been talking about that for months.

    You can’t have a services only economy either.

    It’s the part that JoePlumber etc. haven’t gotten — they don’t realize the reallocation has already taken place — but scream “socialism” when it’s actually capitalism with a heart and long-term interest in economic health and stability.

  6. dog's eye view

    Bringing WSJ link forward:

    Wall Street Journal, Gerald Seib piece: In Crisis, Opportunity for Obama

    http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122721278056345271.html

  7. chefsheila

    Michigan is so enmeshed in the Auto Industry, they have no chance unless Something happens. That is why Ford came with the other two. Ford is doing all right. But Ford will go down in the swill bucket too if the other two go down.

    Because ALL the auto parts plants can’t take much more of this either.

    As as for the other, we don’t have a service economy. We have a “Retail” economy. A Mall economy……

  8. chefsheila

    Bankruptcy is going to cause a huge number of people to be laid off again. 300,000 people have already been laid off in the last 2 years. 40,000 left the state last year. I’m sure some of those are in the Tent Cities now.

  9. chefsheila

    Time to get ready for work!

  10. If you think the health care statistics in this country are bad now, wait and see what happens to the numbers of the uninsured if the big three go bankrupt.

  11. dog's eye view

    Mitt Romney’s NYT op ed from yesterday.

    He’s not that far off from Steven Pearlstein on several points, although Pearlstein was more innovative in the tack on bankruptcy court restructuring he would take.

    And Romney brushes only lightly on executive/management pay. Yes, it should be tied to performance, and execs should buy stock, but they shouldn’t have opportunity to manipulate stock price and exercise their options as they do now.

    Mitt Romney: Let Detroit Go Bankrupt

    “… The American auto industry is vital to our national interest as an employer and as a hub for manufacturing. A managed bankruptcy may be the only path to the fundamental restructuring the industry needs. It would permit the companies to shed excess labor, pension and real estate costs. The federal government should provide guarantees for post-bankruptcy financing and assure car buyers that their warranties are not at risk.

    In a managed bankruptcy, the federal government would propel newly competitive and viable automakers, rather than seal their fate with a bailout check.”

  12. dnd

    Well, I’ve said it here before, ad nausium, but universal healthcare coverage would the biggest boon to American businesses. It lowers healthcare costs, it frees up capital for expansion, it significantly reduces the costs of goods and services. It will reduce employee absences. We’ll be able to compete on a level playing field.

    Will patients suffer? Nope. Will crooked, greedy HMOs suffer? Yup. But as John McCain liked to say during the campaign: America First.

    Good post Brian.

  13. Nannymm

    Nice map, Brian. Let’s hope we’re blue soon. I won’t be around much this weekend. My son and his family are here for a few days so I’ll be busy, They couldn’t come home next week for Thanksgiving due to his work schedule, so we’re having an early Thanksgiving tomorrow. I’ll check in when I can. Have fun!

  14. chefsheila

    Robert Reich said that Bankruptcy for there particular organizations would be great for the business, but will propell at least 50% of the workforce onto the streets.

    Bottom line. Bankruptcy is the cold hard way out for the company.

    With help and a restructering plan, 2/3rds of the work force have an even chance to keep a job and food on the table.

    There’s supposedly 350 billion left after our money was suck into the credit card industry.

    Hopefully 25 billion and an approved plan between the Big three and he government won’t be too much for the country to bare.

  15. chefsheila

    AND…..universal health care will bring JOBS!

  16. dnd

    There are no “American” cars anymore. A huge number of parts for American auto manufactures are made in Mexico and Brazil. The big three in the US are now Toyota, Honda and Hyundai. The all have significant assembly plants in the US.

    GM, Chrysler and Ford need new and visionary management. Ditto for their marketing department.

    I’m sorry, Romney is an idiot. Who’s gonna buy a car from a company in chapter 11? Just because his dad was an auto industry executive does NOT make him an expert.

  17. Mitt is just trying to score points with the repug base, his father must be turning in his grave after that oped piece of his.

