It’s all their fault. Anytime some yahoo  in the United States suggests that health care for everyone could be a good thing, some knucklehead has to start bragging about Canada. I grew up in Buffalo, New York, right next door to Canada and while those Canadians were good neighbors, great hockey players  (yes, we’re stereotyping) and nobody beats Tim Horton’s donuts, the Canadian health care system of a single payer (i.e. the gubmint) shouldn’t be our choice.

The better selection might be socialized insurance, not socialized medicine. Countries such as Germany, Japan, and Taiwan have private hospitals, doctors with private practices and consumers still can choose their doctor and hospital. But unlike the U.S. where patients pay different costs for the same procedure — depending on the type of health insurance they have — the prices are fixed by the government and the insurance companies are nonprofit.

How does this work? Take a look.

Yep, I’m once again plugging T.R. Reid’s “Sickness Around the World,” and yeah I still think universal health care is a right, no matter what some pill-popping probably-got-his-stomach-stapled-on-the-sly says. 

By Philip Cartelli

“God gave us a beautiful day. Maybe it’ll rain on Bush tomorrow.” That was local housing advocate Tracy Washington speaking on Sunday at a rally held in the Ashé Cultural Center’s parking lot to mark the visit of Presidents Bush and Felipe Calderon of Mexico and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper to the Crescent City this week for talks as part of the Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP) of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Washington continued to address the 40 assembled Latino immigrant members of Congress of Day Laborers/Congreso de Jornaleros and about as many local citizens. “You have a right to housing. You have a right to have your children educated in whatever language you choose. You have a right to healthcare, to be treated when you are sick.”

These exhortations prefaced the main activity of the rally put on by New Orleans’ Critical Resistance and the New Orleans People’s Summit. Members of the Congreso de Jornaleros had prepared a piece of street theater, which they enacted in front of the colorful mural on the Ashé Center’s eastern wall. Read the rest of this entry »

by Alejandro de los Rios

With the Hornets up 2-0 on the Mavericks after two convincing wins at home, it seems like many questions have been put to rest regarding this teams alleged lack of playoff experience, depth and composure. But with reporters hovering around (or should I say under) Tyson Chandler, I couldn’t help but notice the Ceiling Fan Repairman’s excessive facial hair.

Melvin Ely, the only other player on the hornets with nearly as much facial hair, said he didn’t know where Tyson’s beard came from. But Ely warned about approaching Chandler on the subject. Read the rest of this entry »