Look, Stephen, Carter is right. If we had gone the Canada route, not only would our poor soldiers not have died, but we would have had free health care by now. Hello? Free health care?

It's all about caring and sharing and learning how to settle differences without hitting. Carter understands this. Washington and Adams did not. As a result, I have to PAY for my dingdang health care, which ought to be FREE.

Carter has always been a naiive child, which is why his presidency was such a dismal failure.

Health care is not free! It cost a lot of taxes and also alot of quality goes out the window in socialized medicine. Plus the wait time is forever or at least is seems like it.

Jimmy is just been smelling the varnish from the houses too long.

Fritz's Thoughts

Paint Fumes! That's it, Paint Fumes!

No, wait, he was a screwball even before that. Never Mind...

The one interesting note in this is that Canada, and subsequenttly Australia & India, only got the kid glove treatment from Ole England because of the American Revolution. Read Empire by Niall Ferguson: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0465023290/qid=1098375936/sr=8-3/ref=pd_csp_3/002-3611799-4075258?v=glance&s=books&n=507846

Jim, let's talk about Canadian Healthcare. Using the most recent stats I can find from the various Canadian government websites, I see that the following services have the following wait times:

Cardiac Surgery: 13 weeks
Cataract Surgery: 70 weeks
Coronary Artery Bypass: 11 weeks
CT Scans: 16 weeks
Ear, Nose, Throat Surgery: 21 weeks
Gall Bladder Removal: 32 weeks
GENERAL PRACTICE: 15 weeks (with some as high as 26 weeks!)
General Surgery: 44 weeks
Gynecological Surgery: 32 weeks
Hip replacement: 62 weeks
Knee replacement: 66 weeks (It's also interesting to note that on Aug 31, 2004, exactly 2,500 people were on waiting lists for this surgery)
MRI Scans: 35 weeks
Neurosurgery: Children's: 49 weeks, Adults: 14 weeks
Orthopedic Surgery: 64 weeks
Plastic Surgery: 104 weeks (2 YEARS!)
Urological Surgery: Childrens: 35 weeks, Adults: 21 weeks
Vascular Surgery: 37 weeks
Chemotherapy: Breast Cancer: up to 7 weeks, Prostrate Cancer: up to 11 weeks
(note: They say that emergencies in this category don't have a wait time)

I had heard waiting times were bad in Canada, but I had NO IDEA until I compiled these stats in response to your message. The saddest part is the waits at the children's hospital. I have three kids, and if they needed surgery, I would be heading to the states I guess. I have had several of these procedures, I do remember having to wait a week for an MRI truck to come to the area I was living in, but that was a long time ago. I've had CT Scans the same afternoon that I went to the doctor in the morning, on a non-emergency basis. I've had CT Scans on an emergency basis at 1 AM when I went to the ER at 11 PM (2 hours). I've had sinus surgery a week after a doctor told me I needed it, but it was scheduled at MY convenience, not the doctor's (I had to clean my desk off at work a bit). General Practice clinics where I live are almost all walk-in. I can't imagine making an appointment for a GP in 15 weeks.

You have to pay for your "dingdang" healthcare, thank GOD! Free doesn't mean good. There is a simple solution to your whining: Move to Canada. I'd hate to see you go, since you'd probably die of coronary disease, when you got the actual bill for your "free" healthcare, since you'd have to wait 13 weeks to see a doctor.

I've read Jim's post several times. Initially it set off my sarcasm detector and I certainly hope my first instinct was correct. But then I could never imagine a former president would actually say that the founding of our country was "unneccessary".

Please Jim, let us know if your humor was just a bit too dry for us or if you truly would trade 230 of freedom for a $10 co-pay.

years, 230 years I say (or should have)......

Reviewing my post, I see I left out that the 2,500 people waiting for knee replacement was just in Alberta.

I haven't had my knees replaced yet, but I've had three knee surgeries. There was a wait for the first one, because I went to a doctor who only did surgery on Monday's and it was a Thursday. I had to wait 4 days (depending on how you count it). I suppose I could have found a doctor to do it the same day if I had wanted, but I went to the best specialist within 100 miles. A doctor I picked out from referrals from friends who had seen various doctor's, not one assigned by the government.

When stupidity is sufficient explaination, you usually have no need for recourse to any other.

