Bouncing Hedgehog

Archive for the ‘Misconceptions’ Category

My other half who is American – I’m English – and I have often talked about the different beliefs and cultures I have come across during my travels as well as some of the widely held and cherished beliefs Americans hold. I’ve been meaning to blog about that for some time, but she has gone and beaten me to it. Go and read it here – especially if you view life in America as the best thing since sliced bread.

It takes quite a lot to actually piss me off but the current debate on universal health care and the large percentage of scaremongers claiming it doesn’t work in the UK (one of their “facts” for maintaining huge profits for the insurance companies and the health care system) has finally managed to get me there.

The number of so-called experts (almost everyone I meet apparently) who feel qualified to pass judgment is quite staggering. Which is really quite strange as not many Americans as a percentage of the population have ever actually been there and of those who have I wonder just how many of them had to use our medical services. Funnily enough 65% of Americans can’t even find the UK on world map. Actually if you think that’s bad 20% of Americans can’t even find America on a world map.

As I said the number of lies spouted as fact has finally pissed me off. American health care sucks in comparison. And yes I do have knowledge of the system here. And in the UK of course, and also Canada, Iceland and New Zealand. Read the rest of this entry »

I was interested to see recently that the CDC proudly trumpeted “Life Expectancy Rises to New High of 75.3 for Men and 80.4 for Women” which works out at an average “all-time high” of 77.85. Interestingly enough the CIA’s website shows the average male/female life expectancy as 78.11. I’m not sure where they got that figure from, do they know something the CDC doesn’t?

I guess this is good news if you’re American. Many other countries wouldn’t be so happy if their life expectancy suddenly dropped to that level.

I was also somewhat perturbed at the naivite and lack of world knowledge of some Americans in the blog that followed the article when such comments as…

Well, it’s probably because the U.S. has the best health care in the world? I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else.

… appeared. Yes… Of Course America has the best health profit system in the world. Oh, and while I’m at it that hoary old chestnut about America subsidizing the rest of the world also surfaced. Ye gods. I really can’t believe that anyone here still falls for that one as the reason for the highest medical costs in the world. That particular little factoid has been debunked so many times it’s beyond a joke.

Anyway, for all my American friends here is a league table of the top 50 countries life expectancy rates. So before you get too excited at the extra time you now have, take a look and see where you rank. Read the rest of this entry »