Brits Need Roads
The Association of British Drivers (ABD) is calling for the UK government to get their thumbs out and start building some more damn roads already, and bloody well do something to improve the safety of the ones they've already got [paraphrasing]. "Major roads like the A1 still have dangerous crossing points in the central reservation, instead of proper graded junctions. It is outrageous that people continue to be killed in these places because the British Government refuses to invest in decent roads." As I discussed with ABD's affable spokesman Paul Biggs, the government is being pulled in two directions. On one hand, environmental pressure groups are pushing The Powers That Ride in Limos to legislate against car use (or at least tax the Hell out of it). On the other, the pols need new roads to stimulate the economy (so they can collect more taxes). And the winner is… stasis. "The government have listened to frankly silly suggestions from the anti roads lobby that 'roads create traffic' which is considered a 'bad thing', and so improving the roads has become taboo. On the contrary, removing roadspace and obstructing the roads is supposed to make traffic magically disappear, with no ill effects on people's lives." Supposed?
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The Canadian medical system is a mess. Just what you would expect from the government. Read this and open your eyes. "Over there I had three specialists come into my room every day and talk to me," said Laporte, who stayed at Henry Ford Hospital for seven days, though he has yet to the see the bill that OHIP will pick up. "At six in the morning I would have an intern give me the latest tests. I would see the specialists even on the weekend. I was at the hospital in Windsor for three days and I saw the cardiologist twice. "Over there, the hallways are packed with people: doctors and nurses. It's almost like being in a mall. When they rolled me back here around seven at night, I thought they were rolling me into a morgue. There were hardly any people." http://www.canada.com/windsorstar/news/story.html?id=4285ba53-9e64-4bf6-b52c-bcc09eaefca1
I am not quibbling with Glenn's general point, but one should be careful throwing around big numbers. A billion days ago (when no-one walked on two feet, according to the above) was roughly 3 million years ago. Our upright hominid predecessor Australopithicus afarensis, of which Lucy is the most famous member, lived from roughly 4 million to 2.7 million years ago. Carnivorous dinosaurs were walking the earth on two feet probably a couple of hundred million years before that. (Oddly, all the carnivorous dinosaurs were bipeds.)
Why do these TTAC comments always devolve into a healthcare debate? Do comments at healthcare sites always devolve into arguments about cars??
They have healthcare sites with people discussing stuff? I would like to have a link to one to see what they discuss, if it's interesting or bedtime reading.