Why are Americans adamant about being behind everyone else?

Question

I really would like to understand this. Statistically, it's really Republicans who are adamant about this, but I do see Democrats as well as Independents.

Every other developed country in the world has universal health care for their citizens, they have free education (through university-level in most cases), paid sick leave and parental leave. Granted, the tradeoff for these is higher taxes... but SO WHAT?

Rather than paying $800+ per month for health insurance, you're paying a small percent of your income to be sure you have health care available to you. Rather than paying a few thousand a year for your children to go to school, it's paid for. And the kicker: to send your children to college: free (a value anywhere from 10 to 50 thousand dollars or more).

Why do we choose to work ourselves into debt when many of the costs that we incur could be paid for by an increase in our taxes? Are Americans scared of change or advancing into the modern world?

A few thoughts about the answers already put up:

-Despite what you may think, America does NOT have the greatest health care in the world, it ranks 37th. (Canada ranks 30th)
-I am, in fact, American.
-Who says our health care system has to be identical to any other countries'?

Answer 1

you find your answer in the other answers. people are anxious to believe what they're told, and here we're told we have the best of everything.

most people are not interested in changing things they don't know to change. that would be work. this is simple nationalism and it's nothing to be proud of.

Answer 2

Americans are in front of the rest of the world in just about everything. Over 70% of our poor own their own home, have over 2 televisions and at least 1 car. Our healthcare is the best in the world. If someone has a real medical problem they come to the US for help. Everyone in Canada has an American doctor for when they actually have a problem. Universal Healthcare for cancer for instance when it takes you an average of 8 months to see an actual doctor isn't healthcare. It's a death sentence. Most people in the socialist healthcare countries that have terminal diseases only have terminal diseases because it took too long to see a doctor and the disease progressed to the point of becomming terminal. A little secret of the US is that everyone has free emergency health care. After being stabilized you may be transferred to a different hospital though you still receive the best care in the world.

Education: Take a look at our universities. They are filled with people from countries around the world trying to get the best education. We don't have free college level education and our lower level eduction is run and controlled by the Democrat Teacher's Union. This is why our lower level education has gotten worse year after year. If someone excells educationally they will receive a scholarship and go on to college free of charge. In many other countries higher education is only for the wealth and yes it's free though how are they going to get into the higher education when they don't have proper lower educational schools. A great exception to this rule is Poland. They do extreamly well in education on a very low budget. This is also true in the US for the Catholic school system though our high school and lower public education system is horrible due to the Democrat Teacher's Union and this should be changed.

The Elite: I don't think it's fair to have higher taxes and higher unemployment. You say this and that is free though in reality in a lot of countries like France and other first world countries the unemployment rate is very high so a smaller percentage of people even have the opportunity to work. Due to this the unemployed are really in trouble they don't have the money to even take advantage of the supposed free items in society. They have to scrounge to survive. This isn't right. Let people work and be productive. Let them purchase the best or lowest quality per their choice of price vs. reward and allow the free market to rule. Government shouldn't rule everything. The private market does a much better job than government and I don't know why the socialist and communists can't realize this. Take a real look at the countries and you'll see if people had a choice they would choose to come the the US over everywhere else and this is for good reason.

Answer 3

Hitler also said America was behind and we had to go to Europe to save the continent from National Socialism. It's a joke for you to say things "provided" by the government are "free". Ever heard of taxes? Your liberal masters never tell you the true price of what they call "free". Maybe when you grow up you will learn. In the mean time, do us all a favor and don't vote. If socialized medicine was so great, explain why Canadiand flood to the USA to get treatments when they are sick?

Answer 4

People don't like having their taxes raised. It's a fact of life. If programs like those went into effect, taxes in America would raise dramatically. People who don't like high taxes want to be able to use the money they earn for themselves. They would argue "Why am I paying for free health care if I never get sick?" and "Why would I pay for colleges if I never want to go to college?"

How about this: you have to pay 80 dollars out of every one of your paychecks for the next year in order to pay for a bridge in another state. Are you willing to sacrifice your own money for the benefit of others? It might benefit yourself, if you ever happen to use that bridge, but it might not end up benefiting you at all. It is, arguably, a selfish way of looking at taxes, but that is what the opinion of many voters is like.

Answer 5

Canada pays 60% income tax. Universal health care does not work. It is a nice thought to wish everyone could have everything they ever wanted. But life is not a fairy tale. There is a certain percent of the population who refuse to help themselves. They enjoy a life of leasure while everyone else works. Why should they be rewarded. Taking from the rich and giving to the poor is criminal. Dispite what you read in Robin Hood.

