Friday, January 25, 2008

European Health Care

In a recent article about Botox dangers, the following:

"Health authorities in Europe have done a far better job of highlighting the drugs’ dangers, Dr. Wolfe said. The authorities in Britain and Germany have required drug manufacturers to send letters to doctors warning of the dangers."

On so many fronts, European governments are light years ahead of the good ol' US of A - for example, requiring computer manufacturers to build machines for Europe with far fewer toxins, while the "infected" stuff is sold here.

Why?

Because European nations foot the health bill for their people, they care.

Whereas here, we don't!

It's that simple.

As long as the wealthy can buy all the health care they need, we don't care!

40 million uninsured. We don't care.

Botox and other meds poorly labeled as to potential dangers, marketed like candy. We don't care.

As long as we can keep 40 million under the radar screen, as long as we can have our candy, we don't care.

It's a national scandal, and until we wake up and learn:
- our European friends are doing a far better job,
- we have something to learn from others (always a tough pill for us Americans to swallow),
- our social capital is being depleted for want of real care and social justice,
- our failure to tell Ronald Reagan and his hands-off philosophy for the economy (except big spending for the military, etc.) to take a hike,
- our failure to help millions out of poverty while spending time and money on bed-room politics (abortion and homosexuality) is warping the soul of our Republic,

our nation will continue to stumble and stall.

Goodness and kindness, mercy and grace, are always the order of the day! And why not link wise national health care to these powerful values?

If Uncle Sam were footing the bill for our nation's health, you can bet your bottom dollar we'd see the kind of regulation our European friends adopted long ago.