Reasons to be happy for living in the USA...

Next Saturday looks like this:

7.45am Burnley vs Chelsea ESPN2

10.00am Tottenham vs Birmingham FSC

12.15pm Man Utd vs Arsenal FSC

2.30pm AC Milan vs Inter Milan FSC

And then possibly a game from La Liga (although they never announce them in advance)

8.30pm DC United vs Chicago Fire FSC

And then if I am still awake...

11pm LA Galaxy vs Chivas USA FSC

Museum Ratings: New York Federal Reserve

I had a guided tour booked for Tuesday of the Federal Reserve of New York. You can visit it with or without a tour, as they have a nice free exhibition about money through the ages, but to get the full benefit, you will need to book up a month in advance. Why? Because that is the only way to get access to the fabled gold vaults that lie 5 levels below the surface. The tour itself is fairly short, after all, there is only so much that you can say about gold being kept somewhere, but is fairly informative and interesting. I wasn't keen on the videos they kept showing, they seemed almost to be there just to pad the tour out. But you can't beat free, especially when you are given a novel keep-sake at the end of the tour. And so I would recommend it (I'd say probably book 2 months in advance if you want a choice of when to visit).

Just in case my request is granted

Here are my questions that I have thought of so far. Any suggestions would be welcome.

1. Are you aware of the positionings of the British and US healthcare systems as according to the World Health Organisation? Do you think that the British would score twice as high as the Americans if they truly did value the lives of the elderly less than others?

2. Do you agree that your statement about Ted Kennedy not getting treatment in England was a preposterous thing to say?

3. Do you think it wise to make misinformed statements about your country's staunchest ally, and at the same time, stir up anti-American sentiment by doing so?

4. Are you for or against healthcare reform? If against, do you think that a country that prides itself to be the best in the world should settle for the most expensive, and yet 38th best, healthcare system?

5. What do you value more: sending robots to distant planets or giving all Americans the opportunity to afford healthcare and the chance of a longer, healthier choice?

6. If given the choice of space exploration or healthcare, which do you think the American public would choose?

7. Were your remarks about the NHS your own or a party line?

Letter to a Senator

Here is my letter to Chuck Grassley of Iowa, one of the Senators making uneducated idiot remarks about the NHS. If my request for a meeting with him is granted, I shall let everyone know.

Sir, As a British national living in the United States, I wish to register my disgust and contempt for a remark attributed to you regarding the British National Health Service. Your statement of "I don't know for sure, but I've heard several senators say that Ted Kennedy with a brain tumour, being 77 years old as opposed to being 37 years old, if he were in England, would not be treated for his disease, because end of life – when you get to be 77, your life is considered less valuable under those systems" is nothing short of a vile lie, seemingly with the only purpose of trying to undermine an example of a successful public health system for your own political means. I find your remarks to be ill-considered and wholly uneducated, and somewhat shocking given your position as a senior member of the Senate. I suggest that you fire your advisors as they clearly did not brief you very well (or at all) on this issue. Even the most cursory of research would have shown that your statement is a blatant falsehood. I hope that you are aware that there is a considerable backlash against your besmirching in the United Kingdom, and that you have probably contributed to worsening the view of the Republican party in the eyes of many. The only honorable thing for a man in your position to do would be to publicly apologize for your mis-informed statement, and even if you do so, I sincerely hope that the British Government issues you with a writ for liable. I eagerly anticipate your response on this sensitive issue. Sincerely, Gavin Bridge

ATTENTION AMERICANS: THE REPUBLICANS ARE LYING TO YOU

It has come to my attention that in their efforts to get the healthcare reform cancelled, members of the Republican party have told a pack of lies about the British National Health Service. Now, I am not a socialist by any means, in fact I voted Conservative in the last British General Election, but these lies are outrageous and I want to make sure that anyone I know in the States knows the truth about the matter.

Number one: Old people with brain tumours do not get treatment on the NHS. Quite frankly, the British government should sue for liable over this ridiculous claim. I don't even know where to begin. If this was true, I think Britain would be reknowned the world over for just letting their old people die once they are seriously ill, rather than a secret that the Republicans have uncovered with their espionage.

Number two: People with heart disease over 59 are left to die because it would be expensive to give them the drugs. This is just pure falsehood.

Look, the NHS isn't perfect. People have to wait for operations, as they are granted on a 'whoever needs it most gets it first' basis. Sometimes, people have to tough it out a little if they are in no danger of dying from an ailment. But that can be a good thing. We don't dole prescription medicines around like they are candy, and so are nowhere near as reliant on pills as this country. Doctors aren't fronts for pharmeceutical companies, trying to peddle their favourite company's drugs. All prescriptions cost just over £6 each. Our healthcare is officially twice as good as yours according to the World Health Organisation (18th to 37th) and people LIVE LONGER in the UK despite smoking and drinking much more.

Finally, Sarah Palin, the luminary pinnacle of intelligence all should hope to aspire to, has topped her claim that Africa is a country by Obama's health reforms as "evil". WTF how does this woman even get near a microphone.

REPUBLICANS: I AM VERY DISAPPOINTED IN YOU.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/aug/11/nhs-united-states-republican-health