Saturday, September 05, 2009

Let's Get Our Terms Straight

Since words are being thrown around to describe the president and the health care plan, I thought I would provide this public service by providing actual definitions of these terms so you can use them correctly. Consider it our gift to you.

Nazi: a member of the National Socialist German Workers' party of Germany, seized political control of the country, suppressing all opposition and establishing a dictatorship over all cultural, economic, and political activities of the people, and promulgated belief in the supremacy of Hitler as Führer, aggressive anti-Semitism, the natural supremacy of the German people, and the establishment of Germany by superior force as a dominant world power.
Socialism: a theory or system of social organization that advocates the vesting of the ownership and control of the means of production and distribution, of goods in the community as a whole. A socialist is one who advocates socialism.
Socialized medicine: any of various systems to provide the entire population with complete medical care through government subsidization and regularization of medical and health services [the way Medicare provides care for seniors]
Fascism: a system of government marked by centralization of authority under a dictator, stringent socioeconomic controls, suppression of the opposition through terror and censorship, and typically a policy of belligerent nationalism and racism. And don't many of Obama's critics on the right find fault with the fact that he has apologized for prior policies and actions that offended people of other countries? Hardly belligerent nationalism -- my country, right or wrong. And, um, isn't it censorship to want to ban the president from speaking to school children to encourage them to do well?

Just askin'.

16 comments:

Connecticut Man1 said...

"[the way Medicare provides care for seniors]"

A socialist system would have Doctors that are workers for the government [see the UK].

Medicare has free market service providers and only a government payer. It is really a centrist/hybrid of free market medical and socialist payer insurance.

The VA or miltary healthcare systems would be socialist. But not Medicare.

George Penman said...

US health care is the world's most expensive yet it doesn't cover everyone, and its outcomes are only slightly better than Cuba's. See http://www.seconnecticut.com/healthcare.htm

To further complicate the problem, talk radio shock jocks are turning out angry mobs that insist on being armed and who, against their own self-interest, will not change anything. See http://www.seconnecticut.com/radio.htm

This may be a Weimar moment. See
http://www.seconnecticut.com/fascism.htm

Authentic Connecticut Republican said...

US health care is the world's most expensive

The UL Health Care System is actually the 2nd largest employer in the world after the Chinese Army.

Health care in the UK costs a total of $22,000 (US) per-person per-year.

Prostate cancer is over 400 times more survivable in the US than in the UK and 600 times better here than neighboring Canada.

Now then, you were saying?

Authentic Connecticut Republican said...

Nazi:
aggressive anti-Semitism


That seems to be the case.

Socialism:
a theory or system of social organization that advocates the vesting of the ownership and control of the means of production and distribution


See - General Motors


Socialized medicine:
any of various systems to provide the entire population with complete medical care through government subsidization



Sounds like the proposed plan.


...and regularization of medical and health services

FDA - the 1st thing we should close entirely; arrest the employees and sentence them to work camps.

Fascism:
a system of government marked by centralization of authority under a dictator

Do you seriously fail to see this administration's going in that direction?

CT Bob said...

"Prostate cancer is over 400 times more survivable in the US than in the UK and 600 times better here than neighboring Canada."

Cite, please.

Authentic Connecticut Republican said...

http://www.wrongdiagnosis.com/p/prostate_cancer/deaths.htm

http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/publicat/cdic-mcc/16-1sup/c_e.html

This one's cute as it fails to break out post 50 year olds thus giving a false impression as to survivability:
http://www.cancer.ca/canada-wide/about%20cancer/cancer%20statistics/stats%20at%20a%20glance/prostate%20cancer.aspx?sc_lang=en

CT Bob said...

Either I'm missing it ACR, or there is nothing obvious in any of those stats that indicate a rate that's "400 times more survivable in the US than in the UK and 600 times better here than neighboring Canada."

From what I gather, the death rate from prostate cancer per 100,000 is 23 in Canada and 28.8 in the U.S., but depending on the source the statistics vary by year and the way they sample the population. I'd really like to see where you came up with that 600X claim of yours.

But just reading about prostate cancer makes it a lot easier to face the doctor every year when he slaps that glove on and turns to me with that mischievous twinkle in his eye! LOL

Authentic Connecticut Republican said...

Play with the calculations yourself - fact is when health care is rationed (and like it or not it *is* in both the UK & Canada) prostrate cancer too often goes un, or misdiagnosed for long enough that long term survivability rates drop like a rock, most especially in men over 50.

CT Bob said...

ACR, I can play with the stats 'til the goddamned cows come home, but none of them are bringing a 600x survival rate with them!

And for anyone with insurance who's ever been denied coverage for a needed procedure, or been dropped by their insurance company because of a pre-existing condition, or lost their insurance when they lost their job, or simply been refused insurance for any reason at all...

...well, that's the very definition of "rationing".

Authentic Connecticut Republican said...

And for anyone with insurance who's ever been denied coverage for a needed procedure, or been dropped by their insurance company because of a pre-existing condition, or lost their insurance when they lost their job, or simply been refused insurance for any reason at all...


1: Your math probably sucks.

2: Catastrophic coverage costs maybe 1000 a year for a whole family.

THAT would be a nice thing for the gov't to provide as it would save homes, keep kids in college, etc.

Anonymous said...

Rationing is such a scary word but it beats the heck out of some having it all and the rest not even getting their butt checked.
Oops! This is becoming a one sex sided debate. JC Sr.
PS Don't worry ACR the Big Bad Government is not going to throw all the businessmen in jail. Someone has to pay the zillians for this.

CT Bob said...

ACR - 1. I know my math sucks! Which is why I'm not a theoretical mathematician for a living; and 2. So obviously you're totally in favor of the gov't providing catastrophic health care to 100% of the population; hey, it's a start!

And I'm guessing that 600x number you brewed up was just a brain bubble on your part. You might want to get that checked before your health insurance is rationed. LOL!

Authentic Connecticut Republican said...

>>Don't worry ACR the Big Bad Government is not going to throw all the businessmen in jail

Of course not - most of them have been buying ammo weekly for almost a year now.

Authentic Connecticut Republican said...

>>And I'm guessing that 600x number you brewed up..

Often quoted is 400% higher death rate in UK; 617% higher in Canada.

CT Bob said...

Ah, NOW you're getting somewhere!

"Often quoted" without verifiable citation is virtually worthless in a debate.

And speaking of mathematical aptitude, "400%" does NOT equal "400 times".

Not even close. And you still haven't justified that figure anyway.

That's the kind of "voodoo mathematics" that I've become used to hearing from anti-reform conservatives. It ain't very accurate, but boy does it play well with the rubes.

Anonymous said...

Does Capitalisum belong on that list?