Re: The Euro at $1.55

On Thu, 20 Mar 2008 17:03:29 GMT, john_kulp@xxxxxxxxxxx (John
Kulp) wrote:

On Thu, 20 Mar 2008 09:29:59 -0700, Hatunen <hatunen@xxxxxxx> wrote:


Never heard of social security in the US huh? Figures. Probably
haven't heard of Medicare either. Ignorance is bliss.

"Social security" in the European sense - which really provides SECURITY
(not marginal income for the elderly and people unable to work, who
have worked all their lives to qualify for it, as we have it here in the
USA).

Oh really? Go ask any Swede what he/she receives in pension income
compared to our Social Security and see what answer you get. Then ask
them the quality of the medical care they get and compare it to that
under Medicare. It might enlighten you and relieve you of your
ignorant prejudices.

How many Swedes have you actually asked?

Lots, since my wife is Swedish and we go there all the time. Mostly
of retirement age that actually have to depend on living on it.


A large protion of a Swede's income goes to taxes for social
programs, but they seem to be quite happy about it, although I'm
sure there are some grouches here and there. So many services are
provided by the state that large pensions aren't required.

That's a myth. A lot is provided but no one pays for food, housing,
etc. unless someone is destitute which is rare. Sweden admitted some
time ago that it couldn't pay the pensions in the future and, unlike
here in the US, passed a law around 2000 giving Swedes the option to
invest their pensions (or at least a portion of it) in something like
400 different funds to earn returns that would, hopefully, pay the
pensions. Same thing as Bush proposed here that got roundly turned
down. And that was done by Social Democrats no less.


As for the health care, I can't speak for Sweden, but I would
rather have the health care in Finland than here in the USA, were
it not for the fact that I have excellent retirement coverage
through the California Public Employees Retirement System.

If you have excellent care through the California system, why would
you opt for Finland?

Hence the phrase "... were it not for ...".

In Sweden, like many of the European systems,
there are long waits for anything other than acute care and the
quality varies considerably depending on whether you are in a major
city or in the boonies. For the obvious reason that the good doctors
don't want to live there. I don't know, but I would be surprised if
it is any different in Finland. My wife sure wouldn't trade the care
here for that in Sweden.

If you have access here, it can be very good. I have quite good
care here in Tucson. Not so the many people who don't have health
insurance. So I suggest it may be inappropriate for you and I to
make claims about the quality of health care here based on our
own experiences. One of the problems in internet groups is the
extravagant generalizations made by people well enough off to
have computers and internet service providers, and the time to
use them


--
************* DAVE HATUNEN (hatunen@xxxxxxx) *************
* Tucson Arizona, out where the cacti grow *
* My typos & mispellings are intentional copyright traps *
.

Relevant Pages

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