  18. Looks like Citigroup is on the verge of collapse. Scary times.

  19. dnd

    Will someone merge with Citigroup? They’re just to big to fail. Learned our lesson with Lehman Bros.

  20. talk seems to be about selling off some of their units.

  21. dnd

    Doots,
    Just catching up. Glad to hear you got the stitches out and the doc said things look good.

    Take it easy, and remember, when using the crutches, keep all the weight on your hands. If you put weight on your pits, you just end up with sore, chaffed armpits 😉

  22. horsedooty

    according to my investment guy at Wachovia today, I am a real fricken financial genius. He called yesterday and I returned his call this morning and as we were talking he pulled up my account and said, “Man, I see you are all in cash. You are a lot smarter than a lot of people.” I just thanked him and said call me if the stock market gets its act together some time in the future.

  23. horsedooty

    thanks for the advise Dnd. I am getting pretty good with the crutches but the favorite mode of personal transportation is the wheel chair.

  24. dnd

    Doots,
    Once you get the hang of crutches, you can motor around pretty quickly. Much faster than walking, except for stairs. The big problem is that you inevitably make a mess when you try to carry a cup of coffee 😉

  25. horsedooty

    my friend Michael Stevens was telling me a tale of when he had knee surgery in High School and his one piece of info was to be very wary of stairs. He said he launched himself off the stairs in school more than he wanted to count. I have not tried to carry coffee in a cup with any of my aux mobility devices. I guess if the wife were at home she could push me in the chair but she works 6 days a week. I eat breakfast and drink coffee in the kitchen now something I never have done before. I am generally sitting at the computer. I need both hands to propel me in whatever direction I want to travel. Crutches pose nearly identical problems just different.

  26. chefsheila

    Tim Geithner!!!!! Not only is he my layman’s pick, I’m so glad we’re getting a bright slick go get em kind a guy for Treasury!

    THANK GOODNESS.

    Ok….Back to work!

  27. chefsheila

    Bill Richardson Secretary of Commerce!

  28. dnd

    So Obama is loading up his administration with former Clinton people who supported Obama during the campaign. And then he brings in Hillary at State. Those cabinet meetings are going to be AWKWARD 😉

  29. dnd

    So Obama is loading up his administration with former Clinton people who supported Obama during the campaign. And then he brings in Hillary at State. Those cabinet meetings are going to be AWKWARD 😉

  30. dnd

    Doh! Replace “campaign” with “primaries.”

  31. an hour and quarter in the oral surgeon’s chair, what a bloody nightmare

  32. dnd

    Brian,
    Got pain pills?

  33. chefsheila

    Their not Clinton people. They are experts that cut their teeth in Clinton’s White House.

    Change comes individually too. I have full faith in Obama’s choices and I’m not just being loyal.

  34. chefsheila

    800mg Motrin?

  35. 2 motrin and 2 tylenol 3. What I thought was a sinus infection turned out out to be a bad dental abcess, i have to go back Monday to have the drain removed and maybe start a root canal, sometimes I really feel like I can’t catch a friggin break!

  36. dnd

    Shelia,
    With all due respect, were they not “Clinton people,” why the hubbub when Richardson, a.k.a. Judas, endorsed Obama?

    Wasn’t Emanuel loyal to the Clintons?

    I’d agree with you for lower level staffers.

  37. dnd

    Zbig Brzezinski on Gregory’s MSNBC show tonight. Very interesting perspective on Hillary at State.

  38. Just peaked in at TM, I see that freak of nature GORDO is still going on about birth certificates. WEIRD

  39. dnd

    Brian,
    You’ve got an anti-inflammatory, a pain reliever and codeine. Sounds like you’d better take it easy this weekend. No antibiotics for the abscess?

    Maybe Shelia can make you some soup…

  40. dnd

    Obama served on the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. My guess is that means he’s got a security clearance. Ergo, his birth certificate has been verified at the highest levels.

    Moral of the story: the tin-foil hat set never quit.

  41. dog's eye view

    Hoping you feel better, Brian. Didn’t you have a root canal fairly recently? Yikes.

