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Post by tiltedflipcurves on Jan 12, 2018 2:48:04 GMT 2
According to a New York Times article reported today, the President of the USA believes that African countries and Haiti are “s—thole countries.” Discuss.“sh
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Post by kuskiwi on Jan 12, 2018 9:58:38 GMT 2
His bullying, hectoring and general racial overtones aren't going to make the lives of the citizens of any of those countries easier. They already cope with dictatorships, famine, drought, earthquakes and enough corruption to make the lives of many very difficult and now this takes away any hope that some had of gaining a foothold where they may be safer.
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Post by Voy on Jan 12, 2018 15:56:27 GMT 2
he's a shithole president. so what comes out of the hole is usually shit.
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Post by Baz Faz on Jan 12, 2018 18:21:36 GMT 2
I think all people living in Britain should be proud of the fact that Trump has cancelled his visit here next month. He has realised he would get a hostile reception. He said he was not coming to officially open the new US embassy and he had a rant about the bad deal Obama got selling the old embassy (it was sold before Obama became president) and the new embassy is in a terrible location (the area is undergoing a transformation and apartments sell for millions). Dumb Trump never lets facts get in the way of his prejudices.
Sorry Americans but you'll have to keep Trump to yourselves.
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Post by sophie on Jan 12, 2018 18:31:04 GMT 2
I like the meme making the rounds which shows a group of young Norwegians laughing and asking why they should go to a sh—hole country.
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Post by sophie on Jan 12, 2018 18:31:53 GMT 2
I also am one of the non Americans who believes it was a racially motivated comment
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Post by Baz Faz on Jan 12, 2018 18:36:00 GMT 2
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Post by auntieannie on Jan 12, 2018 23:30:42 GMT 2
I am so annoyed that he'll be in MY country next week. grrrrrr. I don't want this poor excuse for a human around.
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Post by shrjeff on Jan 13, 2018 10:37:02 GMT 2
well... i emigrated when reagan was governor of california as i could see that it was all downhill from there...
sadly i've not been proven wrong...
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Post by Voy on Jan 13, 2018 17:52:40 GMT 2
I love that people from "those" countries are calling themselves "holers"... the best reaction I've seen.
He is SUCH a turd .
Baz , I was going to "like" your post above -- but I couldn't like keeping him to ourselves ! we wanna get rid of him too !
Jeff, surely there were some uphill bits in those years - at least I think so
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Post by shrjeff on Jan 13, 2018 18:53:44 GMT 2
i'd have to think really hard, voy... not speaking about p.r. type stuff but the whole reaganomics which has devastated the weak, the unwillingness of the american people to pay for universal services and bitching about the poor... nah, it's just constantly gotten worse with trump the current nadir...
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Post by Voy on Jan 13, 2018 19:01:40 GMT 2
Ihave to disagree - esp about some of Obama's programs, and the amazing fact that we even elected him --
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Post by shrjeff on Jan 13, 2018 19:10:41 GMT 2
well... that's because the bush boys were soooo bad that the democrats were elected... and obamacare was a very minimal improvement, though americans don't want even that level of equal services! if you're going to convince me, voy, you have to give specific achievements rather than not being embarrassing!
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Post by tiltedflipcurves on Jan 13, 2018 20:09:01 GMT 2
Some of the things in the USA that have improved since the 1980s:
Food
Beer
Home Entertainment
Inter-gender pay equality
Urban transit
Highway speeds and safety
Health and longevity, for most classes
Crime rates
Stock valuations
Sexual orientation equality
Marijuana potency and legality
Hairstyles
Coffee
The New York Yankees
Flying discs
Air and water quality
Urban planning
I make no claims as to political responsibility.
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Post by auntieannie on Jan 13, 2018 20:36:58 GMT 2
and a lot of this is at risk from the current resident, right?
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Post by Voy on Jan 13, 2018 22:10:02 GMT 2
Hairstyles for sure !!
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Post by Netsuke on Jan 14, 2018 5:00:47 GMT 2
Would some kind American be able to explain obamacare to me please? I have heard this word a lot but it always seems to be with derision, although I could be wrong. I know it's something to do with health care but that's about it.
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Post by slowcoach on Jan 14, 2018 12:29:05 GMT 2
I love that people from "those" countries are calling themselves "holers"... the best reaction I've seen. He is SUCH a turd .
Yes, but why do so many people get upset?
Calling him racist, isn't going hurt him. People need a list of putdowns that he doesn't like.
Ignorant isn't going to bother him either, nor is liar, but he doesn't seem to like being called stupid.
And he is such a prat!
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Post by Netsuke on Jan 14, 2018 23:54:43 GMT 2
Ignorant isn't going to bother him either, nor is liar, but he doesn't seem to like being called stupid. |
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Post by Voy on Jan 15, 2018 2:34:44 GMT 2
Obamacare is really "the Affordable Care Act" -- called Obamacare by the republicans to denigrate it.
It was our first little step to trying to provide medical insurance to those who didn't have it and couldnt afford it... god forbid he try to actually have a "single payer" system - like you and Canada and and and and...
