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Letter: Dyer’s assessment of universal health care

Personal space, not racism
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Personal space, not racism

I am writing this letter in regards to the article on June 29th, 2018, edition of the Advocate, concerning racism in Red deer.

I was a participant in the water aerobics class Mr Richards was referring to. I can not speak for others in the class, but, in my opinion, it was not an incident of racism.

Water aerobics is a very active form of exercise. There are as many as 40 participants in the pool at one time. We are constantly moving.

Mr. Robertson was in amongst us floating on a raft and not participating in the exercises. It was difficult to work around him. From my perspective the issue was one of personal space and the purpose of the program.

Gail Bristow, Red Deer

Health-care assessment

Re: Universal health care – right or privilege ? by Gwynne Dyer

Mr. Dyer’s assessment of America’s private health-care system, in my opinion, is correct.

If one reads the reports done by The Commonwealth Fund, The New England Journal of Medicine, and U.S. News and World Report, America‚’s health-care system is costlier and less efficient than those countries associated with universal health-care systems.

Based on studies done by the Commonwealth Fund, the U.S. system cost $9,024 per person while Canada’s health-care system costs $4,492 per person, a difference of $4,532.

Moreover, Americans don’t live as long as Canadians, and the mortality rate for women and children in U.S. hospitals are far higher than Canada and those countries that I have mentioned.

Why does the U.S. maintain its system of private health care then? Well, in my opinion, the health-care system there is supported by the goose that lays the golden eggs.

It’s a three trillion dollars plus system that benefits doctors, hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, insurance companies, and the lawyers who defend them, and those vested interests don’t want to change because they make so much money from it.

Furthermore, conservative politicians have used the term socialism to scare Americans into believing that socialized medicine is inferior, and the word is associated with communism, and communism conjures up images of the ruthless dictatorships in Russia, China, Cuba, and North Korea.

George Thatcher, Trochu