Back in the Great State of Texas

A good friend can tell you what is the matter with you in a minute. He may not seem such a good friend after telling.

Arthur Brisbane, "The Book of Today"

I can win an argument on any topic, against any opponent. People know this, and steer clear of me at parties. Often, as a sign of their great respect, they don't even invite me.

Dave Barry (1947 - )

After deciding I would rather not travel on Friday the Thirteenth and attempt to find a campsite as the weekend starts I drove out of Shreveport this morning and entered Texas along I-20. Plenty of truck traffic but traffic moved. Found a small campground near Tyler which agreed to set me up in over-flow camping for the two nights. At least the price was right; though the Wi-Fi is less than stellar.

I feel a rant coming on.

Our American Brethren look to Canada as a model of state-run health care. One wonders just what kind of example we're showing them. Call an ambulance and you'll get a bill for the portion of the cost health care doesn't cover. Have a doctor order a battery of tests and discover just how many procedures are not covered. Go for an eye test and discover that no province covers them any longer unless you meet special criteria. Need specialized exams and learn that there's a one year waiting list; book your colonoscopy 1 year in advance. All fine until my doctor retired and the gal he sold his practice to decided it was too big and dropped me as a patient because I didn't abuse the system and see her right away. So now I join the staggering percentage of Canadians without a primary healthcare provider.

With great fanfare the Ontario Government launches E-Health Care which supposedly will help to bridge that gap. Now we learn the woman hired to run the department specialized in living high off the hog at government expense and hiring her cronies without following any contract protocols running up a multi-million dollar bamboozle. Enter H1N1 virus and we are left wondering just who's in charge and if anyone in the healthcare department can manage their way out of a wet paper bag. The drug companies producing the vaccine are surely making a healthy profit for their efforts; the complications involved in creating a specialized immunotherapy for a fast-breaking new virus are beyond the average person's comprehension but hearing that bulk containers of the stuff are being shipped out of the country for lack of proper containers boggles the imagination. With those who think they need the shots hearing that favours are being done and privileged groups are jumping the cue finger-pointing is running rampant.