To our American Friends

[Gymp]

Hope you all get out to vote today !!!!

It's important that you do,there are still countries in this world where the people are still not afforded this right.

Hope your party wins...

Gymp

[Dodger67]

O Pleeeze
I'm going to fucking puke if I hear or read another word about the damn US election...

[Gymp]

O Pleeeze
I'm going to fucking puke if I hear or read another word about the damn US election...

LOL

But everybody in their respective countries should vote.It just happens to be the USAians turn.

[Dodger67]

I really wish they would keep it to themselves and stop irritating the rest of us with their childish nonsense.

[Gymp]

If it were only that simple.Their elections and decisions on a whole host of issues effect the world.

Gymp

[Dodger67]

Yes they do - but the average yank doesn't even know that Europe and Africa are continents.
They decide who to vote for based on whether the candidate supports or opposes school prayer, abortion or gun ownership - really bullshit non issues!

OK thats IT! I'm not saying another word on this topic - it just makes my blood boil.

[Gymp]

- but the average yank doesn't even know that Europe and Africa are continents.
They decide who to vote for based on whether the candidate supports or opposes school prayer, abortion or gun ownership - really bullshit non issues!

True enough...I watched the victory speech by Obama Tuesday night and was impressed.

"I hope he can"

Gymp

[Dodger67]

I think we can close this topic now

[Theresa]

As an American - I do know where Europe is, and I promise not to cling to guns or religion!
I'm just making another post so I can post a photo album!
Long live Obama!
:sign0008:

[Dodger67]

OK I'm breaking my resolve not to post to this topic again but my "excuse" is that I'd like to ask a question that is not specifically related to the past elections or only to the US.

I'd like to know what various governments' attitudes and policies towards disability issues are and how it affects us.

In South Africa the situation is:

We have probably got the world's most "advanced" human rights legislation. But we also have 97% unemployment of disabled people who are able and willing to work. On other basic issues we have serious gaps between policy and reality - many government buildings still don't have elementary accessability such as ramps. The private sector doesn't do much bettter on that score either.
In terms of healthcare, if one can afford private healthcare we have the the same highly sophisticated care as any "first world" country. However in the public sector its a different story entirely. Many hospitals don't even have enough blankets and our nursing sector are notoriously incompetent.
The kind of social services that most in the first world take for granted simply do not exist. Things like grants and subsidies, advice and assitance, school nurses, personal aides/"drool wipers", etc. are just wishful thinking. The government just has no money for such luxuries.
Abortion on demand is available free to any woman over the age of 14. It is not a significant political issue, the word "abortion" wouldn't even rate a mention during a national election campaign except for one very small "loony fringe" religious party who everyone else ignores anyway.

[Gymp]

Where I live we have public universal health care.We have legislation that all buildings are to be accessible to all.The legislation for this has such a large time frame to implement that it's sort of useless.Legislation for equal employment to all disabled persons,but no real watch dogs to make sure they're not being overlooked.

The healh care has been eroding in this country for some years.Amalgamation of hospitals,shutting hospital wards down,not enough nurses,a shortage of doctors and long waits for diagnostic testing.Emergency rooms are overloaded and a few have died in the waiting room because the too few doctors and nurses are over worked and understaffed.If you have plugged heart arteries and require an angioplasty the only way you're gonna get it is if you are 97% plugged or you have a heart attack and ambulanced to the hospital and are still alive when you get there.Lots and lots of people don't have a General Practitioner and are relegated to medical clinics where the doctors change by the week so there's patient history and very impersonal.

This country is definitely moving to a two tiered health care system.With all of the above mentioned people with cash can circumvent the system and get prompt care
if they open their wallets.This is NOT the way it's supposed to be.Drug coverage for the poor and retirees has also dwindled where only basic medications are available and much of what was covered in the past no longer is.

Publicly funded health care started here in 1961 and was really good until the 1990's where cutbacks started.My country now spends over 160 billion yearly or about 10% of our GDP on heath care and we're still sinking fast!

With the current economic world events things are only going to get worse and people with disabilities and the elderly will slip farther on the back burner,Sigh....

I could go on but won't....I'll call this my rant for the day lol

Gymp