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[Pnx]

...

I knew that! It was part of my joke to-

Ok, I didn't know that.

Moving on...

[Descan]

I thought it was that Rush was a whining old bastard. >w>

[Capntastic]

I thought it was that RUSH is a talented band with lamentable Randian-objectivist leanings.

[lordcooper]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2012/mar/02/police-privatisation-security-firms-crime

This is the icing on the cake as far as I'm concerned.  Can anyone recommend a more sane country with reasonable police and decent healthcare?  European countries would be much easier for me to emigrate to, but I'm prepared to make the effort if there's a better option.

[Lysabild]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2012/mar/02/police-privatisation-security-firms-crime

This is the icing on the cake as far as I'm concerned.  Can anyone recommend a more sane country with reasonable police and decent healthcare?  European countries would be much easier for me to emigrate to, but I'm prepared to make the effort if there's a better option.

Denmark, Norway or Finland. I'd stay clear of Sweden personally, from all the crap I see in the news and hear from my ex-boyfriend.

[Virex]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2012/mar/02/police-privatisation-security-firms-crime

This is the icing on the cake as far as I'm concerned.  Can anyone recommend a more sane country with reasonable police and decent healthcare?  European countries would be much easier for me to emigrate to, but I'm prepared to make the effort if there's a better option.

Denmark, Norway or Finland. I'd stay clear of Sweden personally, from all the crap I see in the news and hear from my ex-boyfriend.

Denmark is quickly turning into an epitome of free market politics, so steer clear of that too. Finland is transphobic, leaving only Norway, but they probably have their own skeletons in the closet.

[kaijyuu]

Basically everywhere sucks to some degree.

Try to improve what you have, imo.

[scriver]

Since most of the bad news heard from Sweden right now is those skeletons being dragged out from the closet, I'm pretty certain it's not much worse than the rest of the place, though. Go to Finland for excellent schools, to Norway for good economy (though you might end up peeling bananas for them) and really charismatic politicians.

[MonkeyHead]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2012/mar/02/police-privatisation-security-firms-crime

This is the icing on the cake as far as I'm concerned.  Can anyone recommend a more sane country with reasonable police and decent healthcare?  European countries would be much easier for me to emigrate to, but I'm prepared to make the effort if there's a better option.

This is Thatcherism taken to the extreme. What better way to save costs than to make running things someone elses problem... what could possily go wrong there huh?

If history has taught me anything, what will happen is a massive plummet in service efficiency (as a "cheaper" workforce is organized and systems "streamlined" or made more "cost effective"), a rise in cost of service (as people arent effective at thier jobs in terms of what one individual can accompish with second rate equipment), and a huge increase in the number of people pissed off with the service (from having to deal with legalized local vigilantes instead of a solid professional body - the police in the UK actually do a pretty good job IMHO) - just as when previous Tory governments privatized the trains, gas supply, electicity supply, mining, most heavy industries, hell, anything they could get away with.

[penguinofhonor]

Semi-related privatization anecdote:

My friend's mother voted in favor of privatizing the busing service in her county. This won, and saved everyone some taxes. But the private bus company now charges 25% more than the old bus tax.

[scriver]

A study from last year showed that since Sweden started privatising companies, not only have the prices paid by customers gone up, but the actual service level has gone down as well. "But there's inherent value in the freedom itself!" as one right wing politician said when confronted about it. As if I give a damn about "freedom" when the trains are no longer serviced (if they're even winter-proof to begin with) and the apothecaries are selling past-date drugs.

[Leafsnail]

Well, the NHS reform bill is still being constantly amended to be weaker and is in danger of never passing at all due to unpopularity.  If anything privatisation of police will be even less popular.  I'm not sure if the government can really afford to fight that battle at all.

Privatisation can make some sense... if it can genuinely increase competition.  Railways, healthcare and policing are very much areas where it will not due to the fact that you'd effectively be giving the company a monopoly in a particular service.  Policing also has all kinds of other horrible accountability problems associated with privatisation.

http://news.yahoo.com/obama-joins-assailing-limbaugh-slur-student-201834452.html

Really, I think this is the perfect example where you'd kindof need some kind of libel laws or something to either shut Rush up or make him apologise.  It's someone who has a really loud voice and lots of followers defaming someone who has almost no voice with which to respond.  You can't just fight back by also using free speech because they have a much stronger platform than you.

I guess in this case it was somewhat helped by Obama getting involved, but not everyone can get the President on their side when they are horribly defamed by a news outlet.

[Criptfeind]

A study from last year showed that since Sweden started privatising companies, not only have the prices paid by customers gone up, but the actual service level has gone down as well. "But there's inherent value in the freedom itself!" as one right wing politician said when confronted about it. As if I give a damn about "freedom" when the trains are no longer serviced (if they're even winter-proof to begin with) and the apothecaries are selling past-date drugs.

Really thought, who's freedom is it? Not the peoples obviously. Not the employees (at least most of the time). The people who own the new business? Is the increased freedom for them worth the often decreased freedom for everyone else?

[Leafsnail]

It's the Libertarian definition of freedom which means "The government isn't involved".

[scriver]

Since it's Sweden, that would be liberal

http://news.yahoo.com/obama-joins-assailing-limbaugh-slur-student-201834452.html

Really, I think this is the perfect example where you'd kindof need some kind of libel laws or something to either shut Rush up or make him apologise.  It's someone who has a really loud voice and lots of followers defaming someone who has almost no voice with which to respond.  You can't just fight back by also using free speech because they have a much stronger platform than you.

I guess in this case it was somewhat helped by Obama getting involved, but not everyone can get the President on their side when they are horribly defamed by a news outlet.

I thought suing because of defamation was entirely possible, though? In theory at least, I mean.

Truean? *pulls up lawbrary car*