New topic demands NEW ICON!~
So yeah, as I said, new topic demands new icon. Props if you get the quote; Martin Billany did pretty damn well for himself with YGO Abridged. Props to him too.
Today's topic is about an old article I was reading. Occasionally when I'm bored, I look up different people or events in history and read their Wikipedia articles; today's search started when I saw an article about Queen Elizabeth attending the Queen's Plate today, which made me go on Wikipedia, which made me click from Her Majesty to Princess Diana to Elton John to Ellen DeGeneres to Oprah Winfrey. Huh. One rich lady to another rich lady. I can smell the money already.
When looking on Oprah's Wiki article, I saw a citation to a certain amount of criticism from Bill O'Reilly. Oprah apparently went and visited Denmark, and while there she was admiring the Danish way of life. Free health care, free education, and when a citizen is released from their job, they earn 90% of their previous job's salary for the next four years. Bill O'Reilly featured this segment on his show, The O'Reilly Factor. The segment? "What's Behind Oprah's Love of Demark?"
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,583149,00.html
Well, disregarding the fact that public riddicule of another's beliefs is... really getting old.... y'know what, let's not even go there. That's a rant for another time. Margaret Hoover and Gretchen Carlson joined Bill O'Reilly on the show to discuss this apparent love for Denmark, and at least they get straight to the point.
GRETCHEN CARLSON, "FOX & FRIENDS" CO-HOST: I would say, who wouldn't be giddy when you find out that you get free health care, free education, four years of payment at 90 percent even after you lose your job, until you read the fine print, which is at the bottom of the document, which says oh, by the way, Danes pay the highest income tax of anyone in the entire world.
Now now, back up. Income tax is not necessarily a bad thing here. I come from a country where we pay GST (General Sales Tax) and PST (Provincial Sales Tax) on everything we buy. Where I live, we pay 14%. Granted, this tax has nothing on Denmark.
CARLSON: It's definitely over 50 percent.
So, 50% is a little pricey. I'll admit that, but let me take a look at this this way, from the point of view of a person with free healthcare.
If I were to become fatally ill tomorrow, my family does not have a thousand dollar debt on their shoulders. They don't have to worry for a second about whether they'll be able to afford to keep me on life support. The only thing they have to worry about is if I so happen to request a bit of TV or a private room. Y'know, frivolties, something that I can live without. My health care system may not be the best in the world, but in the case of emergencies, it gets it done, debt free. Our survival rate is higher then America- I would get the statistics but I got distracted by an Ann Coulter review on Hannity- (http://www.popmodal.com/video/5680). For those of you who don't remember, canuck-sight.livejournal.com/434.html <-- I'm not a huge fan of Ann Coulter.
Disregarding that however, at least these people don't have a sudden thousands of dollars to pay out. No, they have higher prices, but this is an incredibly gradual rate that they pay back the money needed for the incredible social system. But of course, then you get confronted with this;
O'REILLY: OK. So you pay all your money to the government, and they give it - they kick it back to you, Hoover, in the term of entitlements. But that does provide security for the 5.5 million Danes.
HOOVER: Well, and that's exactly the point. You make a fabulous point. There are 5.5 million Danes.
O'REILLY: Right.
HOOVER: And that's it. We have 300 million people here, Bill.
O'REILLY: Right.
HOOVER: We're bankrupt on our Medicare program as it is. Do you think we could afford to pay 90 percent of people's salaries afterwards?
I'm sorry, back up. 300 million people? Well, let's take a look... 300 million people paying 150% for their general goods... that should equal more money, am I correct? Not to mention those with higher tax brackets, at least in Canada, pay the government when it comes to income tax time- that's why we have so many damn cases of tax evasion. I'm 90% sure this is the case in America as well. So those with higher incomes pay higher taxes to help their fellow man. Hm. Interesting.
Now, some Americans may ask me this question, especially those who are concerned about illegal immigrants; how do you keep those who aren't citizens from riding the system? Simple. In this country, I have to take out my provincial health card, which proves that I am not only a citizen of Canada but eligible for health care, and I have to present that when the subject of payment comes up. As soon as I wave around that thing, instant gratification, and as forementioned, I only pay for the frivoloties I took part in while in hospital.
Did I mention our population went up to 34 million? That's right. About seven times more the population then Denmark.
Next point.
O'REILLY: Oprah? Yeah, she's making $100 million a year, whatever she's making, and she gets 90 percent of that.
She's also paid more taxes as a result. Perhaps a modification on that system that those with higher incomes; over the top incomes, who obviously should have savings, should be better off. Maybe you're not reading the fine print here on this system. Or maybe big names, like Oprah, Bill O'Reilly, etc, SHOULD BE PAID LESS. Y'know, the fact that their only contribution to society is being TV personalities and spouting their opinion/provide entertainment?
Denmark lives a very modest life as well. America lives an extravatagant lifestyle.
