NOTES FROM UNDERGROUND

Why are Americans so terrified of nationalised healthcare? It works just fine in most other countries. And they should know that their system isn't really working.

I'm not terrified. It can't suck too much more than it does now. Even though I'm going to work in health care, I agree some changes need to be made. Either way, Americans are terrified because they've never had it before. It doesn't matter that there are many places with nationalized health care, they thing its *gasp* socialist. And Americans fear socialism. Far more than they fear the world ending. I think its because most don't understand the concept. They know they can label Obama a socialist, because they heard someone else somewhere say it, and that's as far as their understanding of the whole situation is in, other than we're broke, and people are starving.

Most countries around the world are socialist to some degree. And most people around the world would say that a bit of socialism is good for a society.

But not in America. Partly, as you say, it's that they don't understand what socialism really means. But also they're a bit like China - "Let the rest of the world do as they like, but this is America."

China's version is something like "We don't care what any of you guys think. We're China. We do things our way."

Today my work told me to go to the doctor. I scrounged for the copay but doc, after saying I had a simple cold, that COULD progress to a sinus infection, wrote three different scripts. They're on my bedroom floor right now, because I couldn't afford to have them filled. I'm not afraid of a little change.

I know a girl. Her father had to go to the Emergency Room of a hospital for what turned out to be nothing, by which I mean they told him at the ER he was fine.

He later received a bill for $15,000. That's fifteen thousand dollars, in case you think I typoed.