  42. Yes antibiots, Clindamycin, plus my usual meds, Assacol, and Nexium.

  43. Nope that wasn’t me having the root canal, I think it was Karolenna

  44. I don’t need no stinkin Sheila soup, I just had 3 quarts of won ton delivered!

  45. BTW no one picked right in regards to Commerce or Treasury.

  46. chefsheila

    Sorry Brian,

    Confirmation all afernoon that a Monday press conference is set to officially announce Geithner for Treasury and Richardson for Commerce as part of the economic crisis team. I heard the Volker and Summers will be adivising.

  47. chefsheila

    Oh Sorry!!! lol your right. I only found out about Geithner when I wrote that piece on who Wallstreet wanted.

  48. 3 new Dem seats to fill in the Senate over the next few weeks, what fun!

  49. BTW does anyone think the reason that Biden isn’t giving up his seat till the last moment might be cause he needs the salary?

  50. Nannymm

    Sorry to hear your in pain, Brian. Dental pain stinks. But that wonton soup sounds great!

    It looks like Obama is moving full full steam ahead on those cabinet picks. So far, I like all of his choices, although the Richardson pick surprised me.

  51. Nannymm

    He probably does need that salary. He said during the campaign that his house was his only asset. So, he definitely isn’t independently wealthy.

  52. chefsheila

    Nanny,

    Biden’s net worth is $320,000.00 really!

  53. Nannymm

    He sounds quite combative, doesn’t he? Correct me if I’m wrong here, but I don’t recall the repugs giving the Dems input when they controlled Congress. I think Reid should tell him to stick his letter…..

  54. I think they are gearing up for the fight on health care, it’s going to be big.

  55. dog's eye view

    Good (chilly) morning all.

    That’s chile for dnd and Doots. (Safe travels to Sr. Doots.)

  56. dog's eye view

    RIP JFK, and now JBKO and JFK Jr. with him.

    I don’t get sentimental, but if he is watching, think he’s pleased the country is finally to be in good hands again.

    Maybe we can get an early 60s feeling of hope and promise and opportunity going again. And not have it marred by a string of assassinations and socially wrenching times…Watts was going to happen, civil rights and the antiwar demonstrations had to happen.

    But we are coming off a period of extreme polarization.

    Into terrible economic winds.

    Maybe this will provide opportunities for the long run and bring us together again.

  57. dog's eye view

    Jamie had this link up yesterday. Might be worth a watch later. (Too early for sadness and loss.)

    “Tomorrow is the 45th anniversary of the Kennedy assassination. This clip is ten minutes long, but it is fascinating. It is the actual broadcast of a Dallas radio rock music station during the event. The person who did the video has interspersed TV stills such as Ozzie and Harriet, clips of the dances of the period, and clips from the Zapruder film. It gives a real feel for the time period.

    Posted by: Jamie | November 21, 2008 10:27 AM”

  58. dnd

    Morning Brian,
    That “How Tom Daschle Might Kill Conservatism” is such bullshit. Why is the hard right trying to spin universal health care coverage into socialized medicine? Didn’t they notice that fear didn’t work in this last election?

  59. dog's eye view

    dnd: Conservatism, as practiced by power-mad idealogues, killed conservatism.

    And Pethokoukis is nuts, albeit expensively educated nuts.

  60. I can’t answer your question dnd, I can say though for sure based on several articles that I’ve read is that where they are planning on taking the battle. Under the guise of of the “big government” argument.

  61. dog's eye view

    They won’t get the same hearing on “big government” they would have a few years ago.

    Not after our big government saddled us with an enormous war debt and killed too many before their time, and our industries cannot compete.

    Citizens of this country do not want to be in a race to third world standards so that our industries can compete “efficiently.”

    Wiser, but it took getting way too “sadder” to get there.

  62. chefsheila

    Dnd

    I would like to know more from you why you think that Article on Daschele is BS. Because I cannot speak it yet, these aricles just muddle my mind.

    So, I would sincerely like a counter point to that article.

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