If you want to see the true nature of a nation then look at how they treat those who are the least fortunate in that society...
I find that the United States is disgusting. We are really messed up and have our morals twisted. We may say we care about people but let's face it, that's a lie. We look out for ourselves at the expense of others and we have little to no remorse for doing so. Money is the root of all evil and unfortunately our eyes glisten with dollar signs. Our society is built upon climbing up the ladder to reach financial wealth which is why Americans are driven by money. Everyone wants to live the "American Dream" and live comfortably but at what cost? The poor work relentlessly to achieve this goal and the rich ignore the plights of others so they can maintain this dream. We are not a people that are concerned about the well being of our neighbors but how to exploit them in order to profit.
This idea came about after viewing Sicko. This is a great Michael Moore movie and I STRONGLY encourage you to watch it. I didn't watch it all but I watched enough and it really put a lot of things in perspective so much so that I was contemplating moving to Canada or the United States. The film is about the health care system in the U.S. It reveals the monstrosities that take place in our system while comparing it to those of socialized health care systems. Imagine your elected politicians selling their votes to multi-billion dollar companies, hospitals dumping patients off in the streets, someone having to choose whether they want to keep their index or middle finger, or losing a child due to a hospital's unwillingness to treat them. These are all truths within our health insurance system and it doesn't seem like it is going to get better. The rich are too concerned about gaining more wealth at the expense of others. If patients received financial help from an insurance company they were considered financial losses. How is potentially saving a life considered a loss!? Even worse doctors, who have taken an oath to treat anyone in need, receive bonuses based on how many people they deny for health coverage.
Now compare this corruption to Canada's system where all citizens receive free health care no matter what. All they have to do is walk into a clinic and they will be taken care of without any co-pays or expenses billed to their homes. They can stay as long as they need and all of their prescription drugs are $1o at the most. Homeless people and affluent moguls all receive the same treatment in order to ensure equal health care for all unlike the U.S. where the wealthy receive the best care and the rest of us are left to struggle. The U.S. puts a lot of propaganda out that portrays socialized health care as a bad thing but it's actually quite beneficial. All the citizens have care (in some countries you don't even have to be a citizen to receive care), preventative care is exercised, doctors and medical professionals are still paid well among a number of other benefits. It is no surprise then that the poorest of these countries outlive the wealthiest Americans.
When you are more concerned about increasing your wealth than saving a life that is a problem. When you coerce politicians into passing bills so you can maximize your profits that is a problem. When you tell a man that he has to choose which finger he wants to keep because he can't afford the surgery to keep both of them that is a problem. When someone denies a child treatment because their insurance isn't good at that hospital and she dies as a result of refusal that is a problem. When did we became so consumed with making money? Why don't we genuinely care for people anymore? Is the money really worth the lives of others?
I truly have a different understanding of the land of the free after watching Sicko. I am deeply disturbed by how money motivates the actions of others to the point of indirectly murdering people. After grad school, I am now considering organizing and creating free health clinics in the U.S while lobbying for universal health care so that people no longer have to suffer, choose which finger to keep or lose a child.
