Don't they all.

I wonder how the American people would react to a non-sycophantic politician who just honestly told people like it was. No platitudes, no niceties... just the reality.

America is only number 1 in the world at 2 things... childhood obesity and military spending. We have more aircraft carriers than the entire world put together.

I think we might be number 1 in the world in economic opportunity.  When you combine the relative ease of opening a new business with the rule of law and the huge market, that's the reason so many immigrants want to come here and start businesses.  Maybe someone can think of a better place for that; I can't.

Yea, you're right about that too.


This is the only country on Earth where a Pakistani man can come with pennies and make billions. Pretty cool.

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To be fair, Trump said LOTS of things during his campaign(s).

Don't they all.

I wonder how the American people would react to a non-sycophantic politician who just honestly told people like it was. No platitudes, no niceties... just the reality.

America is only number 1 in the world at 2 things... childhood obesity and military spending. We have more aircraft carriers than the entire world put together.

I’ve never understood this dump-on-America-to-look-enlightened attitude. We’re number 1 in a lot of things, good and bad, just as other countries are. But it can’t be all that bad if so many are flocking here. Elon Musk says America is the only place in the world where he can turn his ambitions into reality, as many other self-made folks can attest. 
We’re not perfect, but we’re not awful either.

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Don't they all.

I wonder how the American people would react to a non-sycophantic politician who just honestly told people like it was. No platitudes, no niceties... just the reality.

America is only number 1 in the world at 2 things... childhood obesity and military spending. We have more aircraft carriers than the entire world put together.

I’ve never understood this dump-on-America-to-look-enlightened attitude. We’re number 1 in a lot of things, good and bad, just as other countries are. But it can’t be all that bad if so many are flocking here. Elon Musk says America is the only place in the world where he can turn his ambitions into reality, as many other self-made folks can attest. 
We’re not perfect, but we’re not awful either.

See post above.

I want honesty in all matters.. Good and bad. I don't want an inflated rah-rah we're the best. I want to BE the best. Make us the best again.

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To be fair, Trump said LOTS of things during his campaign(s).

Don't they all.

I wonder how the American people would react to a non-sycophantic politician who just honestly told people like it was. No platitudes, no niceties... just the reality.

America is only number 1 in the world at 2 things... childhood obesity and military spending. We have more aircraft carriers than the entire world put together.

They (the 'Merican people) would probably show that person the door, especially in a two-party system. I tend to prefer Bernie over most of the DNC candidates (because he *seems* to take that route and is unabashedly a proponent for what he believes in), but I won't make the mistake of believing that being a politician is in any way synonymous with honesty, including him. I tend to pessimistically believe that I'm in the minority with that assessment. 

To your second point, America will never, I repeat: NEVER, be number one in healthcare or education. They're just not our priority. I welcome the chance to be proven wrong. Marty's assessment of economic opportunity is accurate, but I'd say it's also a reasonable factor with regard to our obesity rates.

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I'll play you in ping pong. 

US will never become first in healthcare or education precisely because of federal involvement.

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"You do your own thing in your own time. You should be proud."

US will never become first in healthcare or education precisely because of federal involvement.

Help me understand this one. We agree that the US is not number one in health care, right? We agree that all of the countries that are ahead of us have more government involvement in their health care than we do, right?


How do you reach your conclusion? Please help me get there.

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My fellow southpaw Mark Brunell will probably always be my favorite Jaguar.

US will never become first in healthcare or education precisely because of federal involvement.

Help me understand this one. We agree that the US is not number one in health care, right? We agree that all of the countries that are ahead of us have more government involvement in their health care than we do, right?


How do you reach your conclusion? Please help me get there.

You are pretty much incorrect regarding the bold statement.  I have first hand experience from natives from Scotland that raved about our healthcare un-solicited.  I work directly with people from Norway that also rave about our healthcare technology, again un-solicited.

Name one country that is more advanced in the healthcare industry (NOT how it's paid for).

As far as education, yes the U.S. is very lacking, especially in grade schools.  Take the cell phone and youtube away from the average high school student thru millennials and they don't have a clue.  Look at how many college students that don't know basic history.  Our education system doesn't teach, it indoctrinates.

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There are 10 kinds of people in this world.  Those who understand binary and those who don't.

Help me understand this one. We agree that the US is not number one in health care, right? We agree that all of the countries that are ahead of us have more government involvement in their health care than we do, right?


How do you reach your conclusion? Please help me get there.

You are pretty much incorrect regarding the bold statement.  I have first hand experience from natives from Scotland that raved about our healthcare un-solicited.  I work directly with people from Norway that also rave about our healthcare technology, again un-solicited.

Name one country that is more advanced in the healthcare industry (NOT how it's paid for).

