Originally Posted by Wayne Maybury (Post 1011677)

A couple of comments about Canada's healthcare system, drugs, etc.

Firstly most Canadians have a relatively positive opinion about our healthcare system. The problems lie in the over crowding primarily because people go to the ER's, that do not really need professional care. I firmly believe that there should be a minimal charge for visiting a doctor or hospital. This would put dollars into the system and more importantly, it would reduce the number of unnecessary visits. We also have a problem with non-citizens coming into the country to obtain free health care that they cannot get in their own country. Our Medicare cards are being updated in an attempt to cut down on fraud.

Secondly, the drug manufacturers have nothing to do with our socialized healthcare system. These pharmaceutical companies are usually Canadian subsidiaries of US or other major drug companies. Our laws protecting name brand drugs are not exactly the same as the US laws however. Many US citizens, especially the elderly, living close to the Canadian border routinely come up here to get their perscriptions as our prices tend to be lower. This was especially true before the US dollar went in the toilet but that is another story.

Each country has it's own drug approval process. The US has the FDA and Canada has Health Canada. Our two countries work in a very similar way but there is no guarantee that a drug approved in the US will also be approved in Canada, and vice versa. That does not mean to say that drugs authorized for sale in Canada are dangerous or unsafe, they are just not (yet) authorized for sale in the US. Most dangerous drugs tend to be produced somewhere in the world and then sold over the internet by who-knows-who. These internet drug sites can indeed be selling dangerous products as they are totally uncontrolled.

Wayne

Originally Posted by Wes Tausend (Post 1011744)

My health insurance, therefore healthcare, costs as much as is needed to run the entire rest of the country.:eek:

John Q. Public
aka Wes

...

Originally Posted by Excaliber (Post 1011838)

For many people the abortion issue is driven by deeply held spiritual beliefs. There is little or nothing that can compare to the power of one's "absolute" belief in some aspect of their religion. Many would rather die than compromise their belief(s). These folks cannot be bought and cannot be pressured to change. This abortion issue may the single most difficult issue to work out for a compromise.

I have my doubts that the Dem's can do it, the fat lady may be sitting for a long while.

Originally Posted by Excaliber (Post 1011962)

My point is: If someone with the power to stop this based on his/her personal values as it concerns abortion, I'm not convinced ANY amount of money will change that position. Now those individuals are few, maybe in this abortion debate there are NONE. But this is one example, an absolute religious belief, where money will not do the trick.

It is disgusting the way that votes are being bought! Not unprecedented, it's happened countless times in the past, doesn't make it any more acceptable today than it was before.

Originally Posted by Jamo (Post 1011989)

It'll get past the Senate.

The real fight will be in conference with the House.

Originally Posted by Excaliber (Post 1012065)

Well it's a good thing were not a "majority rule" society.

I hope the American people now see there is no such thing as a "moderate" right winger, just look at this bogus statement as an example:

.bill that the vast majority of the American people oppose.

It will never make it to court to face a constitutional challenge. If it does, it will loose. Congress has the right to regulate commerce, as simple as that.