Have you seen Michael Moores new movie SICKO? It's been the topic of conversation in our chat room this week. Kelly, Rook, and Sapient agree that our health care should be overhauled and that we should socialize more of it than we already do. Please visit us in the chatroom to discuss the issue. We recorded over 4 hours of material with Jake, and other assorted call in guests on the issue of universal health care for all Americans. The material will be available to subscribers in a newly created private forum for them soon. For those that dissent from the Michael Moore perspective in Sicko, take solace in the fact that our co-host "Yellow#5" (Mike) disagrees with us for the most part. We had a quite lively discussion and for the next week we will be focusing on issues related to Sicko.

Please visit www. MichaelMoore.com to get acquainted with the topic. Anyone who wants to speak about this issue at all is welcome to come on our stickam show at almost any point. Just come into our stickam room when you see us in there, and we'll entertain the idea. We can record the material so that your views are heard. Do you have personal health care stories that you would like to share? Come on our show to tell us about them. Visit us in the stickam room to make it happen (we'll call you, we don't list our number): http://www.rationalresponders.com/rrs_webcam_room

The first objection I tend to hear is that Canadians have longer wait times or some variant of this when trying to defend for profit health care. Read a few of the views from Canadians that are appalled at that notion.

Here is my favorite:

Your Own Worst Enemy

From: cassandra
Date: Sunday, July 15, 2007 11:50 PM
To: mmflint@aol.com
Subject: Canadian living in the US, the health care truth

Hey,

I just watched (with tears rolling down my face) your film, "Sicko." I am a Canadian citizen living in Los Angeles. I am without healthcare. I am only 25, yet fear that something will happen to me that won't allow me to fly back to Canada to receive the treatment for it. It's quite sad. I have a job here, do quite well, have 2 university degrees...and yet can't go to the doctor when I feel ill. I also work in the fashion industry...an industry that doesn't offer a lot of careers In my home town of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. This is the US...and yet I cannot have both, a career I love and healthcare. I can go back to Canada, rethink my entire career and work in a profession I have zero passion for, but yet know that If I break a leg or need stitches...I won't have to file for bankruptcy. Why are educated adults living in an industrialized nation having to make such decisions????

I would also like to testify that the picture the US media paints of Canada’s universal healthcare system is completely false. It already saddens me Daily, the level of stupidity and lack of global awareness people have here in the states. Why learn about other cultures when we are indoctrinated to believe this is the god damn best country in the world? Who needs a passport? Who needs to educate themselves on the wondrous joys of other countries when the government leads us to believe, god damn it, this is the best f*%*$% place to be. You can drive a Lexus and not have a high school diploma, just make sure you use condoms though, because that newborn will set you back a year salary and forget about spending time with that expensive little treat because you have to go back to work, now!

After watching your movie, I am thinking I need to give up the snow free winters and get my ass back to Canada. My parents are living it up during their retirement. They are extremely well off people, do they complain about the health care...do they get all flustered thinking, damn I could just pay my way into not having to wait for operation X or check up Y? NO! Canadian health care is amazing. My dad had a massive heart attack 2 years ago, fire trucks, ambulance, doctors were there within 5 minutes, he was checked into the hospital, they blasted out the clog, and he was home within the week and all that came out of their pocket was the money spent on coffee and snacks from the vending machines in the hospital. The hospital had no idea of my parents financial standing in life and yet his treatment was just the same as the regular Joe Schmoo who works as a janitor.

It wasn't until I moved to the states that I realized how messed up this country is. It is all backwards. The complacency of citizens to just believe every last thing that is fed to them...via CNN, US weekly, down to every last government official...it's sick and it will be the absolute demise of this nation. People in power have their bank accounts’ best interest at hand, have the well being of their party at a higher priority...they don't give a shit about what's best for the average person...Americans should get their passport, spend less money on their local church or political candidate, get out there, visit other countries , check your ego at the door and realize America IS NOT the best country in the world and if the 300 million of you got up and made as much noise as Michael Moore...there might be some freaking change for the better here AND stop being so ignorant about paying more taxes...immediate rewards aren't as important as looking at the big picture...in the long run, pay more taxes, get more back...it isn't socialism...because the government SHOULD provide those things, what they shouldn't provide is the ability to BRAINWASH you into being your own worst enemy.

Cassandra