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Post by Netsuke on Jan 16, 2018 4:50:21 GMT 2
Obamacare is really "the Affordable Care Act" -- called Obamacare by the republicans to denigrate it. It was our first little step to trying to provide medical insurance to those who didn't have it and couldnt afford it... god forbid he try to actually have a "single payer" system - like you and Canada and and and and... I am so glad I don't live in America. What a bunch of selfish egotistical, greedy skinflints. Except for the ones on the Pot of course. I had gathered from watching American television programs that people had to have health insurance or a hospital wouldn't see a person and different hospitals had deals with different insurance companies. As I say, I learnt this from the telly. Here in Australia, we have Medicare (It used to be known as Medibank but then part of that became Medibank Private so Medibank was renamed Medicare.) Anyway, Medicare provides free medical to everybody, not just people on low incomes - people with a Health Care Card or Pension Card. If you go to a public hospital, you see a doctor for free, you might be waiting for up to 3-4 hours if it is particularly busy. I blame certain peoples who take advantage and take up space and places when their little angel has only got a cold. Certain types are in this basket. Not all doctors bulk bill. Bulk billing is when the doctor sends the bill directly to Medicare , he in turn receives 85% of the scheduled fee back. Many doctors charge above the "scheduled" fee, they claim Medicare refunds haven't kept pace with rising costs over the years. Whether this is correct or not, health wise, we are still better of here than that lot over there. Also, in Australia, if you have a health care card or pension card, then your prescriptions are $5.40 each - up 10 cents from last year! Medicare is partly funded by taxpayers who pay a Medicare levy of 2% of their taxable income. I am all for this, I believe it is a good system and we should all be helping pay toward the cost. I have no time for rich britches and rich bastardinos who whinge and complain about it. Everybody pays. Everybody contributes. That is the way it should be. I can't understand why American people can't understand how much better off their nation would be if they had a decent health system. But then again, we're talking about a country where workers are paid starvation wages, and the bosses expect customers to pay big tips so their staff can eat and pay their rent! It's a damn disgrace. |
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Post by tiltedflipcurves on Jan 16, 2018 6:04:44 GMT 2
> I had gathered from watching American television programs that people had to have health insurance or a hospital wouldn't see a person and different hospitals had deals with different insurance companies. Not quite. U.S. emergency rooms that accept federal money (which means almost all of them) have long been required to treat all comers, including the uninsured. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emergency_Medical_Treatment_and_Active_Labor_Act But they can charge for that, often more than an uninsured patient could afford. if the patient can't afford the emergency care, the hospital is nonetheless required to provide it. However, (a) because emergency care is much more costly than preventative or timely care, providing socialized emergency rooms without other socialized medicine or socialized insurance is stupidly wasteful, and (b) it's doubtful that uninsured patients always get the standard level of emergency care. |
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Post by kuskiwi on Jan 16, 2018 9:54:02 GMT 2
Social care is always a difficult question in any society and often the more we have the more we want and the more abuses of it. NZ's is similar to Aust in that any accident is funded by premiums on employment income and taxes on things like motor vehicle registration. General health is from the consolidated funds through taxation however as demand and an aging population has created bottle necks in waiting lists etc many are now resorting to paying private insurers for major surgery rather than wait.. ie hip joints etc. The days when we said we were looked after from the Cradle to the Grave have long gone and now until I reach a cut off useage point I pay $60 for a Drs visit and $5 per prescription, yet those in real need are looked after albiet without all the bells and whistles of private care... ie if you have surgery you get hospital food and no glass of wine with dinner as you do in one of our insurance run wards but you do get exemplary care and good surgeons.
No doubt to many of the northern european countries where they are still cradle to the grave cared for we would also fall into the S... hole category as defined by a certain person.
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Post by Baz Faz on Jan 16, 2018 11:45:02 GMT 2
France has a generally wonderful health care system (some regions are better than others) but it in not free for the majority at the point of use. You pay to see your doctor (I seem to remember it had gone up to 24 euros, the idea being to put off people troubling their GP with trivial ailments like colds). It is common to take out medical insurance to cover what is not paid for by the state. Some people do get it entirely free - young children, expectant mothers, unemployed. Also if it is a life-threatening illness then it is absolutely free.
I had a melanoma which needed an op. Melanoma is cancer so anything to do with that was free. I had the op and was in a nice private room recovering when lunch was brought in: salade nicoise, boeuf hourguignon, camembert, apple and a quarter litre of red wine. I guess they have scaled back on that now.
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Post by Netsuke on Jan 16, 2018 18:08:16 GMT 2
Australia has a Reciprocal Health Care Agreement with several countries. When I was in NZ, I tripped on the steps in the hotel and couldn't move, the pain was agonising. They took me to the medical centre, I had x-rays, physio, a special boot and was given crutches. Each day the hotel driver took me to and from the medical centre for treatment, it was free, I didn't pay anything.
Similarly in London several years later, I tripped over in public, hurt my knees and could only hobble, took a taxi to the hospital, treatment was free. Went back to have dressings. Medication and treatment was free. Then I got sick, was in bed for several days. Visits to the doctor were free, so too were the prescriptions. Yet I have travelled several times do many countries in SEA as well as China and Japan and never once did I get sick, or get a cold or a headache. But go to Europe .. and I was crook as a chook!
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