F**king Gas Prices

[uflnuceng]

Sounds like they have a screwed up version of our system. We get heavy income tax, 15% sales tax, and I just paid over $50usd to fill my tank, but the health care, while not perfect, is still pretty damn good. Most social systems here are relatively efficient, and the streets themselves are cleaner and more attractive that most U.S. cities.

I was about to blow up on you, then I saw you were from Canada... the streets in England for the most part are discusting... everything in Europe is just so damn dirty, mostly because they have Green Space laws and everyone builds right on top of each other.

I love Canada though... I'm only a few hours from the border. Been up there to ski a bunch of times and Quebec is just beautiful... the restaurants are awesome... and the women are sluts... gotta love it.

[Mystikal]

I was about to blow up on you, then I saw you were from Canada... the streets in England for the most part are discusting... everything in Europe is just so damn dirty, mostly because they have Green Space laws and everyone builds right on top of each other.

I love Canada though... I'm only a few hours from the border. Been up there to ski a bunch of times and Quebec is just beautiful... the restaurants are awesome... and the women are sluts... gotta love it.

LOL, don't worry, nothing non-automotive coming outta England is attractive.

And thanks for the kind words, I love this country too! Expect a nice round of Canuck jokes to kick off any second now. :P

[uflnuceng]

Yeah... didn't SARS close down Toronto for a bit back in 2002? You know what I'm talking aboot, eh?

Do you come down to the US for any driving events or are there events in Canada?

[YAN-3]

I've been living this nightmare for years now here in germany. It sux but i just deal with it. The soldier here in germany pay half of what I pay on the US bases, but because I am a contractor for the army, i dont get the privilege of filling up there!!
sometimes it really sux here, but the no speedlimits make up for it a little, but that just burns more gas-- just cant win!

hey man if you find a cool guy who works with you Im sure he would hook you up. Trust Me!

PS: were are you and at what base do you work for?

[nando]

Yeah but $100 of that is tax...makes up for not paying taxes in other places.

ALthough this has already been responded to... I just want to make it clear... Europeans are taxed EVERYWHERE! I am a dual citizen (england-us) lived in the the US all my life but visit my family in England every year. Out of their paychecks they typically loose 45-51% every year in taxes. You might think "Oh, well thats great because they have National Health Insurance". Well, it takes forever to get an appointment, especially for something like a surgery. My grandfather has had 3 surgeries on his hips (both have been replaced) and he has paid out-of-pocket for each one because otherwise the wait would have exceeded 2 years for each surgery and he didn't want to live with that kinda pain. Fortunately he has always saved his money.

Europeans are taxed atleast double what Americans are in every aspect, and no... it is not a better system by any stretch of the imagination otherwise I would be living there as opposed to here.

[/soap box rant]

the reason it takes so long to get an appointment is because health care is "free". free = high demand = high cost. instead of paying for your health care with money, you pay for it by waiting in line. Canada has the same problem, although it's not quite as bad.

[uflnuceng]

the reason it takes so long to get an appointment is because health care is "free". free = high demand = high cost. instead of paying for your health care with money, you pay for it by waiting in line. Canada has the same problem, although it's not quite as bad.

Ah... but it isn't free... hence the 50% tax bracket they got. I'd rather just pay the $150/month for my wife and I to have PPO BCBS, which covers.. well.. everything. Its awesome. And I can see a doctor right now if I wanted to.

[KenC]

the reason it takes so long to get an appointment is because health care is "free". free = high demand = high cost. instead of paying for your health care with money, you pay for it by waiting in line. Canada has the same problem, although it's not quite as bad.

Ah... but it isn't free... hence the 50% tax bracket they got. I'd rather just pay the $150/month for my wife and I to have PPO BCBS, which covers.. well.. everything. Its awesome. And I can see a doctor right now if I wanted to.

I'm not sure where the hell you get your health insurance, but it's cheaper than 99% of the plans out there in the US. Do you have deductibles or what? (just curious because I work in the health care field).

Doesn't waiting for surgeries only ensure efficiency within the system?

What about the tens of millions of Americans w/o any form of health insurance?

[uflnuceng]

I'm not sure where the hell you get your health insurance, but it's cheaper than 99% of the plans out there in the US. Do you have deductibles or what? (just curious because I work in the health care field).

$10 to see a dentist or my doctor. Its Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield and MetLife Dental... my medical insurance has never been very expensive, although I typically work for companies that have in excess of 10,000 employees in the US alone. I've got estimates that my health insurance costs will almost triple when I start my own business... hopefully the president's plan that small business owners can buy in large groups for health insurance will kick in and save me some cash. Either way I'll budget around it. Its my health and that takes priority.

Doesn't waiting for surgeries only ensure efficiency within the system?

hehehehe... uh... right. "You have a brain tumor that will be fatal if we don't remove it, but we want to wait a few months so we will be more 'efficient'"?

What about the tens of millions of Americans w/o any form of health insurance?

Quit sueing doctors so that individual insurance premiums costs get so high. People die... live with it... any surgery is risky... to err is human...

I just have a different outlook on life then most.

[nando]

the reason it takes so long to get an appointment is because health care is "free". free = high demand = high cost. instead of paying for your health care with money, you pay for it by waiting in line. Canada has the same problem, although it's not quite as bad.