Answer 6

No country on earth has a better health-care system than the USA. Go ahead and socialize it. You remove choice and incentive for doctors to specialize in what they're good at, and throw quality out the window. You will find yourself waiting on a list for months at a time for hernia operations, back injuries, sprained joints, etc. The misguided notion that coverage = care is the problem. Everyone already has access to care...the desire to translate that to everyone has coverage will result in very few getting the care they truly need, or even from a decent physician.

Answer 7

It's amazing to me how we are so much more powerful and successful than anyone else, but so many of our citizens think we are not part of the modern world.

Many people from other countries try to get into our country to live, even from Western countries which would mean giving up their 'free' healthcare. You should go to a 'modern' country.

Answer 8

At the same time, why is American health care and education the best in the world? Because it's not run by the government.

Answer 9

It is simply a broad difference in perception of what greatness really means.

Since when does the US set Europe as its standard for anything? Sorta' misses the point about why we crossed the ocean blue.

Answer 10

Subject: National Health Care Plan?


A good friend of mine who has been a nurse for over 25 years sent me this. She said she’s treated a number of patients who have come to the US from Canada so they could get treatment. I felt like the information was worth sharing with others. This is an e-mail from Canadian citizens. It fell into place with what my friend had heard from the Canadian patients she’s treated. I’m just sharing it with others because I felt led to do so. It seems to be information that should be considered. Have a blessed day! Kathy


Please take the time to read it so you can do whatever you
wish....research, verify, etc., but please read it.

I saw on the news up here in Canada where Hillary Clinton introduced her
new health care plan. Something similar to what we have in Canada. I also
heard that Michael Moore was raving about the health care up here in Canada
in his latest movie. As your friend and someone who lives with the Canada
health care plan, I thought I would give you some facts about this great
medical plan that we have in Canada.

First of all:
1) The health care plan in Canada is not free. We pay a premium every month
of $96 for Shirley and I to be covered. Sounds great! What they don't
tell you is how much we pay in taxes to keep the health care system afloat.
I am personally in the 55% tax bracket. Yes 55% of my earnings go to taxes.
A large portion of that (I am not sure of the exact amount) goes directly
to health care our #1 expense.

2) I would not classify what we have as health care plan, it is more like
a health diagnosis system. You can get into to see a doctor quick enough
so he can tell you "yes indeed you are sick or you need an operation" but
now the challenge becomes getting treated or operated on. We have waiting
lists out the ying yang, some as much as 2 years down the road.

3) Rather than fix what is wrong with you the usual tactic in Canada is to
prescribe drugs. Have a pain- here is a drug to take- not what is causing
the pain and why. No time for checking you out because it is more important
to move as many patients thru as possible each hour for Government
re-imbursement.

4) Many Canadians do not have a family Doctor.

5) Don't require emergency treatment as you may wait for hours in the
emergency room waiting for treatment.

6) Shirley's dad cut his hand on a power saw a few weeks back and it
required that his hand be put in a splint - to our surprise we had to pay
$125 for a splint because it is not covered under health care plus we have
to pay $60 for each visit for the dr. to check it out each week.

7) Shirley's cousin was diagnosed with a heart blockage. Put on a waiting
list .. Died before he could get treatment.

8) Government allots so many operations per year. When that is done no
more operations, unless you go to your local newspaper and plead your case
and embarrass the government then money suddenly appears.

9)The Government takes great pride in telling us how much more they are
increasing the funding for health care but waiting lists never get shorter.
Government just keeps throwing money at the problem but it never goes away.
They are good at finding new ways to tax us, but they don't call it a
tax anymore it is now a user fee.

10) A friend needs an operation for a blockage in her leg but because she
is a smoker they will not do it despite paying into the health care
system all these years. My friend is 65 years old. Now there is talk that
maybe we should not treat fat and obese people either because they are a
drain on the health care system. Let me see now, what we want in Canada is
a health care system for healthy people only. That should reduce our health care
costs.

11) Forget getting a second opinion, what you see is what you get.

12) I can spend what money I have left after taxes on booze, cigarettes,
junk food and anything else that could kill me but I am not allowed by law
to spend my money on getting an operation I need because that would be
jumping the queue. I must wait my turn except if I am a hockey player or
athlete then I can get looked at right away. Go figure. Where else in the
world can you spend money to kill yourself but are not allowed to spend
money to get healthy.

13) Oh did I mention that immigrants are covered automatically at tax payer
expense having never contributed a dollar to the system and pay no premiums.

14) We now give free needles to drug users to try and keep them
healthy. Wouldn't want a sickly druggie breaking into your house and
stealing your things. But people with diabetes who pay into the health care
system have to pay for their needles because they are not covered by the
health care system.

I send this out not looking for sympathy but as the election looms in the
states you will be hearing more and more about universal health care down
there and the advocates will be pointing to Canada. I just want to make
sure that you hear the truth about health care up here and have some food
for thought and informed questions to ask when broached with this subject.

Step wisely and don't make the same mistakes we have.