CC Random thread

[BCExpat]

Not that I would condone violence, but if this is what it takes to start having serious discussions about universal health care down here, then so be it.

Are we surprised this happened? An honest answer would be “no”. My wife just went through breast cancer, double mastectomy, the whole kit and kaboodle. If we were Americans we wouldn’t have been able to afford to save her life…obviously we would’ve found a way but we’d be broke and in debt.

God Bless America

Save the Billionaires

This is the only reason I haven't moved to the USA. I'm still very fit and healthy, but at 71 years old, that could change very quickly.

[Cornuck]

This is the only reason I haven't moved to the USA. I'm still very fit and healthy, but at 71 years old, that could change very quickly.

When I moved here in '97, I naively thought that they would have it sorted out by now. Amazing what stubborn bastards how easily manipulated they are here.

[Megaterio Llamas]

The Whitecaps are for sale.


https://x.com/SBJ/status/1867641480657215860

[Strangelove]

Has the horrific state of U.S. Healthcare created a folk hero in Luigi Mangione? He even has a Go Fund me page to help pay for his lawyer fees. Crazy

I haven't been following this much, but I heard Mangione is from a filthy rich family (billionaires?).

If true, Healthcare shouldn't be an issue for him... and he certainly wouldn't need a Go Fund Me.

So why was he crazy angry at some random Healthcare CEO?

I heard he had a botched back surgery, if that is what drove him insane, shouldn't he be angry with the surgeon?

Whatevs, can't have angry nuts with guns running around loose, lock him up and throw away the key...

[donlever]

I'm on Salt Spring....I barely have internet right now.

Set up next week.

You bought a place out there?

Right.

Well congratulations Donny! The good life begins now or are you still travelling to the big smoke often?

I'll work a while longer which means yeah I'll be travelling still.

As I have noted to you before I still dig the game and the cash is ridiculous so I'll keep banking it.

Was in The Smoke Tuesday - Thursday this week for meetings and will be there for y/e annuals first week in January.

Right downtown too which blows a bit the and the Exec dinner is at Mortons which Topper will love to hear.

I'll keep a condo on the North Shore for 2/3 years but will operate off Salt Spring for the most part.

Once I shut work down completely I'll sell or rent the condo and move to the Island permanently.

And no Topper, Lizzie hasn't sucked my shaved nut sack quite yet.

[Cousin Strawberry]

She insists on a fully pelted scrote I hear

[donlever]

She insists on a fully pelted scrote I hear

Topper would be her man then.

Or so Ronnings Ghost told me.

[5thhorseman]

Not that I would condone violence, but if this is what it takes to start having serious discussions about universal health care down here, then so be it.

With the amount the USA spends on defense (and rightly so), they can't afford a universal health care system like we have here in Canada. If they do eventually get one, taxes in the US will skyrocket. I don't mind private health care insurance, as long as there isn't any of this bullshit about pre-existing conditions, etc., and that everyone is covered no matter what their health conditions are and there are some limits on health care premiums.

The crazy thing is that the US spends more per capita on healthcare than any other first world country, yet they have the lowest life expectancy.

So actually they can afford system like ours, it's just extremely difficult, politically, to disrupt their existing system and replace it with something more efficient and comprehensive. Big Pharma's prescription drug prices are crazy expensive and insurance companies are making bucket loads of profit. Those groups will lobby for no change.

[Cousin Strawberry]

She insists on a fully pelted scrote I hear

Topper would be her man then.

Or so Ronnings Ghost told me.

I'm gonna start reading Toppers posts in the Money's Mushrooms guys' voice (he was also the sasquatch in the Kokanee ads in the 90s)

[Chef Boi RD]

Not that I would condone violence, but if this is what it takes to start having serious discussions about universal health care down here, then so be it.

With the amount the USA spends on defense (and rightly so), they can't afford a universal health care system like we have here in Canada. If they do eventually get one, taxes in the US will skyrocket. I don't mind private health care insurance, as long as there isn't any of this bullshit about pre-existing conditions, etc., and that everyone is covered no matter what their health conditions are and there are some limits on health care premiums.

The crazy thing is that the US spends more per capita on healthcare than any other first world country, yet they have the lowest life expectancy.

So actually they can afford system like ours, it's just extremely difficult, politically, to disrupt their existing system and replace it with something more efficient and comprehensive. Big Pharma's prescription drug prices are crazy expensive and insurance companies are making bucket loads of profit. Those groups will lobby for no change.

Millions of Americans buy prescription drugs from outside America because they are cash strapped. Will these potentially new tariffs screw these frugal shoppers?

[UWSaint]

The crazy thing is that the US spends more per capita on healthcare than any other first world country, yet they have the lowest life expectancy.

