From: mascdb@gdr.bath.ac.uk (C D Burdorf)
Newsgroups: alt.california
Subject: Re: Paradise lost and Medi-Cal...
Date: 18 Aug 92 15:32:16 GMT
Organization: School of Mathematics, University of Bath, UK

In article <1992Aug17.233435.22487@dartvax.dartmouth.edu> Ariel.A.Vitali@dartmouth.edu (Ariel A. Vitali) writes:
>Hello, fellow Californians!
>
>I still wonder how in the hell my home can still maintain a reputation
>of being a "paradise."  I escaped Orange County to attend medical
>school in the Northeast.  Sure, it isn't as sunny in Hanover, NH as it
>is in Buena Park, CA, but I almost had a breakdown with the crowds, the
>traffic from hell, especially driving to Riverside.
>I love California, it is my home, but things are falling apart so
>quickly that I am definitely NOT coming back for my residency/practice.
> And it's not because there are too many doctors there, either ('cause
>there is!).

I grew up in Newport Beach and left California 2 years ago.  I might
come back because I miss the weather, the beach, my friends and family,
and the lifestyle.  Nonetheless,  California is really screwed up.

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.  


>!  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.