[NorthCelt]

the masta is right on the money.
I always find it funny that the same 'free enterprise' people who think government does nothing but waste their money and should 'stay outta their face' are also usually the first ones to scramble, manipulate and if all else fails bribe their way into getting government contracts...and then pad the billings because they know the government will pay top dollar and 'it's not really anyone's money, after all.' And then at tax time they want to pay the bare minimum because 'government just wastes money'. Freakin' hypocrites.

[Virgil]

Ok, this is what I can see. Ralph Klein makes health care cuts because he dislikes the public system. He then informs us of how public health care doesn't work because it costs too much. He then buys me a new playstation. Somehow the fact that health care costs money he'd rather put towards bribing votes is supposed to convince me that public health care doesn't work. There's something wrong here, can anybody figure out what it is?

I had to get surgery to fix an internal bleeding problem of mine and only had to wait two days in Ontario. Some time earlier, out here in Alberta, my mother had to go to the hospital every three hours to get some kind of shot for her crones disease because she couldn't get a hospital bed. The only reason public health care isn't working is because Klein is too cheap to support it.

[Mika]

Possibly, then again isn't healthcare a Federal issue? Or is it something the provinces pay for seperatly.

[Persiana]

Its a bit of both, Mika.

The federal government provides the $ to the provinces pretty much, and they allocate however much to healthcare. (is my understanding)

I think they need to look at privatizing sectors as they have been doing, and I think a large part of the problem is that people hear the word "privatizing" and they think of the US and freak out thinking that we're all going to lose our healthcare.

Unfortunately, when Universal healthcare was first introduced the population was a lot less, the cost of paying doctors & nurses was considerably less, and the idea was relatively feasible.

If we think of the number of healthcare staff that are retiring, the number that are graduating and GOING ELSEWHERE to work because there's more money to be made elsewhere (as well as a high demand for Canadian trained medical staff because they're top notch) and then toss in the cost of the medical equipment such as life support machines, etc etc, ....I'm sure we can all name off at least 1 or 2 local hospitals or regional hospitals that hold charities etc and have advertising campaigns to raise money to buy new equipment... (because the old stuff is reaching that point where its starting to wear out or else there's simply not enough equipment to supply the demand)

....getting the picture?

As much as I love living here & am blessed with good health, I do have to acknowledge that there is a flaw in the system. I don't think that it is feasible for today's day of technology, (and its costs).

[Virgil]

But it is Klein who is complaining. Is it not also Klein who is prime minister of a province with a huge surplus. I don't see why Alberta cannot afford it, I think it's more a matter of him being conservative. The statement should be "for me to still be conservative, and to remain in power in Alberta, I'll need to redirect healthcare funds in order to buy Les a new Playstation, making public healthcare unsustainable."

[CamTheCat]

I like the way the Green Party addresses this question of sustainablility. Social justice is an integral part of the Green's values, and instead of throwing billions of dollars more at our sick care - er, health care system, the greens advocate an aproach that looks at prevention as a way to reduce burden on our health care system. Health, not just health care. That, and extensive health care policies that are progressive, combined with their fiscally conservative aproach, all wrapped up in the context of ecological sustainability (you can't have healthy people on a sick planet), gets my vote.

I just don't see the logic in voting for any of the old line parties.

Cameron