So Paul Ryan, surprise surprise, recently criticised the NHS at the GOP convention.
He "then blamed Mr. Obama for failing to curb the deficit, wasting stimulus money to revive the U.S. economy during his first year in office and passing a new health-care law that should "have no place in a free country."

So I'm assuming that America is the only free country in the western world? Because, you know, universal healthcare and a basic welfare state that exceeds even Obama's 'communist agenda' is actually present in almost every developed welfare state in the world, bar the US. The governments spend money on helping the citizens, because you know, that's kind of essential when 1 in 4 children are in poverty in countries like the US. And like, egalitarianism is kind of, very much in the Constitution and Bill of Rights, not that the Republicans pay any attention to those daft old documents.

But of course, federal spending on things such as Medicare should never extend to those in need because clearly it's the western world's least extensive welfare policies that have put America into debt. let's just focus on make life easier for the super-rich job creators, eh? (but let's just forget that making life easier for the super-rich underpinned George Bush's tax cuts too. Gee, THAT was successful.)

But wait, what if those that want to receive those jobs are unhealthy because they can't afford basic medicine, are young with no qualifications because they can't afford higher education, or are single mothers looking after a baby from an unwanted pregnancy because they can't afford childcare, all because welfare is seen as stalinist by the GOP?

If this is how Ryan defines such freedom, as a state where apparently intervening on your vag*na is small government but providing healthcare for the person with that vag*na is big, bad, totalitarian government, I wouldn't want it. Europe, Australia, Canada, we all live by the principle that a country cannot be civilised if a human being is left with a broken limb because of lack of means. That health should not be defined by capital.

And countries with the highest taxes and therefore 'biggest governments', like Switzerland, with almost 50% in the highest bracket, spend the money they receive from the people and corporations on giving back to society through universal child care, free universities, and, wait for it....universal healthcare.

This is The Nordic System; a welfare system by which most countries that have implemented it now have the highest quality of life on the globe.

And do you know what? Switzerland has the smallest gap between rich and poor and among one of the highest GDPs per capita in the world. It's literally reknowned for it's banks. Corporate job creators are NOT scared off because they know they have a wealth of employees to choose from that are happy, have good health and are highly-educated, and likewise have a huge consumer base that can actually afford to spend money on their products. THAT is investing in the economy, Paul.
Now shut up.

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