Interview With Eric Foner: 'Life Is Getting More Difficult For Americans'

[struggle4progress]

... SPIEGEL: In Europe people tend to call on the government in times of economic insecurity. Why doesn’t this happen in the U.S.?

Foner: First of all, in Europe it is the ordinary people who call on the government. Here, it is the rich who call on the government. Look at what is happening with investment bank Bear Stearns or mortgage lenders Fannie Mae. They have no qualms about turning to the government to rescue them. That is hundreds of billions of dollars involved there and the phrase here is, they are too big to fail. It is quite ironic.

SPIEGEL: Similar situations have come up in Europe. But why don’t ordinary people in the US demand more help from the government?

Foner: During the New Deal, during the 1960’s people did look to government. We have had two generations now of demonization of government. Bill Clinton played an important role when he said the era of big government is over. That was one of the most important sentences because it meant the Democrats are not going to go back to their notion that the government should be helping you out. Clinton used the same arguments as the Republicans. I think now that we are in this economic situation, people are looking more to government to deal with some of these problems, the regulation of the financial system, some kind of national health system. It won’t be like in Europe, but we can’t just keep the situation going where 50 million people have no health care ...

http://freeinternetpress.com/story.php?sid=18912

[Double T]

1. Our crooked wall street owned and operated health care system needs to be dismantled.........

and replaced with a government managed state operated system that will cost far less. The crooked doctors, hospitals, big pharma, HMOs etc. have made our health care cost twice as much as it should and the greedy bastards are inflating it a double digit increases annually.

[sandnsea]

2. $500 for an office visit is absurd

I can't even believe the numbers I've seen on doctor bills this last year. 30 years ago you could see a doctor for $10. Now it's $200 for a GP? And $500 for a specialist?? It's crazy.

[Double T]

3. Doctors used to live in their patients neighborhoods.

Today the greed mongers live in mansions and gated communities. Just another sellout to wall street corruption.