I used to do weekly community service at the town library in beautiful St. Stephen, New Brunswick. My friend and I started a class in which we would teach senior citizens the basics of the internet-- web searching, browsing, and their favorite; email.
The class ran for two hours every Tuesday for 12 weeks. Between my friend and I, we would have two people each for an our at a time. In those 12 weeks, not a single man walked through the door. Only their wives.
"He just doesn't want to." Was always the reason. "He's lived his whole life and never needed to, so why start now?"
Metaphorically speaking, America needs to learn to use a computer.
Last night I glanced at FOX News, something I don't recommend to humans for any reason. The program was the misleading and ultra-biased Hannity's America. The show is hosted by Sean Hannity, who invites guests with opposing views on the show so he can tell them-- loudly-- that they are wrong and that they therefore hate America.
The topic during last nights program that really upset me was a segment called "The Greatest Nation In The World," which is when Sean Hannity tells his 100% American audience how awesome America is and why. Unfortunately, last night he was wrong.
He referred to the American health care system as the best in the world, and slammed the excellent documentary Sicko. He called the film an "anti-American rant", and said that the creator, Michael Moore, was only lying to get in the spotlight.
Here's the truth on the matter. Of the 24 first world nations on earth, only America has no universal health care. America pays more for medication and health care services than any other nation in the world, with HMO's and pharmaceutical companies having profits in the billions of dollars annually, while 47 million Americans don't have access to any health care at all.
Of those that are insured, they are insured under a purely capitalist system, designed by businessmen to make money-- not help sick people.
But here is the base problem. Hundreds of thousands of eligible voters mindlessly watched that program last night. They already thought that universal health care was a bad idea. Isn't that socialism? Like Stalin? I mean, paying taxes that would only help out our fellow Americans in need? How is that right? That's what I thought.
People really just want to hear what they already think. That's the news that they're going to tune into, and FOX is great at providing it, hiding under the ridiculous theme of "fair and balanced". And buying into it is a bad American habit.
Here in Utah, we had over 300 deaths last year on highway I-15. If you've ever driven here you know why-- the majorityof citizens in Utah don't know how to drive on a major highway. This highway was built in preperation for the 2002 winter Olypmics, but people were driving before that and didn't want to change.
Most people don't know how to merge, how to get over when someone else is merging, they don't understand that the left lanes should go faster and that you shouldn't drive ten feet behind someone else who is driving ten feet behind someone else at 85 miles an hour. And over 300 people died last year. Do you know what people here say when poor driving is addressed?
"If you don't like it you can move somewhere else."
Is that the attitude that will make America the greatest nation on earth? That's just the way it is? Instead of acknowledging a major problem that killed hundreds of Americans in a single state in a single year, we cling to our ridiculous tradition and refuse to change. Even if it kills us! We refuse to use email despite its instant speed, free cost and total convenience-- these colors do not run!
The first step that America needs to take is admitting that we have problems. We are not a perfect country. Our soldiers are not always heroes, let alone good people. The ways we used to do things are not always going to be right. Despite our health care being the best in the world according to people who ignore reality like Sean Hannity, America is actually behind 44 other nations in life expectancy, and we live less than one year longer than poverty stricken communist Cuba.
If you think America and all of its citzens are perfect already, I recommend that you vote for John McCain, who will tell you that for his whole 3rd term. I would also recommend Terry Goodkind's Wizards First Rule, another fantasy you might enjoy.
The class ran for two hours every Tuesday for 12 weeks. Between my friend and I, we would have two people each for an our at a time. In those 12 weeks, not a single man walked through the door. Only their wives.
"He just doesn't want to." Was always the reason. "He's lived his whole life and never needed to, so why start now?"
Metaphorically speaking, America needs to learn to use a computer.
Last night I glanced at FOX News, something I don't recommend to humans for any reason. The program was the misleading and ultra-biased Hannity's America. The show is hosted by Sean Hannity, who invites guests with opposing views on the show so he can tell them-- loudly-- that they are wrong and that they therefore hate America.
The topic during last nights program that really upset me was a segment called "The Greatest Nation In The World," which is when Sean Hannity tells his 100% American audience how awesome America is and why. Unfortunately, last night he was wrong.
He referred to the American health care system as the best in the world, and slammed the excellent documentary Sicko. He called the film an "anti-American rant", and said that the creator, Michael Moore, was only lying to get in the spotlight.
Here's the truth on the matter. Of the 24 first world nations on earth, only America has no universal health care. America pays more for medication and health care services than any other nation in the world, with HMO's and pharmaceutical companies having profits in the billions of dollars annually, while 47 million Americans don't have access to any health care at all.
Of those that are insured, they are insured under a purely capitalist system, designed by businessmen to make money-- not help sick people.
But here is the base problem. Hundreds of thousands of eligible voters mindlessly watched that program last night. They already thought that universal health care was a bad idea. Isn't that socialism? Like Stalin? I mean, paying taxes that would only help out our fellow Americans in need? How is that right? That's what I thought.
People really just want to hear what they already think. That's the news that they're going to tune into, and FOX is great at providing it, hiding under the ridiculous theme of "fair and balanced". And buying into it is a bad American habit.
Here in Utah, we had over 300 deaths last year on highway I-15. If you've ever driven here you know why-- the majorityof citizens in Utah don't know how to drive on a major highway. This highway was built in preperation for the 2002 winter Olypmics, but people were driving before that and didn't want to change.
Most people don't know how to merge, how to get over when someone else is merging, they don't understand that the left lanes should go faster and that you shouldn't drive ten feet behind someone else who is driving ten feet behind someone else at 85 miles an hour. And over 300 people died last year. Do you know what people here say when poor driving is addressed?
"If you don't like it you can move somewhere else."
Is that the attitude that will make America the greatest nation on earth? That's just the way it is? Instead of acknowledging a major problem that killed hundreds of Americans in a single state in a single year, we cling to our ridiculous tradition and refuse to change. Even if it kills us! We refuse to use email despite its instant speed, free cost and total convenience-- these colors do not run!
The first step that America needs to take is admitting that we have problems. We are not a perfect country. Our soldiers are not always heroes, let alone good people. The ways we used to do things are not always going to be right. Despite our health care being the best in the world according to people who ignore reality like Sean Hannity, America is actually behind 44 other nations in life expectancy, and we live less than one year longer than poverty stricken communist Cuba.
If you think America and all of its citzens are perfect already, I recommend that you vote for John McCain, who will tell you that for his whole 3rd term. I would also recommend Terry Goodkind's Wizards First Rule, another fantasy you might enjoy.
