Re: Important PBS series in March
From: James Smeltzer (James.Smeltzer@wellstar.org)
Mon Mar 10 16:58:04 2008
That is a GOOD point - perhaps we need to stop criminalizing work for
those who have come here to do so??!
JSS
>>> art fougner, md <evsono@pipeline.com> 3/10/2008 12:42 PM >>>
There're two problems with use taxes - overtax and usage goes down -
therefore the funding for programs which benefit from the tax goes
down.
The second problem is that the consumer shifts toward the Five
Families'
Discount Market.
Art
At Mon, 10 Mar 2008, James Smeltzer wrote:
>
>Apparently Pres Bush thinks we can. He is ADAMANTLY OPPOSED to
taxing
>dead rich people, who were too greedy and controlling to put their
bread
>in a family trust....
>
>As to people's behavior and health - I have always been in favor of a
>bigger tax on the obvious tobacco and ethanol. How about a copay
>proportional to (BMI - 26) Or (Mean BP - 105) Or (Resting HR - 60) Or
>???
>
>JSS
>
>--
>James S. Smeltzer, MD, FACOG, SMFM
>Consultant, Maternal Fetal Medicine
>Wellstar Physicians' Group
>Northwest Women's Care
>787 Campbell Hill St
>Marietta GA 30060
>James.Smeltzer@wellstar.org
>VM 678-290-3035
>Off 770-528-0260
>Page 404-318-3451
>
>>>> Terry DuBose <terrydubose@sbcglobal.net> 3/9/2008 11:52 AM >>>
>I agree that paying for universal health care is an issue. But we
>can't take it with us, and Denmark seems to have found some answers.
>With a 50% tax rate, they are the most content people on Earth, it
>appears:
>
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/02/14/60minutes/main3833797.shtml
>
> Peace, Terry
>
>Ellerd Family <ellerd@stx.rr.com> wrote:
> v\:* { BEHAVIOR: url(#default#VML) } o\:* { BEHAVIOR:
>url(#default#VML) } w\:* { BEHAVIOR: url(#default#VML) } .shape
{
> BEHAVIOR: url(#default#VML) }
>st1\:*{behavior:url(#default#ieooui) } I understand the
>social aspects of this...the problem becomes how to pay for it. Even
in
>Cuba "someone" has to pay for it. The idea of providing everyone with
>healthcare is a global concern and wonderful on its face...but then
the
>reality sets in and the next question becomes...
>
> How do we fund it and keep our economy viable to help other
countries
>achieve the same?
>
> I did watch the preview, however, with documentaries I never take
>them on face value. I watch and listen and then research on my own.
In
>general they always tend to be slanted towards what the maker wants
you
>to see. I prefer making informed judgments rather than have them fed
to
>me with a spoon. There are plenty of sources lauding the wonders of
NHS
>and plenty of others describing the horror stories and rationing of
>healthcare. Which to believe? That is for you to decide on your own.
>
> Now that you mention life expectancy...are we asking the question
of
>whether it is due to our healthcare system or our sedentary lifestyle
>and access to cheap, easy, fat/sugar laden sources of food? Is there
a
>McDonald's on every corner in Cuba? Do people have the same access to
>technology in Cuba that Americans do? Do they sit on their tookus all
>day and surf the internet and never exercise?
>
> I believe the statistics, what I am not sure of is whether the
>numbers are the result of personal lifestyles or the failure of the
>healthcare system. And if you fix one, have you really fixed the
other?
>Will a tax payer funded healthcare system teach our society anything
>about personal responsibility in what we shove in our faces or how
much
>we move? Will it cure the epidemic of lack of personal responsibility
>for our own health? We can point at big corporations all day long and
>say that they provide us with cigarettes, alcohol, and cheap
>sustenance....but in the end are they holding the
fork/cigarette/drink
>for us? Will the tax payer funded healthcare system cure this or will
it
>just treat an exponentially growing problem until it bankrupts us
all?
>
> Interesting discussion by the way...discourse is always
fascinating.
>
> Shelley
>
> From: DuB
ose, Terry
> To: Multiple recipients of list ULTRASOUND
> Sent: Tuesday, January 29, 2008 9:06 AM
> Subject: RE: Important PBS series in March
>
> ΓÇ£Good hard numbers in this discussion would be helpful in
>demonstrating the disparities of the systems, and at that point I
think
>it should
> be determined by the individual which they feel is more
advantageous
>or more broken.ΓÇ¥
>
> Here are the world rankings for ΓÇ£HEALTHY LIFE EXPECTANCYΓÇ¥ The
USA
>is 24, below all other industrialized nations.
>
> http://www.photius.com/rankings/healthy_life_table2.html
>
> If you actually watched the preview for UnNatural Causes
>documentaries, you heard the statistic that the USA pays nearly half
of
>all the health dollars paid by the entire world, yet we rank 30th in
>life expectancy… below Cuba according to this.
> http://www.unnaturalcauses.org/disclaimer.html
>
> Why does one stat say we are 24th and the other 30th, different
ways
>of calculation, or different time periods? Either way, for the money
we
>spend, we are not getting much effectiveness when compared to other
>nations.
>
> Terry J. DuBose, M.S., RDMS, FSDMS, FAIUM
>
>________________________________________________
>This email and any files transmitted with it may contain
>________________________________________________
>________________________________________________
>confidential and /or proprietary information in the possession
>of WellStar Health System, Inc. ("WellStar") and is intended
>only for the individual or entity to whom addressed. This email
>may contain information that is held to be privileged, confidential
>and exempt from disclosure under applicable law. If the reader
>of this message is not the intended recipient, you are hereby
>notified that any unauthorized access, dissemination, distribution
>or copying of any information from this email is strictly prohibited,
>and may subject you to criminal and/or civil liability. If you have
>received this email in error, please notify the sender by reply email
>and then delete this email and its attachments from your computer.
>- Thank you.
>
--
art fougner, md
"May The Wings of Liberty Never Lose a Feather." - Jack Burton
________________________________________________
This email and any files transmitted with it may contain
________________________________________________
confidential and /or proprietary information in the possession
of WellStar Health System, Inc. ("WellStar") and is intended
only for the individual or entity to whom addressed. This email
may contain information that is held to be privileged, confidential
and exempt from disclosure under applicable law. If the reader
of this message is not the intended recipient, you are hereby
notified that any unauthorized access, dissemination, distribution
or copying of any information from this email is strictly prohibited,
and may subject you to criminal and/or civil liability. If you have
received this email in error, please notify the sender by reply email
and then delete this email and its attachments from your computer.
- Thank you.
