Be nice!
Hmm...actually, Cuban life expectancy is quite high (given its low GNP), so perhaps they are doing something right when it comes to the practice of medicine? And maybe their doctors are better skilled at working under low-tech, emergency conditions than folks who are trained here. Just a thought.
Regardless of the merits of the Cuban offer, and the potential for asylum seeking, it might not be such a bad thing for the US to accept aid from many of the countries offering it (some of which is waiting on runways in foreign countries), if only to - in a small way - send a signal that we wish to be integrated into the world (rather than playing the role of self-sufficient cowboy). Sometimes it takes strength to accept help!
"you know who"... hmmm... would this be "Mrs. Maru?" 
If we were to calibrate life expectancy with GNP as the primary means of evaluating the efficacy and morality of various health care systems, two things would be true:
1) We would be inclined to lower our expectations for health and life expectency in places like Africa - something that seems inhumane to most, and certainly inconsistent with what most international aide organizations, (and critics of the president) espouse most of the time. How is calibrating health standards with *national* wealth any more moral than calibrating them with personal wealth?, (the usual complaint about competitive healthcare systems - of which our is one example though not necessarily the ultimate ideal, I'll admit.)
2) North Korea would come out smelling like roses despite being an absolute hell-hole. (If this needs debating, go cruise through the archives for March). But the clear example of their next-door neighbors, who (with U.S. help) threw off the mantle of communist oppression makes it clear why we can't dumb-down the standards just because some narcissistic megalomaniac leader has trashed the economy over several generations.
Unfortunately the argument for the universality of healthcare invariably runs into a fundamental economic trade-off (no matter how affluent the society) with the quality of that care. Cuba and North Korea may be 'universal' (Canada is not anymore, btw), and they may be doing *something* right. But so is the post office. And the IRS. And the DMV. And nobody would ever hold those institutions up as examples of doing things as well as they can be done.
btw, what were you thinking for dinner?
My god yeah - americans get great care if you have a lot of money or if you belong to an HMO. Just ask anyone who needs expensive surgery in order to save their life. The HMOs are johnny on the spot to dole out all you need for that life saving medical care. Why its about health care - not money.
Bill Frist had never registered to vote in his life. Bill and Hillary started talking about health care reform - BECAUSE MILLIONS OF AMERICANS WERE WITHOUT HEALTH CARE INSURANCE!!!! Contrary to Kobayashi's rosy senario.
First family owns Columbia, a chain of hospitals and HMOs which was sued by the government for fraud againt SS.
Suddenly frist wanted to be a senator - so he could make health care for americans even better! unhuh
In order to demonstrate the high quality of care in america you need only do a poll. Go out on any american city street and find a few homeless people and you are bound to hit upon people with mental illness. Get them to tell you about mental health care in the United States and I'm sure they'll tell you how great it is, managed care american style, the best money can buy.
Sorry you missed the entire point of Cuba's offer Kobayashi, which is to humiliate the USA and Castro's way of saying fuck you to the american govenrment.
Cuba, Venezula, Inida and other third world nations are offering the United States aid because George bush and the neo-cons have driven our country into the ground and we are the world's laughing stock.
Bush inherited a surplus and now we have a historic debt with plans to invade Iran which is bigger and more powerful then iraq where we are currently bogged down.
Old people drowned in nursing homes in NOLA and republicans suggest that people get a dependency mentality and fake need in order to get shit money welfare that a pissant couldn't live on.
A lot of nations have a higher standard of living then the US. Of course not a higher standard of living then the bush and cheney families or those who run Carlyle group. You can check the CIA Factbook for details.
bushcheney don't care about american health care or levees in NOLA or anything else but using our government to line their own pockets.
Hey Kobayashi, you are attempting to make US health care look good by comparing it with CUBA's. duh
I should think that the contempt you meant to heap on cuba flew right back in your face. too bad you're too slow to get it.
"But if thy enemy be hungry, give him to eat; if he thirst, give him to drink. For, doing this, thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head.
Be not overcome by evil, but overcome evil by good."
-the Apostle Paul (also found in the book of Proverbs)
Seems our boy, Castro has learned a few lessons from the Bible.
Yeah, he's read James 2:19.
Has anyone considered the possibility that Castro made his offer of doctors, all the while assuming that we would decline to accept? That would make him look like the good guy and make Bush look like the bad guy for refusing his help. Just a thought.
James 2:19 is a grand one ("you believe there is one God, good. But so do the demons"), I don't know whether Castro's read it or not, though. (You're not suggesting that because I disagree with you, I'm not a believer, are you?)
By his actions, he may have read a bunch of other stuff in James, though, including:
"Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming upon you. Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days."
Powerful warning, that.
Dan -
Re. your faith. No. I know very little about it. It is yours and I am not in a position to challenge it.
Re. the power of scripture: yes. But if your point is that because the U.S. is wealthy then Castro, because his country is poor, must be good, implying that he has spread the wealth and shepherded a nation of faithful, then I don't even know where to begin. So I won't.
No. That's not what I was implying at all. There are some serious problems with Castro and I'm not advocating him for sainthood.
My only point is exactly what the scripture says. It is a powerful warning to wealthy folk and that is us. For those who have ears to hear.
Dan - Indeed. Which is why we need to use that wealth to be active in the world on behalf of downtrodden people like the Cubans and North Koreans and Iraqis rather than sticking our heads in the sand and saying "no can do because France said so".
That's not a bad answer (using wealth to be active on behalf of downtrodden...) and I don't begrudge you it.
My conviction here lately, for me at least, is more along the lines of "Give away all you own and come, follow me." Join in the community of the poor and work with them to create a more sustainable and just world, as opposed to trying to give money to solve the problems for them.
"Community with" instead of "charity for or to."
But, as I said, I'm still working on that and have a long way to go.
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