Last time I checked, all of the OECD countries had lower rates of maternal death as a complication of childbirth than the US, with the possible exception of Mexico and Turkey.
I worked with a guy who died of sepsis from an untreated tooth infection. Pause for a minute and think about how painful that untreated tooth infection was, before it got bad enough to roast his digestive system and his brain. Hard worker, but he was considered low skilled. Our rates of death from dental disease are also some of the highest in the OECD.
A few shiny machines that they don't have in Scotland are not impressive to me. 
We have the medical field to prevent the deaths that are preventable. Not to impress people with gadgets.

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My fellow southpaw Mark Brunell will probably always be my favorite Jaguar.

You are pretty much incorrect regarding the bold statement.  I have first hand experience from natives from Scotland that raved about our healthcare un-solicited.  I work directly with people from Norway that also rave about our healthcare technology, again un-solicited.

Name one country that is more advanced in the healthcare industry (NOT how it's paid for).

Last time I checked, all of the OECD countries had lower rates of maternal death as a complication of childbirth than the US, with the possible exception of Mexico and Turkey.

Are you sure they define "childbirth" in the same way? Most countries, including Europe, write off early births as fetal deaths at a later stage of development that the US, so it is likely that deaths during those more complicated cases are also not considered "maternal" deaths.

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"Why should I give information to you when all you want to do is find something wrong with it?"

Last time I checked, all of the OECD countries had lower rates of maternal death as a complication of childbirth than the US, with the possible exception of Mexico and Turkey.

Are you sure they define "childbirth" in the same way? Most countries, including Europe, write off early births as fetal deaths at a later stage of development that the US, so it is likely that deaths during those more complicated cases are also not considered "maternal" deaths.

Sounds unlikely to me.  I can't imagine a doctor categorizing a complicated pregnancy as anything but "maternal" regardless of if the baby lives or not.

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My fellow southpaw Mark Brunell will probably always be my favorite Jaguar.

You are pretty much incorrect regarding the bold statement.  I have first hand experience from natives from Scotland that raved about our healthcare un-solicited.  I work directly with people from Norway that also rave about our healthcare technology, again un-solicited.

Name one country that is more advanced in the healthcare industry (NOT how it's paid for).

Last time I checked, all of the OECD countries had lower rates of maternal death as a complication of childbirth than the US, with the possible exception of Mexico and Turkey.
I worked with a guy who died of sepsis from an untreated tooth infection. Pause for a minute and think about how painful that untreated tooth infection was, before it got bad enough to roast his digestive system and his brain. Hard worker, but he was considered low skilled. Our rates of death from dental disease are also some of the highest in the OECD.
A few shiny machines that they don't have in Scotland are not impressive to me. 
We have the medical field to prevent the deaths that are preventable. Not to impress people with gadgets.

So why don’t you move to a better country?

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Last time I checked, all of the OECD countries had lower rates of maternal death as a complication of childbirth than the US, with the possible exception of Mexico and Turkey.
I worked with a guy who died of sepsis from an untreated tooth infection. Pause for a minute and think about how painful that untreated tooth infection was, before it got bad enough to roast his digestive system and his brain. Hard worker, but he was considered low skilled. Our rates of death from dental disease are also some of the highest in the OECD.
A few shiny machines that they don't have in Scotland are not impressive to me. 
We have the medical field to prevent the deaths that are preventable. Not to impress people with gadgets.

So why don’t you move to a better country?

Because all my stuff is here.

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My fellow southpaw Mark Brunell will probably always be my favorite Jaguar.

So why don’t you move to a better country?

Because all my stuff is here.

Doesn’t have to be.  Not to be snide,  but you can move.  I’m sure you’re way over qualified to get whatever job you want in another country.

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Because all my stuff is here.

Doesn’t have to be.  Not to be snide,  but you can move.  I’m sure you’re way over qualified to get whatever job you want in another country.

You would be surprised. As a licensed engineer I would have to retake all my tests, maybe even retake some college courses, and relearn the codes. I've been trying to get licensed in the bahamas and I can't.  I'm pretty sure you need a current Bahamian engineer to sponsor you. 
The international building code is less international than you might think, but a lot of developed countries have translated their building codes into English by now. Since I wouldn't be public facing, I could probably get by just speaking English in the office in any developed country.

The wife would face similar problems. She would also need a professional license, and she's public facing, so that limits us to English-speaking countries.

Plus our parents both just moved within 30 miles after they'd each been about 200 miles away for years. Gotta take advantage of that.

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My fellow southpaw Mark Brunell will probably always be my favorite Jaguar.

Are you sure they define "childbirth" in the same way? Most countries, including Europe, write off early births as fetal deaths at a later stage of development that the US, so it is likely that deaths during those more complicated cases are also not considered "maternal" deaths.

