To: Cogito Ergo Sum who wrote (19695 ) 12/14/2003 3:45:49 AM From: SofaSpud Read Replies (1) | Respond to of 793718 Hi y’all, Just gotta chime in with Kastel on the polemic by Jennifer Meeks that was posted here. Until I read this I didn’t think there was anyone more critical of what was going on in Canada than me. Well, I’m critical as all get out, call me Ann Coulter with a maple leaf, but folks, let’s get real. I’m Canadian for a bunch of generations (at least six) and I’m mad as hell about lots of stuff. But Ms. Meeks is way over the top; maybe she was ducking into alleys to hide from stormtroopers, but I’ve never seen a single one. Let’s talk health care. A relative who lived in California, who was prominent in the entertainment industry, had the misfortune to fall ill with a lengthy terminal disease. During the course of his illness, he ran through everything his insurer was prepared to pay for, then every dollar he’d socked away (and that was quite a bit, like seven figures). His widow spent her remaining 30 years living to a considerable extent on the charity of her Canadian cousins. OTOH, my mother was diagnosed with CLL in 1989, and had outstanding medical care until her demise last year. Not only do I still have my house, her estate included her own condo, that she hadn’t been forced to mortgage for treatment. Look, there are lots of problems with health care in Canada, but the fact of the matter is that excellent care is usually available to those who need it – without the family having to resort to a food bank to pay for it. If I’m worried that one of my kids is ill, the only concern I have is scheduling the appointment – it’s never a question of whether I pay the doctor’s bill vs. the utilities. I’ve rebutted elsewhere about her over-the-top comments about bilingualism:Message 19593381 I’ll say again that there is stupid stuff going on in Canadian politics, and, frankly, as a concerned Canadian patriot, it’s giving me serious blood pressure problems. Guess what – it ain’t no different from what’s happening twixt the Dems and the GWB types in the United States of America. Look, I don’t want word to get out about what a hell of a fine place this is to live, ‘cause we just don’t need more folks. OTOH, I’ve had a fantasy about moving to Texas, ‘cause it would be nice just for once to be thought to be on the left wing <g>. God Bless ya’ll.