I’ve never “suffered” with a flu for more than one day, and don’t believe in flu shots for those over five and under 70, unless there are extent health problems. In general, increasing vitamin C intake during the winter seems to work and keep excercising to keep your cardio and pulmonary health up. Save the shots for those who need them, like Stipple said.Of course, my wife tells me my mother’s cooking was so bad, I probably developed an immunity to just about everything by the time I grew up.
In Ontario, the government sets up clinics around and about. You walk in and get your shot and leave. I got mine from my family doctor. Most prescriptions are not free — for instance, I just got the shingles vaccine, and it costs, but my insurance at work pays for it. The flu shot, however, is free.
By your logic, nothing is ever free, so the word should be banished from the dictionary. If a company says, “Buy our product and get a free something or other!!!”, you would have to say, “That’s not free, somebody had to pay for it.”
I have no idea what your most recent post means. But sticking to the flu shot, all taxpayers in Ontario contribute to the costs of health care. Since I am one of those taxpayers, I am not freeloading, any more than you are freeloading when you drive on a highway built with money from taxes. In the English language, however, the word “free” is used to mean what I mean when I say the flu shot is free. If I go into a bakery and the baker gives me a cookie for “free”, that means I don’t give him a dollar for the cookie. In some sense somebody pays for the cookie, since in order to maintain his profit he has to take the cost of that “free” cookie into account when he is pricing the rest of what he sells, but I don’t pay for when he gives it to me, and so I say it is “free”. That’s the language. It’s perverse to deny that use of the word to the flu shot in Ontario.
“What do YOUR taxes pay for?”U.S. Federal, Fiscal 2011:20% Defense20% Social Security15% Unemployment, Federal Civilian/Military Retirement, Veteran Benefits, Earned Income Tax Credit, Food Stamps, other.13% Medicare 8% Medicaid 6% Interest on Debt18% Rest of GovernmentCBO: the U.S. Federal Budget 2011
People give out free stuff all the time. You know that. I see your quote from Alice, but I think you’re the one changing the meaning of a perfectly good word to suit your own purposes.
You say each Canadian pays $5614 annually for “free” healthcare. I have to pay $150 a week for a baseline insurance for my wife and myself. That’s $7800 a year, and I still pay for more on top of that that is not covered or I need to meet a deductible. How are Canadians worse off? That is $467 a month compared to $600 a month with more extent costs.
Maybe it’s time to bring in the Asian custom of wearing a mask when you’re sick and out and about. But hey, why think about other peoples health when you might look funny!
Or you could find out from people in Canada, or even better, people who have had experience in both systems. But you wouldn’t listen, so there’s no point talking.
So I went to the Super Market on Saturday, and among all the stuff for sale I noticed four or five little tables with little nibbles — a bit of cheese on crackers, you know, nibbles, samples — and I walks up to one of the ladies at one of the tables and I says, “How much does this cost?” and she goes, “Oh, sir, it’s free.” So I says, “Oh, no, it’s not, my friend Skeptical says you can’t use that word anymore. Nothing is really free. Somebody paid for that.” And she gave me a weird look. But I took the cheese and crackers anyway.
I have used the medical service in Canada, Ireland, Finland, Switzerland, and Germany. With the exception of Ireland (Dublin on a weekend) I found them to be very efficient, easy to use, and affordable for a foreigner. My worst experiences have come from the US. I have double vision and partial blindness in my left eye because as a child, I was shot in the forehead with a .22 bullet just above my left eye. I had to wait in the waiting room for 8 hours before being seen by a doctor, by which point an infection had spread making the wound impossible to stitch and damaging my vision permantly. I would gladly pay a couple hundred a month in extra taxes and ensure I received the healthcare my doctor recommends than pay 600+ a month to be constantly told by a private insurer that for whatever reason I am not covered for something. I’ve already declared bankruptcy once because of a bone marrow transplant. Believe me, people in Europe and Canada have more horror stories about our system than we ever do about theirs.
Ketira over 11 years ago
Yes, the flu can be miserable. I’m still getting over my bout of pneumonia from November….
Kylop over 11 years ago
You paid cash for that shot?
