WE Gave Iraqis Universal Healthcare, WHY Not Americans?

[Segami]

According to the Pentagon 4,487 American soldiers died in the Iraq War; 32,226 were wounded.

For this tremendous sacrifice, Iraqis gained the right to vote and Universal Health Care.






The United States committed to spend $950 million to establish universal healthcare. In article 31 of The Iraqi Constitution, revised by the Bush administration, it states:

“Every citizen has the right to health care. The State shall maintain public health and provide the means of prevention and treatment by building different types of hospitals and health institutions. “

Thirty-two of the thirty-three developed nations have universal health care. The United States is the lone exception. The following list was compiled from World Health Organization sources.

http://www.who.int/en/

http://www.thepragmaticpundit.com/2012/03/we-gave-iraqis-universal-healthcare-why.html

[Robb]

1. In fairness, we also took it away in the first place.

Before 1990, 97% of urban Iraqis had access to free primary health care.

[99Forever]

2. Who is this "we" you speak of?

I've never taken anything away from an Iraqi or supported anyone else who did.

Yet I have no health care and they do, on my dime.

[Selatius]

13. I believe the argument is that since the US gov't is elected by us, we're responsible.

I didn't vote for George W. Bush either, but that doesn't change the fact that under him, our government leveled their country killing a god-awful number of civilians and many soldiers in the process.

[99Forever]

14. So how does the responsibility fall ...

... upon those of us that ACTIVELY opposed the ILLEGAL and IMMORAL invasion of another sovereign nation based on lies, again? Explain that to me, as apparently I'm too fucking stupid to understand how you come to that conclusion.

And no, I didn't elect those that perpetrated these war crimes, in fact, I voted against them.

[Selatius]

17. Well, in any democratic model, the assumption is that supreme power rests with the people.

If the nation as a whole didn't want war, they would've stopped the war. This country would've ground to a halt. Not enough people gave a shit.

It's not a slam on you directly but on the nation as a whole. Every time something new happened, another low, I'd thought that it can't possibly get worse, that people would finally draw the line, but I haven't seen that out of this country. People seem more interested in reality TV and the newest techno gadgets than they are about something called the Bill of Rights.

I'm reminded of this clip from Boston Legal, yes ironically another TV show, but I think it was one relevant to the topic at hand.

[fasttense]

22. America is obviously NOT a Democracy.

We the People crashed the phone lines in DC when both Democrats and RepubliCONS were about to approve a bail out for banksters. So many people called their supposed Representatives telling them NOT to bail out the crooks that the phone lines crashed. And yet, our politicians went right ahead a bailed out the corrupt banks and Wall Street crooks. That is NOT what a Democracy does.

[99Forever]

23. "Assumption" ????

Pardon me, but fuck a whole bunch of assumptions.

It's insulting to the hundreds of thousands, if not millions of us that did ALL we could to try and stop the drumbeat of that capitalist pig war. For you to assign blanket responsibility to ALL of this nation is quite insulting. WE got ignored, minimized, jailed, demonized, and even had violence perpetrated against us for trying to PREVENT the very thing you now want to lay the responsibility for, at our feet.

Nope, not owning something I and many, MANY others opposed, just because some did it, "in our name." They didn't have permission to use "my name" in their evil deeds.

[Demeter]

8. And added the mutegenic Depleted Uranium to destroy children before birth

The US has a lot of bad karma stored up in Iraq.

[John2]

12. This goes on with death ears to me!

We were lied to by the U.S. Government and American Press, to carry out their Foreign Policies. Not one time did the American Press, question the Bush Administration's lies. They were just as guilty as Congress in my opinion, while demonizing people that were against that ill advised War.

I would not exonerate Iraqis either in this duplicity. Certain demographics in Iraq, that opposed the regime in Iraq, were over here in the United States, begging the U.S. Congress to invade Iraq. They used war crimes and torture, to gain the sympathy of the American people. So certain groups gave the U.S. an invitation to do the dirty work. I don't agree to others, using our military for their fights. I didn't agree with spending our tax dollars either.

Our Government also claimed Iraq would pay us back. They are sitting on Oil and have not paid us anything. Don't the Kurds owe us? So why don't Congress go to these Countries, that they liberated, ask for reimbursement, instead of robbing us again? The same should apply to every country we liberate in the name of Democracy. That is what I say to those in Congress, when they bring up entitlements. We did not create the Debt!

[tavernier]

3. But but but, you don't understand!

Universal health care will turn us all into communists!

[zipplewrath]

4. Because Obama said so

Obama declared single payer wouldn't work in this country and "locked out" adovates from the negotiations.

[green for victory]

19. locked out and arrested

Baucus’s Raucous Caucus: Doctors, Nurses and Activists Arrested Again for Protesting Exclusion of Single-Payer Advocates at Senate Hearing on Healthcare

http://www.democracynow.org/2009/5/13/baucus_raucus_caucus_doctors_nurses_and

[Live and Learn]

20. He didn't say it wouldn't work. He said he couldn't get it through.

And he was right.

[zipplewrath]

21. Actually

I think the exact quote was something about "it wasn't right for this country at this time" or something of that nature. It was in response to a question about the fact that so many other countries have some form of single payer.

[Nay]

6. It was a simple bribe -- give back the healthcare system that had been destroyed -- and

the PTB can point out how ungrateful the Iraqis are for not appreciating all we have done for them.

There's no need to bribe the US population with universal healthcare -- propaganda about 'freedum' and 'soshulism' is cheaper and works just as well, since the population is mainly comprised of idiots.

[Ghost in the Machine]

7. That's a damned good question!

Now, who has a damned good answer??

[former-republican]

11. just gave it to you

[libtodeath]

9. Because the top fat cats dont need it but do need us at their mercy to obtain it

menial low paying jobs but a pitiful excuse for insurance included.
Just dont expect much from it but at least you might not go bankrupt overnight.

[former-republican]

10. Health care in the U.S is decided by lobbyist

in the insurance industry and the pharmaceutical.

If anyone else thinks different they are a fool.

[Ghost in the Machine]

15. Of course, that's why the recent "Healthcare Reform" had *nothing* to do with actual healthcare...

... reform, but it was a payoff to the insurance companies instead. The mandate was the real icing on the cake.... making the public purchase a product from a corporation! Smells almost like fascism, just with a friendlier face...

[LeftInTX]

16. Yep, it was the lobbyists that destroyed Clinton's healthcare reform

Obama's Deal, online PBS documentary and written analysis about the ACA
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/obamasdeal/

A sobering look at the push to reform health care, revealing the realities of American politics, the power of special interest groups and the role of money in policy making.

[countmyvote4real]

18. Kick