So actually they can afford system like ours, it's just extremely difficult, politically, to disrupt their existing system and replace it with something more efficient and comprehensive. Big Pharma's prescription drug prices are crazy expensive and insurance companies are making bucket loads of profit. Those groups will lobby for no change.

(1) Life expectancy is driven hard by obesity. Our diet is bad. The #1 thing we could do to increase life expectancy is eat better and exercise more. The health care professionals here tend to be excellent, as is the availability of care for the medicare eligible set. It is the stuff that people do to themselves that keeps the LE down.

(2) Big pharma’s products rarely increase life expectancy. It’s a racket; in with the new (patent protected) when the old works nearly as well. Drug pricing is radically variable within the country, and nearly always higher than outside the country. With monopoly guarantees through patent protection, Companies charge what people will pay after they’ve created the demand with advertising and buying the media (in addition to, or in lieu of buying the politicians). They used to be successful buying off docs, though lots of lawsuits about that and it’s less necessary once you start evaluating more and more on patient satisfaction and those patients are convinced they need the new drugs.

For procedures, there’s nowhere I’d rather be than the USA. But the system is a mess, the food and pharma culture is a mess. Have no idea what RFK will do, but I am happy that big ag and big pharma is on the radar.

[Chef Boi RD]

Chefs wife is Californian, we’d go down to California at least once every one of two years until her Mom decided to move to Canada when Trump first became President, not a word of a lie, she’s a hippy, she’d bounce back n forth to Vancouver over the years along with her draft dodging hippy boyfriends, anyhoo…a few observations of my time down there:

Obesity, shocking…seemed to be huge amongst those on the poverty line and mostly white and blacks

Mexicans are hard working, family orientated. The men, even the gangsters, were always in tow with their brood. Father-in-law even said if they kicked out the Mexican’s construction, labour, farming, trades and services and all that would come to halt. Said so himself that they are very hard working and don’t mind rolling up their sleeves.

Blacks seemed to have an unfriendly attitude and look lazy at their jobs

Jesus Christ is everywhere down there.

Wife’s mom and dad lived in a predominantly lower class Mexican neighborhood, quite a few gangster houses in his neighborhood but they were super friendly with us, treated us like their own.

The Mexican food down there is spectacular, the restaurants in the neighborhood looked like dives or hole in the walls, but the quality was top shelf with lineups to eat there. Going to the Mexican restaurants in the neighborhood at night gave me the heebee jeebies walking there past the gangster houses sitting on their bicycles out front, they’d give us the nod (walking papers) when they saw the in-laws. Totally left us alone, looks are perceiving but the the obese white and black folk? Pretty fucking disgusting. IMHO, the Mexicans get a bad rap but what does this Canadian know???

[Cornuck]

Chef, your observations are pretty spot on. IF the whole 'mass deportation' thing goes forward, then it will be crushing to the housing market, which is one of the big problems down here (not to mention the food supply). Watching Hispanics work on roofs in a Vegas summer was enough to convince me of their work ethic.

Out here in rural land, Mexican restaurants are prevalent and supported by the locals.

Obesity is rampant, and nobody cares about it—just more profit for the 'heathcare' and fast food industries.

[donlever]

Immigrants who are legally able to be in a (any) country are an integral part of the population and economy and should be welcomed with open arms.

Immigrants who are not legally able to be in the country and are a drain on the economy financially, are violent offenders, take money which could be allocated to Vets, the elderly, social programs et cetera under the guise of Virtue Signalling (et al) s/b sent on their merry way and only allowed to return via legal means not by prancing across an unsecured border.

Immigrants who break the law prior to becoming legal PR/LI or citizens should also be shown the door post haste.

Mass deportation is not going to happen.

It's politicaspeak.....

As far as Mëds and Pharmacare go have a listen to Brigham Buhler on Rogan....Episode #1873.

[Chef Boi RD]

Chef, your observations are pretty spot on. IF the whole 'mass deportation' thing goes forward, then it will be crushing to the housing market, which is one of the big problems down here (not to mention the food supply). Watching Hispanics work on roofs in a Vegas summer was enough to convince me of their work ethic.

Out here in rural land, Mexican restaurants are prevalent and supported by the locals.

Obesity is rampant, and nobody cares about it—just more profit for the 'heathcare' and fast food industries.

Everywhere we went in California, the Latino ‘s were doing all the low paying hard labour work. The whites and blacks seemed to want no part of it, it’s below them. It’s an interesting situation, hypocrisy at its finest, from what my father -in-law describes - white Americans are hiring these “illegals” to work on their sites, farm’s etc., cause they are cheap, help in keep labour costs down and they don’t mind hard work, yet in political discussions the American citizens want them gone. The hypocrisy is hilarious. Stop hiring them, then…if you don’t want them. It will always be an unresolved situation cause they are fullly aware of how important they are for menial level work.