Ah... but it isn't free... hence the 50% tax bracket they got. I'd rather just pay the $150/month for my wife and I to have PPO BCBS, which covers.. well.. everything. Its awesome. And I can see a doctor right now if I wanted to.

I know, that's why I put it in quotes. :P any way you look at it, somebody has to pay for it...

[uflnuceng]

Right... but I would rather only have to pay for my family's health insurance than every tom-dick-and-jane who doesn't want to get a job.

By the way, back on topic:

Premium $2.75 (93 octane) this morning on my way to work. I chuckled.

[KenC]

hehehehe... uh... right. "You have a brain tumor that will be fatal if we don't remove it, but we want to wait a few months so we will be more 'efficient'"?

haha, I'm sure that's a verbatim quote from the Neurosurgeon. Life-threatening diseases they deal with, however, knee and hip replacements are a different story as the surgical steel typically lasts only 5-10 years (which is why most surgeons will only do them after a pt is 65) and although painful are not life-threatening.

Quit sueing doctors so that individual insurance premiums costs get so high. People die... live with it... any surgery is risky... to err is human...

I just have a different outlook on life then most.

Are you implying that malpractice insurance is the sole cause of rising health-care costs? Medical staff and technology are responsible for a large portion of it.

Uninsured tax-paying citizens dying from preventible diseases is not something that sits well with me. Afterall, if you don't have your health, what do you have?

[KenC]

Right... but I would rather only have to pay for my family's health insurance than every tom-dick-and-jane who doesn't want to get a job.

By the way, back on topic:

Premium $2.75 (93 octane) this morning on my way to work. I chuckled.

Just because you have a job doesn't mean that you can afford health-insurance. Infact, a large portion of those who are uninsured are employed.

[uflnuceng]

Afterall, if you don't have your health, what do you have?

A tumor?

I don't mean to sound like I don't care about the plight of my fellow man... but, well... yeah, I don't care. There have been times where I have literally had nothing... I worked myself up from nothing and now have a very good living for myself. If you aren't willing to do the same then don't go expecting a handout from me.

If some heroin junky gets AIDS and racks up bills as he slowly dies, I don't care.... let him die in an alley with the rest of his buddies.

If you aren't willing to budget for the necessities in life, like gasoline, then nuts to you buddy.

If you are able and willing to work, then I do think that medical coverage should be made affordable... and a few hundred bucks a month to insure your whole family isn't an outrageous price to pay.

Yes... medical staff is expensive because their insurance is sky high because of fraudulant lawsuits... for every legitimate lawsuit there are thousands that are just people looking to get easy money.

rant over... See what trouble Canadians start when they talk about their socialist systems?!?! Damn you Mystikal!!!

gas is expensive... but I budget for it accordingly.

[Dave]

I'm not sure where the hell you get your health insurance, but it's cheaper than 99% of the plans out there in the US. Do you have deductibles or what? (just curious because I work in the health care field).

Quit sueing doctors so that individual insurance premiums costs get so high. People die... live with it... any surgery is risky... to err is human...

I just have a different outlook on life then most.

Ken is right about premiums. They just go up and up and up. The premiums for my employees were raised 49% last year!!!!!!. It is to the point that I can no longer afford to offer fully paid coverage for my FT people.

As for suing doctors - you have been mislead big time. The insurance industry has snowed the docs and the public on that one. Look at the states that now have caps on MedMal cases - the premiums are going up at the same rates. Knowing a lot of lawyers who take MedMal cases, I can tell you that they turn most of them down - even a lot with merit, because the insurance defense guys have made it cost prohibitive to pursue anything but death or brain damage type claims. And look at the numbers on verdicts as well. The MedMal cases that go to trial overwhelmingly go in favor of the doctors.

[KenC]

Afterall, if you don't have your health, what do you have?

A tumor?

I don't mean to sound like I don't care about the plight of my fellow man... but, well... yeah, I don't care. There have been times where I have literally had nothing... I worked myself up from nothing and now have a very good living for myself. If you aren't willing to do the same then don't go expecting a handout from me.

If some heroin junky gets AIDS and racks up bills as he slowly dies, I don't care.... let him die in an alley with the rest of his buddies.

If you aren't willing to budget for the necessities in life, like gasoline, then nuts to you buddy.

If you are able and willing to work, then I do think that medical coverage should be made affordable... and a few hundred bucks a month to insure your whole family isn't an outrageous price to pay.

Yes... medical staff is expensive because their insurance is sky high because of fraudulant lawsuits... for every legitimate lawsuit there are thousands that are just people looking to get easy money.

rant over... See what trouble Canadians start when they talk about their socialist systems?!?! Damn you Mystikal!!!

gas is expensive... but I budget for it accordingly.

If it were only a couple hundred dollars per month to insure an entire family, then I wouldn't have a problem with it. However, it is generally several times that. And a few hundred dollars per month is a lot of money to a family of four with two working parents making minimum wage.

As for medical staff, only about 10% of those who work in the healthcare field actually practice medicine and require insurance. Lab-Techs, X-Ray Techs, Pharmacists, MAs, and RNs aren't cheap.

Canada spends a smaller percentage of their GDP on their socialized health-care system than we do for Medicaid/Medicare. That is proportionally, they spend less to insure the entire country than we do to insure only a percentage.