Fourcrows over 11 years ago
I’ve never “suffered” with a flu for more than one day, and don’t believe in flu shots for those over five and under 70, unless there are extent health problems. In general, increasing vitamin C intake during the winter seems to work and keep excercising to keep your cardio and pulmonary health up. Save the shots for those who need them, like Stipple said.Of course, my wife tells me my mother’s cooking was so bad, I probably developed an immunity to just about everything by the time I grew up.
lonecat over 11 years ago
In Ontario, the government sets up clinics around and about. You walk in and get your shot and leave. I got mine from my family doctor. Most prescriptions are not free — for instance, I just got the shingles vaccine, and it costs, but my insurance at work pays for it. The flu shot, however, is free.
lonecat over 11 years ago
By your logic, nothing is ever free, so the word should be banished from the dictionary. If a company says, “Buy our product and get a free something or other!!!”, you would have to say, “That’s not free, somebody had to pay for it.”
lonecat over 11 years ago
I have no idea what your most recent post means. But sticking to the flu shot, all taxpayers in Ontario contribute to the costs of health care. Since I am one of those taxpayers, I am not freeloading, any more than you are freeloading when you drive on a highway built with money from taxes. In the English language, however, the word “free” is used to mean what I mean when I say the flu shot is free. If I go into a bakery and the baker gives me a cookie for “free”, that means I don’t give him a dollar for the cookie. In some sense somebody pays for the cookie, since in order to maintain his profit he has to take the cost of that “free” cookie into account when he is pricing the rest of what he sells, but I don’t pay for when he gives it to me, and so I say it is “free”. That’s the language. It’s perverse to deny that use of the word to the flu shot in Ontario.
corzak over 11 years ago
“What do YOUR taxes pay for?”U.S. Federal, Fiscal 2011:20% Defense20% Social Security15% Unemployment, Federal Civilian/Military Retirement, Veteran Benefits, Earned Income Tax Credit, Food Stamps, other.13% Medicare 8% Medicaid 6% Interest on Debt18% Rest of GovernmentCBO: the U.S. Federal Budget 2011
corzak over 11 years ago
^ So basically, a massive, heavily weaponized retirement program.
lonecat over 11 years ago
People give out free stuff all the time. You know that. I see your quote from Alice, but I think you’re the one changing the meaning of a perfectly good word to suit your own purposes.
Fourcrows over 11 years ago
You say each Canadian pays $5614 annually for “free” healthcare. I have to pay $150 a week for a baseline insurance for my wife and myself. That’s $7800 a year, and I still pay for more on top of that that is not covered or I need to meet a deductible. How are Canadians worse off? That is $467 a month compared to $600 a month with more extent costs.
Rottiluv over 11 years ago
Maybe it’s time to bring in the Asian custom of wearing a mask when you’re sick and out and about. But hey, why think about other peoples health when you might look funny!
lonecat over 11 years ago
Or you could find out from people in Canada, or even better, people who have had experience in both systems. But you wouldn’t listen, so there’s no point talking.
lonecat over 11 years ago
So I went to the Super Market on Saturday, and among all the stuff for sale I noticed four or five little tables with little nibbles — a bit of cheese on crackers, you know, nibbles, samples — and I walks up to one of the ladies at one of the tables and I says, “How much does this cost?” and she goes, “Oh, sir, it’s free.” So I says, “Oh, no, it’s not, my friend Skeptical says you can’t use that word anymore. Nothing is really free. Somebody paid for that.” And she gave me a weird look. But I took the cheese and crackers anyway.
Fourcrows over 11 years ago
I have used the medical service in Canada, Ireland, Finland, Switzerland, and Germany. With the exception of Ireland (Dublin on a weekend) I found them to be very efficient, easy to use, and affordable for a foreigner. My worst experiences have come from the US. I have double vision and partial blindness in my left eye because as a child, I was shot in the forehead with a .22 bullet just above my left eye. I had to wait in the waiting room for 8 hours before being seen by a doctor, by which point an infection had spread making the wound impossible to stitch and damaging my vision permantly. I would gladly pay a couple hundred a month in extra taxes and ensure I received the healthcare my doctor recommends than pay 600+ a month to be constantly told by a private insurer that for whatever reason I am not covered for something. I’ve already declared bankruptcy once because of a bone marrow transplant. Believe me, people in Europe and Canada have more horror stories about our system than we ever do about theirs.
jflyn123 over 11 years ago
Our taxes pay for war, big oil etc.