Sounds unlikely to me.  I can't imagine a doctor categorizing a complicated pregnancy as anything but "maternal" regardless of if the baby lives or not.

It's true.

3/4 of the world's neonatal deaths are counted only through a 5-year retrospective survey instead of when they happen, so you know they're grossly under-reported.

Many countries report the the deaths as stillbirths, even when they're alive, instead of categorizing them as we do. Some studies show that even Europe has under-reported between 10 to 30%.

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Sounds unlikely to me.  I can't imagine a doctor categorizing a complicated pregnancy as anything but "maternal" regardless of if the baby lives or not.

It's true.

3/4 of the world's neonatal deaths are counted only through a 5-year retrospective survey instead of when they happen, so you know they're grossly under-reported.

Many countries report the the deaths as stillbirths, even when they're alive, instead of categorizing them as we do. Some studies show that even Europe has under-reported between 10 to 30%.

I've heard about that before. But those are babies. I'm talking about the mothers.

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Because all my stuff is here.

Doesn’t have to be.  Not to be snide,  but you can move.  I’m sure you’re way over qualified to get whatever job you want in another country.

But, more relevant to the topic, I get great health care here. Right when I got out of college things were sketchy, but since then the wife and I can see good dentists and doctors whenever we want to and never worry about the cost. Leaving would not improve our health care, so why would we leave? It's the girl pouring your coffee, or taking your money at the grocery store, or the guy who helped redo your roof, who really should consider leaving.

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My fellow southpaw Mark Brunell will probably always be my favorite Jaguar.

It's true.

3/4 of the world's neonatal deaths are counted only through a 5-year retrospective survey instead of when they happen, so you know they're grossly under-reported.

Many countries report the the deaths as stillbirths, even when they're alive, instead of categorizing them as we do. Some studies show that even Europe has under-reported between 10 to 30%.

I've heard about that before. But those are babies. I'm talking about the mothers.

Crisis of Abundance. Americans have so much that we're literally killing ourselves with our lifestyle. Healthcare spending in America isn't healing the sick, it's either repairing the damaged or prolonging the life (and quality thereof) of the aged. But hey, numbers and stats.

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“An empty vessel makes the loudest sound, so they that have the least wit are the greatest babblers.”. - Plato

I've heard about that before. But those are babies. I'm talking about the mothers.

Crisis of Abundance. Americans have so much that we're literally killing ourselves with our lifestyle. Healthcare spending in America isn't healing the sick, it's either repairing the damaged or prolonging the life (and quality thereof) of the aged. But hey, numbers and stats.

I read a bio on Michael Crichton who in his younger days trained to become a doctor before abandoning the effort. It mentioned that he was rebuked by the hospital where he was in residence because of his willingness to tell many patients that their health problems were caused mainly by personal choices and not to expect doctors to be miracle workers to undo the damage they had created. 

Give me meds, not the truth.

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Crisis of Abundance. Americans have so much that we're literally killing ourselves with our lifestyle. Healthcare spending in America isn't healing the sick, it's either repairing the damaged or prolonging the life (and quality thereof) of the aged. But hey, numbers and stats.

I read a bio on Michael Crichton who in his younger days trained to become a doctor before abandoning the effort. It mentioned that he was rebuked by the hospital where he was in residence because of his willingness to tell many patients that their health problems were caused mainly by personal choices and not to expect doctors to be miracle workers to undo the damage they had created. 

Give me meds, not the truth.

My wife is a nurse. Come evaluation time, the doctors are graded on customer satisfaction. The doctors that call out patients and don’t needlessly prescribe pain meds always do worse. So most of them know the patients don’t need the treatment they’re getting but they won’t say anything because they don’t want the end-of-year bonus going away.

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I read a bio on Michael Crichton who in his younger days trained to become a doctor before abandoning the effort. It mentioned that he was rebuked by the hospital where he was in residence because of his willingness to tell many patients that their health problems were caused mainly by personal choices and not to expect doctors to be miracle workers to undo the damage they had created. 

Give me meds, not the truth.

My wife is a nurse. Come evaluation time, the doctors are graded on customer satisfaction. The doctors that call out patients and don’t needlessly prescribe pain meds always do worse. So most of them know the patients don’t need the treatment they’re getting but they won’t say anything because they don’t want the end-of-year bonus going away.

I had a chance to speak to a 50 year old man who had been a doctor in the VA for 20 years.
He said that he loved working in the government hospital because he could just give the patient what he thought was right and not worry about patient satisfaction. Said a lot of his coworkers felt the same way, because usually what the patient's asking for, is not what they need.
Unfortunately this was before the VA waiting time scandal broke. But I think that's a separate issue, the VA has long waiting times because they do not have enough doctors and enough beds, and because of inefficiency in other areas.

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My fellow southpaw Mark Brunell will probably always be my favorite Jaguar.