bush_cheney2004 Posted March 6, 2014 Report Posted March 6, 2014 Putin would only win in the short term, while Gates is the gift that keeps on giving. The devil will also pay for your soul. Quote Economics trumps Virtue.
August1991 Posted March 6, 2014 Author Report Posted March 6, 2014 Yes, but not because a life wants to be saved or extended, but because those with the service and/or pills will demand payment. Life comes and goes every day, but Dorian Gray pills are rare. Pay up or die on schedule."Demand payment"? BC, you miss Mankiew's point. What if the cost of maintaining life (the payment) is more than GDP per capita? That is, we can maintain one person's life forever but it requires the lives of three people to do this. Who gets to be that one person? Quote
bush_cheney2004 Posted March 6, 2014 Report Posted March 6, 2014 Who gets to be that one person? Michael Jackson. Quote Economics trumps Virtue.
Michael Hardner Posted March 6, 2014 Report Posted March 6, 2014 Michael Jackson. Indeed. So wealthy and powerful that he's influencing policy on this from beyond the grave. (BTW, Kudos for the rhetorical playfulness.) Quote Looks like someone has a new patronizing catch phrase ! Michael Hardner
August1991 Posted March 8, 2014 Author Report Posted March 8, 2014 (edited) Michael Jackson.Despite the apparent American adulation of celebrity, I trust more in American individualism. I have met many individual Americans willing to die for America (this discovery was a surprise to me - weird) but I have met few (if any) Americans willing to die for an individual. Go figure. ---- Then again, maybe I have this wrong. (Gawd, what a thread... ) Edited March 8, 2014 by August1991 Quote
bush_cheney2004 Posted March 8, 2014 Report Posted March 8, 2014 I have met many individual Americans willing to die for America (this discovery was a surprise to me - weird) but I have met few (if any) Americans willing to die for an individual. Many Americans die or are willing to die for individuals every day. Sometimes they get overtime pay for doing it. Quote Economics trumps Virtue.
August1991 Posted March 15, 2014 Author Report Posted March 15, 2014 (edited) Many Americans die or are willing to die for individuals every day. Sometimes they get overtime pay for doing it."Many"? There are relatively few Americans willing to become policemen. As a foreigner, what is astonishing to me is how many Americans donate so easily their time, their life, for military service. ==== Aside from paying taxes, maybe doing military service is another true measure of a civilised society. Edited March 15, 2014 by August1991 Quote
bleeding heart Posted March 15, 2014 Report Posted March 15, 2014 Most people, in Canada as well as in the US, do not join the military for strictly noble, or even patriotic, purposes. Some do, no doubt. What's more impressive to me is that, whatever the reasons for enlisting, many of them do show tremendous courage in difficult (and sometimes horrible) situations. That's where the hats' off should go....not to the enlistment itself. Quote “There is a limit to how much we can constantly say no to the political masters in Washington. All we had was Afghanistan to wave. On every other file we were offside. Eventually we came onside on Haiti, so we got another arrow in our quiver." --Bill Graham, Former Canadian Foreign Minister, 2007
August1991 Posted May 24 Author Report Posted May 24 At present in Canada, we have MAiD (Medically Assisted Death). But then our State also spends enormous sums to keep some people alive. Perhaps more to the point, as individuals, rich Canadians choose to buy longer life. Quote
Legato Posted May 24 Report Posted May 24 7 hours ago, August1991 said: At present in Canada, we have MAiD (Medically Assisted Death). But then our State also spends enormous sums to keep some people alive. Perhaps more to the point, as individuals, rich Canadians choose to buy longer life. Don't be too sure about that, many rich people eat at fast food joints. Quote
John Johnston Posted May 24 Report Posted May 24 14 minutes ago, Legato said: Don't be too sure about that, many rich people eat at fast food joints. At almost 20 Bucks for a disgusting A&W Teen Burger Combo, it might be that mainly well off people can afford it now. Because the average family sure can no longer afford 60 bucks or more for one small meal. Quote
August1991 Posted 9 hours ago Author Report Posted 9 hours ago On 5/24/2026 at 12:10 PM, John Johnston said: At almost 20 Bucks for a disgusting A&W Teen Burger Combo, it might be that mainly well off people can afford it now. Because the average family sure can no longer afford 60 bucks or more for one small meal. Disgusting? 60 bucks? Johnstone? When were you born? 1970s? You live in a different world than my great-great-grandparents. Quote
August1991 Posted 9 hours ago Author Report Posted 9 hours ago On 5/24/2026 at 11:52 AM, Legato said: Don't be too sure about that, many rich people eat at fast food joints. Legato, I tend to disagree. Warren Buffet famously said that he travels differently from the rest of us. Quote
Barquentine Posted 3 hours ago Report Posted 3 hours ago On 2/12/2011 at 12:43 AM, Bonam said: there are economies of scale to think about: let the rich pay for their treatment by the millions, the industry will grow and come up with better ways of doing it, and costs will come down over time, allowing more and more of the population to have access. If you're talking about specific treatments, yes, like generic drugs after patents expire. But the price of medicine as a whole will never get cheaper. Constant evolution of treatments, techniques, drugs, equipment, buildings... that will always be inflationary. And the rich will always have a big advantage over the poor in getting treatment. Quote
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.