(Untitled)

[soulflexin]

The recent breast cancer (Cameron) inquiry is pretty pathetic. Old men testifying that they were just following the advice of experts and professionals by not going public right away is the biggest cop out ever. As if a statement from a health authority or a department in government is any less of a blow to the victims of the negligence than an

Comments

[jennifer_rocket]

I was recently reading that Iceland is considered THE best place to live in the world!

[soulflexin]

They rank very high on a large number of indicators of transparency and accountability, education and literacy, social and economic capital, environmental measures, etc etc etc. It's amazing. They enjoy some of the best overall living conditions in the world.

It makes me consider any sort of patriotism I may have had even a little inkling of in the past.

[carmel_devine]

I romanticize Iceland as much as anyone, I think. But my relentless criticism of most things keeps me from praising it too much.

They don't have free healthcare (albeit, people do only have to pay small fees; inflation there is so incredibly high, anyone retired there with a pension should dutifully be worried, as their pensions won't adequately cover the costs of living. Furthermore, because the cost of living is so high, it is not uncommon to see educated/professional people living with their parents until they're in their 40s (seriously) - it takes that long to save up enough money to buy property.

Also, people in NL are still very up in arms over resettlement during the Smallwood era - the scale of resettlement in Iceland makes complaints fr. Newfoundlanders look like a joke.

Just a few thoughts (albeit, negative ones). Overall, Iceland is pretty awesome. I'm just not sure how much of what they do can be implemented to NL - in any immediate sense anyway - despite all of our similarities...

[soulflexin]

I feel like privatization doesn't have to be a bad thing. If nothing else, government management of health care in the case of the Cameron inquiry proves that government-regulated and implemented health authorities/health care proves that public health care failed people in that instance. I dunno a whole lot beyond that talk, but I feel as though the positives about the Iceland far outweigh the negatives. I still have to learn more about the economy and tax system as it is a little heavy to get my head around. The tax rates do seem really high, but maybe that's ok if you have a sensible government who reinvest and encourage new growth etc which does seem to be the case.

[mystyron]

ummm... since when did we have free health care?? there is a health care plan, certainly, but it's a very large stretch to say our health care is free.

[soulflexin]

That sounds bitchy but yes, we do pay for health care, technically. BUT imagine you had to pay for a hospital stay out of pocket?

[warfordium]

as vsnares put it: Fuck Canada, Fuck America.

what is our difference from the rest of the continent? not so very much at times.