From: marc_b@Ingres.COM (Marc Burckin)
Subject: Re: Paradise lost and Medi-Cal...
Reply-To: marc_b@Ingres.COM (Marc Burckin)
Organization: Ask Computer Systems Inc., Ingres Division, Alameda CA 94501
Date: 19 Aug 92 10:23:46 GMT

I can also sympathise. I grew up in the Bay area, wen to call college at
UCSD(in San Diego) and hence I spent 21 of my first 22 years in Calif.
The one yearI didn't spend there(when I was 20) was in England.

I can sympathize with the above poster about the two conflicting facts
that Calif is really screwed up, but its also our "home". I'm now married
to an Englishwoman and hence have the opportunity to stay here or to move 
back to the states(probably Calif.) Because of a lot of the reasons already
mentioned we're not sure if we'll go back or decide to settle here.
 


>The lifestyle here in England is much less stressful.  Less crime (espcially
>violent crime), less driving, and socialized medicine are three things
>that make life here much easier. 
>
>>I remember watching CNN a few weeks ago.  The story mentioned that the
>>population in SoCal will increase by about 6 million by 2020 or so. 
>>Please correct me if I'm wrong.  At that rate there will be a perpetual
>>rush hour in the entire state freeway system.  I can't imagine driving
>>on the 91 eastbound at 5 mph.  It was bad enough at 15 mph!
>>And now the clincher:  There was a story on NBC Nightly News about
>>Medi-Cal and its impending collapse due to the budget crisis.  Medi-Cal
>>was enough of a joke, and now we have Pinhead Pete WIlson and Willie
>>Brown's Circus up in Sacto. making things much worse!
>>It looks like places such as County-USC Medical Center will have to
>>resort to cutbacks in personnel and services if the budget situation
>>does not get resolved within five days.  Some places, particularly
>>smaller facilities that depend heavily on Medi-Cal $$ may have to
>>close, thereby driving many people to the streets.
>>It's bad enough that George Dickmejian cut many services (e.g., mental
>>health care), we have Pinhead Pete unwilling to make a compromise with
>>the California Legislature at the expense of the people of the Golden
>>State
>
>Yeah the funding is screwed up in California for medicine, but
>part of the reason for that is that doctors are greedy and
>the AMA is strictly opposed to socialized medicine and makes efforts
>to limit the amount of doctors (so you can charge more via the law
>of supply and demand).   In the US you pay big bucks for 
>medical care that in England is free and (in my opinion) in England
>you not only get better care, but doctors are much more
>down to earth and understanding as well.  US doctors need to
>be knocked off their pedestals.  
>

I must disagree with you on this point. If you compare what you get here
in England with what you would get with a good HMO, the HMO would
*generally* give you better care(IMHO). I have had the (mis)fortune of
having a relatively strange illness(parlysed vocal chord!) while here
in England. It took me 5 weeks of not being able to speak until the
my GP(the front-line of British medical care) referred me to
see an ENT(ear, nose, throat) consultant. Within 5 minutes this guy
was able to tell me what was wrong. 

This is just one experience, but
I have had 3 GP's while here(I got a new one each time I moved). They
have spent an average of 3-5 minutes on me when I came in. I know that
the medical system is the US is totally overkill and would have probably
sent me of for soem wild funky tests that might have cost bug bucks. This
is of course what helps to contribute to the ever-inreasing insurance bills.


>>!  And I won't even discuss Pete's raising of Cal State and
>>University of California fees (but if YOU want to, feel free!).  Fees
>>were bad enough at UC Riverside when I was there.  I can't imagine how
>>it is for any of you out there.
>
>Here in England, I get paid a salary while I study which is 2-3 times
>what I got offered at any US university.  Also, Graduate students aren't
>slaves to professors here as they are back home (espcially at the
>University of California).  When I talked to professors at the US schools
>that accepted me, they told me what they wanted me to do and seemed
>to care less what I was interested in.  Here I get a lot of room
>to explore my own ideas.
>
>>I just had to vent my spleen.  If anyone has comments, flames, etc. 
>>let me know.  If you want to, e-mail me, and let me know what you
>>think.
>>
>
>You got it.  California is going down the drain.  It's still 
>my home though.  I don't feel as comfortable anywhere else.
>
>
As I said, I can sympathise with this postion.


					Marc

marc_b@ingres.com
Ingres International
London
UK
--
marc_b@m