A Social Democracy vs. A...What are we, exactly?

In Paris, they have a phrase: c'est l'hôpital qui se moque de la Charité. It means, literally, "It is the hospital mocking charity" and it is the French version of the pot calling the kettle black.

Interesting, non? For we certainly do not hail from a country where hospitals and charities could ever be confused. Before I left, I tore my rotator cuff, and the diagnostic visit + a shot of cortizone & lidocaine, was $415.00. Now, consider this: in case of emergency, a doctor can visit your house for $50 euro. And if you go to his office, the average cost (and this is not a copay, folks) is $25 euro.

So why the disparity? Some Americans say it is because the quality of the healthcare suffers. If I had just discovered that I pay some eight times the amount that healthcare is worth, then I, too, would feel a need to claim that the cheaper version was poorer quality. But I would be wrong. French doctors charge less in part because they have less overhead - they pay almost nothing for advertising, marketing and pompe, focusing instead on the actual healthcare.

Now I know what some of you are thinking. You're thinking, "But, Kelly. Don't you write freelance for a healthcare advertising agency? Isn't that kindof calling the kettle black?" And you're right, but you're a jerk. I'm just trying to make money as a writer so that one day I can stop working long enough to finish a novel. You can help by publicizing my blog. Stop pointing fingers, Bob. Be part of the solution.

Another thing Americans say when they find out how much better the schools and healthcare are in places like France is claim that the tax burden in France is almost unbearable. Also untrue. There is actually no income tax in France. The tax is all in sales.

For example, the French government collects 75% of the cost of cigarettes, which are smoked prolifically by 25% of the adult population, who in turn use a lot of cheap healthcare. So it goes around and comes around.

Point is, the amount of tax you pay depends largely on the amount you consume. Imagine that: taxes based on what you spend, and not what you earn. And no matter what, you're taken care of.

So it is possible. I've seen it. And today I did my part to contribute to the system by spending an uncharacteristic amount of money on things like shoes, clothes and purses. Just helping the cause, Bob. Trying to be part of the solution.

One last note on politics: Last week when I was in a smokey, techno, pulsing nightclub bar (not my usual style, but these things can be enjoyed once every seven years or so), I mentioned to someone that I was from Texas. She said, "Oh I am afraid, because of Bush." And I was trying to say, "I think he's a numbskull, too" and maybe express that I prefer a social democracy over whatever it is we are, too. But my French does not encompass that. So instead I just said, "Oh, Bush?" And stuck my tongue out and made a gross face.

I figure that's good enough.