Another great story out of Canada's universal health system!  "She Lay 5 Days on Stretcher in ER"

Mark Degasperis was furious his mother spent five days on a stretcher at Toronto Western Hospital waiting for a room with 25 patients ahead of her -- until the Toronto Sun made a call and she was suddenly moved to a room yesterday.

"They were giving us the same old song and dance why she was in the emergency department with only a sheet draped around her. I couldn't even call her because she didn't have a phone," Degasperis of Georgetown said.

Heather Degasperis, 60, has a dangerous bacterial condition and was sent by her doctor to Toronto Western because it has the experts for her condition.

"She is not well and wasn't able to sleep and she wasn't getting any better. She needed peace and quiet to sleep.

"This is a terrible environment. I suggested taking her to another hospital, but we were told there are long waits across the region and the doctors we need are here. So there was nothing we could do," Degasperis said yesterday.

"I'm angry we pay such high taxes and the more money we throw at the health care system the worse it gets. People shouldn't be lined up on stretchers in the emergency department. If you are sick you should get a room."

Coming soon to an American ER near you?

 A new study shows that Conservatives are happier than Liberals because we're able to "justify economic inequalities."

To justify economic inequalities, a person could support the idea of meritocracy, in which people supposedly move up their economic status in society based on hard work and good performance.

In that way, one's social class attainment, whether upper, middle or lower, would be perceived as totally fair and justified.

If your beliefs don't justify gaps in status, you could be left frustrated and disheartened, according to the researchers, Jaime Napier and John Jost of New York University.

I couldn't have said it better myself!  Apparently we're happier because we're not socialist! 

I realize this study was more intended to malign Conservatives by saying that we just don't care, but the truth is we do believe that, in America - the greatest land of opportunity mankind has ever known - people have a lot of control over their own destiny.  If you work hard, make responsible life decisions, and yes, even make sacrifices, then there's a good chance that you can improve your financial status.

If you're lazy, make poor lifestyle decisions, and seek every luxury right now with credit cards or an excessive mortgage, then it's not the job of government to insulate you from the consequences by taking more from those who have sacrificed and achieved and giving it to you.

A Liberal New York Times columnist (please forgive my redundancy) believes that people will not mind paying so much in taxes if we simply start calling them "dues."

It’s time to take a page from the conservative playbook, the one where they reframe the debate by changing the language — for instance, calling the “estate tax” a “death tax,” or making equal rights for same-sex partners a “protection of marriage” issue. I propose we stop saying “taxes” and start calling them “dues.”

Yes, this is a little sneaky. Some conservatives may even call it Orwellian, and they ought to know. But the word “dues” also plays into the psychology of group identity, and that can work to the benefit of conservatives and liberals alike. Consider that “tax” comes from the Latin for “appraise” with punitive overtones of “censure” or “fault,” as if wage-earners have done something wrong by their labors. “Dues,” in contrast, is rooted in social obligation and duty.

Do "the poor" think they're entitled to absolutely everyting these days?

Low-income drivers would get a break on the $8 fee for driving into Manhattan under a revised version of Mayor Bloomberg's congestion-pricing plan released Sunday.

The discount and a proposed $1 billion contribution from the Port Authority are designed to overcome objections that the plan would hurt poor New Yorkers while giving a break to New Jersey drivers who already pay Hudson River tolls.

Generally I'm opposed to increases in taxes and fees, but it's a little bit easier for me to swallow if it is applied evenly, and thus fairly, to all citizens.  That's why this is so ridiculous to me.  They're whining because it taxes them once but fails to double tax New Jersey drivers who work in the city.  Boo hoo... Plus, if these people are so poor, how can they afford a car and gas?

Of course people are going to be affected by this!  The entire point of the fee is to discourage people from driving in the city so as to alleviate congestion.  Public transportation anyone?  I guess they're only going to discourage the middle class from driving since "the poor" will get a free ride out of this...

The United States has finally allocated $23 million to build a border fence.  The only problem is that it is going up between Egypt and Gaza. 

I often lament the fact that governments are getting into the habit of meddling in issues that are absolutely none of their concern.  Take restaurants for example... Governments are trying and are sometimes succeeding in telling them if they can be smoking or non, what food they can and can't serve, what customers they can and can't serve, and now, how much toilet paper they must have in their restrooms!

TALLAHASSEE (CBS4.com) ? A proposed law currently making its way through the Florida legislature might help you with what can be an embarrassing problem. Here's the bottom line, the bill would be a mandate that all eating establishment must have enough toilet paper when you go into the restroom.

 

The only problem is the bill doesn't dictate how much toilet paper is "enough."

State Senator Victor Crist, a Republican from Tampa, felt the problem was so important, a law must be passed to protect the backsides of anyone in Florida. The measure will also try to regulate the cleanliness of restrooms in eating establishments.

Crist, says in the bill, restaurant inspectors, "should also check the restrooms along with the kitchens to make sure that basic cleanliness necessities are in place."

I don't mind with inspectors ensuring the cleanliness of restaurant kitchens.  After all, patrons cannot tour the kitchen to find out for themselves, nor would we want them to!  But we can find out pretty quickly if an establishment has a nasty bathroom or is lacking toilet paper.

Guess what... people don't go back!  Capitalism wins!  No need for arbitrary government regulations.  Same goes for smoking or having healthier choices on the menu!  Restaurant owners will make these decisions based on free market demands (i.e. if not enough people eat there because it's filled with smoke, the owner will ban smoking to attract more customers).  It's much easier and doesn't waste tax dollars enforcing arbitrary rules.

That's the claim that is being made by Lawrence Gostin, a law professor (that's like a music professor sounding the alarm about "global warming," but I digress).  He truly believes that obesity is a greater danger to our world than terrorism because the diseases that result account for "60 percent of the world's deaths."  What a joke...

People should eat less and exercise more.  It's common sense.  But, if I'm fat and get heart disease or diabetes, it's my problem.  I could've and should've taken better care of my body.  I don't need a bloated government bureaucracy telling me how to live my life and I certainly don't want that government getting even bigger, and taking more of my money in taxes so that they can tell other people how to live theirs.

There are consequences to the decisions we make... yes, perhaps even dying a few years younger than we might have otherwise.  That doesn't make it a greater threat than terrorism.  It is the responsibility of government to protect its citizens from a suicide bomber.