Maybe if the countries of the world would recognize that maybe they're being wasteful, America would start feeling happier about free health care, free education and compensation from the government. Even at the "high price".
Today's topic is about an old article I was reading. Occasionally when I'm bored, I look up different people or events in history and read their Wikipedia articles; today's search started when I saw an article about Queen Elizabeth attending the Queen's Plate today, which made me go on Wikipedia, which made me click from Her Majesty to Princess Diana to Elton John to Ellen DeGeneres to Oprah Winfrey. Huh. One rich lady to another rich lady. I can smell the money already.
When looking on Oprah's Wiki article, I saw a citation to a certain amount of criticism from Bill O'Reilly. Oprah apparently went and visited Denmark, and while there she was admiring the Danish way of life. Free health care, free education, and when a citizen is released from their job, they earn 90% of their previous job's salary for the next four years. Bill O'Reilly featured this segment on his show, The O'Reilly Factor. The segment? "What's Behind Oprah's Love of Demark?"
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,583149,00.html
Well, disregarding the fact that public riddicule of another's beliefs is... really getting old.... y'know what, let's not even go there. That's a rant for another time. Margaret Hoover and Gretchen Carlson joined Bill O'Reilly on the show to discuss this apparent love for Denmark, and at least they get straight to the point.
GRETCHEN CARLSON, "FOX & FRIENDS" CO-HOST: I would say, who wouldn't be giddy when you find out that you get free health care, free education, four years of payment at 90 percent even after you lose your job, until you read the fine print, which is at the bottom of the document, which says oh, by the way, Danes pay the highest income tax of anyone in the entire world.
Now now, back up. Income tax is not necessarily a bad thing here. I come from a country where we pay GST (General Sales Tax) and PST (Provincial Sales Tax) on everything we buy. Where I live, we pay 14%. Granted, this tax has nothing on Denmark.
CARLSON: It's definitely over 50 percent.
So, 50% is a little pricey. I'll admit that, but let me take a look at this this way, from the point of view of a person with free healthcare.
If I were to become fatally ill tomorrow, my family does not have a thousand dollar debt on their shoulders. They don't have to worry for a second about whether they'll be able to afford to keep me on life support. The only thing they have to worry about is if I so happen to request a bit of TV or a private room. Y'know, frivolties, something that I can live without. My health care system may not be the best in the world, but in the case of emergencies, it gets it done, debt free. Our survival rate is higher then America- I would get the statistics but I got distracted by an Ann Coulter review on Hannity- (http://www.popmodal.com/video/5680). For those of you who don't remember, canuck-sight.livejournal.com/434.html <-- I'm not a huge fan of Ann Coulter.
Disregarding that however, at least these people don't have a sudden thousands of dollars to pay out. No, they have higher prices, but this is an incredibly gradual rate that they pay back the money needed for the incredible social system. But of course, then you get confronted with this;
O'REILLY: OK. So you pay all your money to the government, and they give it - they kick it back to you, Hoover, in the term of entitlements. But that does provide security for the 5.5 million Danes.
HOOVER: Well, and that's exactly the point. You make a fabulous point. There are 5.5 million Danes.
O'REILLY: Right.
HOOVER: And that's it. We have 300 million people here, Bill.
O'REILLY: Right.
HOOVER: We're bankrupt on our Medicare program as it is. Do you think we could afford to pay 90 percent of people's salaries afterwards?
I'm sorry, back up. 300 million people? Well, let's take a look... 300 million people paying 150% for their general goods... that should equal more money, am I correct? Not to mention those with higher tax brackets, at least in Canada, pay the government when it comes to income tax time- that's why we have so many damn cases of tax evasion. I'm 90% sure this is the case in America as well. So those with higher incomes pay higher taxes to help their fellow man. Hm. Interesting.
Now, some Americans may ask me this question, especially those who are concerned about illegal immigrants; how do you keep those who aren't citizens from riding the system? Simple. In this country, I have to take out my provincial health card, which proves that I am not only a citizen of Canada but eligible for health care, and I have to present that when the subject of payment comes up. As soon as I wave around that thing, instant gratification, and as forementioned, I only pay for the frivoloties I took part in while in hospital.
Did I mention our population went up to 34 million? That's right. About seven times more the population then Denmark.
Next point.
O'REILLY: Oprah? Yeah, she's making $100 million a year, whatever she's making, and she gets 90 percent of that.
She's also paid more taxes as a result. Perhaps a modification on that system that those with higher incomes; over the top incomes, who obviously should have savings, should be better off. Maybe you're not reading the fine print here on this system. Or maybe big names, like Oprah, Bill O'Reilly, etc, SHOULD BE PAID LESS. Y'know, the fact that their only contribution to society is being TV personalities and spouting their opinion/provide entertainment?
Denmark lives a very modest life as well. America lives an extravatagant lifestyle.
Maybe if the countries of the world would recognize that maybe they're being wasteful, America would start feeling happier about free health care, free education and compensation from the government. Even at the "high price".