Seriously though...
Why are people so scared of 'socialized medicine' in America? I'm not being smug or superior or anything, I'm genuinely curious.

Having said that, it does seem to be under constant attack in Britain as well.

(And that's a lovely story, BTW.)
(MrTwitchy, Sat 4 Oct 2008, 10:37, 2 replies)

You can't build a nation without desperation
That's what an American friend told me years ago. I asked him why Americans were always obsessed with money, and he said "It's simple. Being poor and ill in the West means discomfort, except here. Here it means death or bankruptcy."
(all my scars face forward possesses 2.5% of a hyperalloy combat chassis, Sat 4 Oct 2008, 12:55, closed)

I'm not!
But, yeah, a lot of people are. I think, really, it all boils down to the term "socialized," which brings back McCarthyism scares and whatnot. Also, politicians get a lot of money from insurance companies, who in turn get a lot of money from drug companies, who in turn get a lot of money from us, the public, who can't afford to go to a decent doctor, so we spend the little money we do have on medicine in hopes that it will make us feel better. I once went to a doctor complaining of severe stomach pains. He sent me home with a prescrption for strong pain meds. Only when I came out of my drug haze did I realize my stomach still hurt. I actually had a bladder infection, which no amount of pain meds can actually fix. The doctor, though, was drinking out of a mug and writing with a pen with drug company logos plastered all over. The system is broken.
(BrainSurgerysFun, Sat 4 Oct 2008, 19:10, closed)