I wish that Americans would stop mocking the Canadian health care system. I know we have tons of problems in Canada because I've studied the system extensively. But I am a survivor of the Canadian health care system. I had open heart surgery when I was young, which would have bankrupted my family because insurance companies would have dropped them in a heart beat. My dad received a quad bypass too. My mom is undergoing cancer screening right now. Thank god we live in Canada.
Over my life time, I will slowly pay for the procedure I received by paying taxes, but maybe I'll never fully pay it off. I can't imagine needing an open heart surgery and not being able to work, which causes me to lose my health insurance. Then I would be stuck paying for the procedure out of pocket and file for bankruptcy.
That being said, I don't understand the Americans who oppose health insurance reform that doesn't allow companies to drop clients for "pre-existing conditions" because MOST conditions are genetic to SOME degree. What about people without any coverage? What americans don't realize is that these individuals get healthcare at the full expense of tax payers. By mandating that these people pay a reasonable amount for health insurance (with respect to their income), then the rest of the tax payers win. THAT IS THE PUBLIC OPTION! No private health insurance company will allow people to pay $1000 a year, but if that is appealing to the government that isn't receiving any money from these people but pays for their emergency medical procedures. People will argue that the government is telling them what to do. Well...That's society & government for you. The government forces us to do things for the benefit of the population as a whole and to protect the rights of ALL CITIZENS.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Toyota, Honda, and the rest of imports...
I almost feel bad for what happened to Toyota after the massive recall and problems it's facing as a result. However, I'm laughing because I used to always hear "Buy an import, domestic cars suck". I'm no domestic fanatic because I like different makes and models of cars. For the record, I've driven or been in different cars, which have been GM, benz, honda, etc. So don't get pissy just yet.
It kills me when I hear import fanatics say things like "honda civics are the best cars". I just want to strangle these people for reasons I do not know... I think to myself, why don't I like the civic? Oh right, I drove one for a horrible 3 months and learned first hand what a small, cheap tin can feels like. The same thing goes for the corolla, so don't think that Toyota is off the hook. The civic's engine is weak even though the car weighs next to nothing. The suspension feels poor. Its safety record is bad because every honda civic accident I've seen, the civic driver ends up dead or badly injured while the other driver barely has a scratch. With that said, I loved its gas economy but it wasn't amazing enough to change my mind.
So people will start whining about how imports are reliable, which is "the most important issue". HA HA HA! I owned an Dodge Intrepid with 485000 KM, a Chevy Impala with 350000 KM, and a Buick Century with 280000KM. They all ran great and had little problems. I rarely see imports with those kind of numbers without serious issues. Besides, the civic I drove around and the corolla in my family both have more than their fair share of problems, even with low mileage. This magical reliability that people talk about is something I have yet to see. The one thing I can say about import reliability is this: import parts begin to fail a bit earlier than domestic parts, but they keep going in this "bad" state for a long time. So I guess that's the "reliability" people talk about. But when non of the parts feel right, it feels like you're driving a piece of shit even though the car has low mileage.
Don't get me wrong, domestics have their own issues. But to say that any one make is superior hands down is plain stupid. Over the years, I've developed a preference for domestic vehicles because they balance comfort, acceleration, and gas consumption (my preference!). Imports seem to prioritize fuel economy over everything else: mostly safety. The automotive market is going to shit in general: domestic and import equally. I just wish people would stop mocking domestic vehicles because we're all driving the same crap, except for the people driving porsche, benz, etc....I envy you hahaha.
It kills me when I hear import fanatics say things like "honda civics are the best cars". I just want to strangle these people for reasons I do not know... I think to myself, why don't I like the civic? Oh right, I drove one for a horrible 3 months and learned first hand what a small, cheap tin can feels like. The same thing goes for the corolla, so don't think that Toyota is off the hook. The civic's engine is weak even though the car weighs next to nothing. The suspension feels poor. Its safety record is bad because every honda civic accident I've seen, the civic driver ends up dead or badly injured while the other driver barely has a scratch. With that said, I loved its gas economy but it wasn't amazing enough to change my mind.
So people will start whining about how imports are reliable, which is "the most important issue". HA HA HA! I owned an Dodge Intrepid with 485000 KM, a Chevy Impala with 350000 KM, and a Buick Century with 280000KM. They all ran great and had little problems. I rarely see imports with those kind of numbers without serious issues. Besides, the civic I drove around and the corolla in my family both have more than their fair share of problems, even with low mileage. This magical reliability that people talk about is something I have yet to see. The one thing I can say about import reliability is this: import parts begin to fail a bit earlier than domestic parts, but they keep going in this "bad" state for a long time. So I guess that's the "reliability" people talk about. But when non of the parts feel right, it feels like you're driving a piece of shit even though the car has low mileage.
Don't get me wrong, domestics have their own issues. But to say that any one make is superior hands down is plain stupid. Over the years, I've developed a preference for domestic vehicles because they balance comfort, acceleration, and gas consumption (my preference!). Imports seem to prioritize fuel economy over everything else: mostly safety. The automotive market is going to shit in general: domestic and import equally. I just wish people would stop mocking domestic vehicles because we're all driving the same crap, except for the people driving porsche, benz, etc....I envy you hahaha.
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