November 17, 2007

What a great day. It is well below freezing out there this morning but the sun is shining and there is not a cloud in the sky. Perfect late fall weather. And best of all, no mud. Ya can walk anywhere and it is like walkin on concrete,

We just come in from outside doin chores. It was only three of us this morning. The oldest went to work at 5:00 and the middle daughter is still under the weather. She has been sick goin on a week now. She will get feelin better then it will hit her again. Don’t really think she has taken in any food for a week and what she has taken in will come back out (if ya get my drift). Why don’t ya take her to a doctor ya say. Good question and that brings me to the point of my rant. Haven’t had one of those for a spell so it is about time.

One of the things that used to be special about Canada was our medical system. We had free medical care. I don’t know how many times I would get to talking with one of our neighbors to the south (state side) and they would go on and on how lucky we were about how we got free medical care. They used to be right. Kind of. It wasn’t really free. We paid for the medical care through the tax system. Those that worked and paid taxes, paid for their medical care. The problem with that was those that worked and paid their taxes had to not only pay for their medical care but they paid for all the lazy slackers that didn’t work. The free loaders. Every country has them and ya we got our share of them too. Actually I think we got more than our share. Anyway, where was I? Oh, ya, the medical system. Well, it is still free but ya can’t get any services. Here is a typical scenario on our medical system. First, let me assure ya, what I am about to say here is the rule in this province, it is not the exception.

A few months ago my father-in-law (who is in his 80s) got ill and one morning he could not get out of bed. An ambulance was called and he was taken to the hospital at around 2:00 PM. He was taken to Emergency. Because he was in bed when the ambulance picked him up he had only his underwear on. He was received at emergency rapped in a sheet and set out in the waiting room in a wheelchair and left. My wife (his daughter) went to the admitting nurse at 9:30 PM and asked when her father was going to be attended to (he had now been waiting for over 7 hours, nothing to eat or drink, no one from the hospital even acknowledged he was still there). She was told ambulance patients have priority. My wife said “FOR PETE SAKE HE CAME IN AN AMBULANCE. At 10:30 that evening he was seen by a doctor. The doctor thought he may have had a stroke and thought they should schedule him for some tests. He was then discharged that evening at around midnight. After a 6 week wait he received his tests and he did have a stroke. In case you’re wondering, he is doing fine but it is of no thanks to our medical system. I’ll let you decide if ya think I am getting my moneys worth for the tax dollars I pay for our medical care. As I sat in that waitin room and watched my father-in-law waitin (wrapped in a sheet in his underwear). I remembered he was a veteran. He fought in the second world war, as did his brother and his father fought in the first world war. This is what his country thinks of him. He can’t buy, beg, borrow or steal medical help.

So where are my tax dollars going? I am payin my taxes and for my taxes one of the things I am suppose to be entitled to is medical care. I am supposed to also be entitled to education and a justice system that keeps me and my property safe. Those systems are in the same situation as our health care. The last I checked stealing was illegal. My money is being stolen from me. I pay taxes and for those taxes I am suppose to receive certain services. If you pay your money for a service and the provider does not deliver is that not illegal? Is that not theft? Our country is in a shambles. The systems our government is supposed to deliver are a mess to say the least. I am required by law to pay my taxes but the law does not require the provider to provide the service. That is because the provider (the government) makes the rules. The provider is a thief. The provider is a crook. I have learned not to depend on my government. I don’t expect anything and I am never disappointed. Thank you Mr. Government for taking my hard earned dollars (over half of my family’s income) and not delivering. At least you’re consistent. One of the main topics in the news these days is how one of our former Prime Ministers is involved in illegal pay offs for awarding untended services. There is no question in my mind he is as crooked as a dogs hind leg. 90% of our politicians and people running this country are self serving. There interest is not to run the country but to line their pockets and elevate their egos. Anybody think different?

How bout a joke? Let me see. Well it is not really a joke, More like a sad truth.

Can you imagine working at the following Company? It has a little over 500 employees with the following statistics:
29 have been accused of spouse abuse
7 have been arrested for fraud
19 have been accused of writing bad cheques
117 have bankrupted at least two businesses
3 have been arrested for assault
71 cannot get a credit card due to bad credit
14 have been arrested on drug-related charges
8 have been arrested for shop-lifting
21 are current defendants in lawsuits
In 1998 alone 84 were stopped for drunk driving

Can you guess which organization this is?Give up?
It's the 535 members of the United States Congress. The same group that perpetually cranks out hundreds upon hundreds of new laws designed to keep the rest of us in line.

I couldn't fine any statisics on our Canadian Parlament but there is no question in my mind we have similarly fine upstanding individuals leading our country. Why do we allow this? How do we change?

Talk to ya all soon.