Corollory: "I can't give you a brain, but I *can* give you a diploma." (Wizard of Oz)

Another theory:
Jimmy's been involved with Habitat for Humanity, build lots of houses. I'm sure during all that time there have been a few instances where he's gotten hit on the head with a hammer, or two by four or wall or ACME anvil. Or perhaps Kim Jong Il is using mind control rays on him.

Tuesday Night : Jump out of pickup truck, land wrong and tear ACL in left knee.

Wednesday: Sober up and work up courage to go to doctor. Get referal for MRI.

Friday: Have MRI performed.

Monday: Doctor calls and makes an appointment with surgeon.

Wednesday: See surgeon (who works on the local pro basketball and pro hockey players) who say schedules surgery for Saturday morning (yes, SATURDAY) because it'll take a cadaver graft and it will be FedEx'ed from Atlanta.

Saturday: Have Orthoscopic surgery (which leave four 1/2 inch incision marks) and being three weeks of mechanical therapy and then six weeks of physical therapy.

Out of pocket costs for all treatments and GOOD DRUGS, other than Physical therapy : $75.00

Total time from injury to surgery: eleven (11) days. Time lost due to being a chickshit: three (3) days.

Robert:

About the hammer, 2x4 or the anvil: Well, I was thinking it was the paint fumes, but there's still this little problem of his idiocy before he got into the Habitat for Humanity thing. So, no, it couldn't be that. Besides that, there's a whole lot of carpenters out there who have beaucoup more common sense than he's got.

Radiation Poisoning? Maybe THAT'S it!

Thad, John: I like my sarcasm as dry as my Tanqueray martinis: very dry. Sorry 'bout that, Thad. Well, at least it prompted you to put up a useful post!

I thought I could no longer be surprised by the words of Jimmy "Final Solution" Carter. I was wrong. He simply has no clue about history.

Jim,
Glad to hear (read??) that you have good taste in gin and politics. Generally there is no such thing as too dry in either. Although with humor it possible some might misunderstand...

Jim/Thad:

you mean health care's not supposed to be free?

oops. I guess I owe George Washington an apology.

Maybe this is just different words for what Francis means, but it sure looks to me as if Jimmie is schizophrenic. The most pronounced symptom of schizophrenia is an inability to distinguish fantasy from reality.

Jim,

I admit, I paused about half way through my little statistical gathering and decided that you weren't being serious, but I had already, hot headedly been working for a while, so I decided to go on. As I worked I grew more and more appalled. I really feel sorry for poor Canadians who are trapped into that system.

There are simple things that can be done to lower the prices for Americans, primarily I firmly believe in Tort reform.

I am a major consumer of health services. Since I am disabled, I receive medicare, although it is secondary to my wife's health insurance. I take about $1,600 worth of medicine a month, my out of pocket is usually $9. I have seen some "bad" doctor's (most notably the head of rheumatology at a major university), but there is a simple solution to that: find somebody else.

Thanks for allowing me the opportunity to see how good we have it hear in the states.

"It was an unnecessary war. Had the British Parliament been a little more sensitive to the colonial’s really legitimate complaints . . . "

He means that just as the Britsh could have avoided the Revolutionary War by acting reasonably, Saddam Hussein could have avoided this war by acting reasonably.

No, of course he really doesn't mean that, but it's closer to reality.

Hey, maybe we would have been granted independence in 1947 like India for the good work our colonial troops did in supporting the british in WWII.
Or maybe we would be like Northern Ireland today.
Or maybe the Revolution would have been led by Davis and Lee due to British restrictions on slavery and the CSA would be a slave based republic and the north a commonwealth.

Anyway, all it proves is that Carter thinks there is NO price worth paying for freedom.

GB_in_GA
I was thinking of radiation poisoning too, but I rememeber when he went to Three Mile Island that he wore those protective yellow booties, so obviously he had learned radiation protection in the navy.

What's that it's not his feet where his feet are?

Thad, the wait list time in Canada for those things you mention are bad. However, there are some areas in the states where it is not much better for some of those procedures.I live in a smallest area (50,000) in NW Ohio.I have excellent health insurance. I'm over 50 and 2 years ago my PCP found reasons to believe I might have colon cancer.
He instructed his staff to get me an appointment at the local GI assosciates ASAP. You need to understand that 10 years ago we had no GI Docs. in this area and had to travel either to Cloumbus, Dayton or Toledo. We now have a beautiful GI office with 8 GI specialists and 3 NPs. My PCPs staff told me I would receive my appointment from the GI place in the mail. Haaaaaa, I did receive it and it was 8 months out. I thought it was a mistake so I called them and they said "Nope, thats the first opening we have for new patients." I said,"My PCP thinks I might have colon cancer,I don't want to wait for 8 months to be seen." I got no where. I had a repeat visit with my PCP scheduled for 2 weeks after my last visit with him. He came in the room and the first words he said to me were "Did you have that colonoscopy yet?" I showed him my appointment card for 7.5 months away and he hit the roof. He went to the phone and called them himself and spoke directly to the Dr. he wanted to do it and surprise I had my procedure 4 days later.

It is not just in Canada where some of these things happen although I think our surgery schedules are not near as long as the ones you mention.

Actually - Carter seems to be saying that 1) The Iraq war is the bloodiest war we've fought since the Revolutionary War 2) the Iraq war was an unnecesssary war which could have been avoided if we had listened to their (Saddam's or perhaps the Muslim world's?) legitimate grievances and 3) if we had listened to their legitimate grievances Iraq would have been a free country by now without war. Of course this is all muddled and nonsensical because the overall point he seems to be trying to make is to compare the Iraqi insurgents to the "minutemen" - ala Michael Moore. In this analogy we're the British colonialists who need to be more sensitive to the insurgents legitimate complaints. Obviously this makes no sense as Iraq was not an American colony prior to the Iraq war. Why Chris Matthews let him get away with this muddled analogy is beyond me. I happened to see the original interview at the time and I was completely falbbergasted.

Cathy,
I think your point supports Thad's. You got your appointment, albeit eventually. If you were in Canda there would be no recourse because there would be nowhere else to go.

Mark Steyn has written several great articles on the state of Canadian healthcare. As a Canadian citizen and New Hampshire resident he has experience with both systems. As a great writer he makes great listening. Anyone interested in the Canadian healthcare system needs to read Steyn

Thanks to everyone who has left a comment here on the health care issue. I do realize the system isn't perfect. I have had some bad experiences myself, but it is also kind of a divergence from the main point about Carter.

When Ronald Reagen realized that he had Alzheimer’s he wrote in his final letter: "I now begin the journey that will lead me into the sunset of my life. I know that for America there will always be a bright dawn ahead.", and then we heard from him no more. Could someone put this on Jimmy's reading list?

Thad:

The difference here is that RR wisely realized that he was going downhill and then gracefully shut up, IMHO in part to keep himself from looking the fool. (I know, not his fault at all.) JC, on the other hand, has always been a fool, and has never had the wisdom to shut up, so he just keeps blathering on and on and on and on...

Jimmy's right...it was all a waste of time and effort.

GOD SAVE THE QUEEN!

(now gimme my euro socialist welfare handout)

Better explanation: Jimmuh is an inhabitant of an alternate UNreality in which peanuts are an aphrodisiac that helped him channel departed brother Billy's first steamy novel.

A better explanation?

How about Carter's a blithering idiot in this reality?

I can't honestly recall when Jimmy Carter was even close to sane, but:

You know what I *do* remember?

When we opened up a BIG OL' CAN OF WHOOPASS on the British at Yorktown! (to quote "The West Wing")

You know, I was willing to forget the most disastrous presidency in modern times so long as Jimmy went around doing good deeds and kept his nose out of the limelight. But, now, the idea that anyone is listening to this poor excuse for a failed president is beyond reproach.

If you are not old enough to remember when Jimmy was in office, let me tell you, you have no idea how bad it can get. Inflation and interest rates soaring, employment plummeting, Russians invading and supporting regimes p'urt near everywhere, energy crisis, malaise, our fault, time to accept limitations... This guy was beyond disaster. There's a reason Democrats were frozen out of power for 12 years after his dismal reign. He sucked. Big time.

Go home, Jimmy. Or die. Please. Just get on with it.

Oh, come on now, Jimmy wasn't that bad. 20% interest and inflation rates, gas lines a mile long, "the malaise", hostages in Iran, total loss of respect of USA. But still, at least he wasn't French.